Grants Writer

at  RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE NEW YORK

The Grant Writer will directly support the Assistant Director of Major Gifts and Institutional Grants in prospecting, outlining, writing, and submitting Letter of Inquiries (LOIs), Proposals, and Reports. They will conduct research on prospective grantors, and support ongoing communication and stewardship with existing and prospective donors. The Grant Writer will remain up to date with relevant trends in the industry and with current priorities of our organization to ensure proposals take into consideration these developments and will provide writing, editing, deadline tracking, and other ad-hoc services in the grant management process.

QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES

Education and Work Background

• Bachelor’s degree in English, Writing, Communications, Nonprofit Management, or a related field;
• 1+ years of grant writing experience in a nonprofit setting, with a strong track record of successful proposals for institutional, government, and private funders; or, comparable experience on a Development Team for a nonprofit.
• Knowledge on grant processes from private and government institutions.

WRITING AND EDITING SKILLS

• Exceptional writing, editing, and proofreading skills, with the ability to craft compelling narratives for a variety of audiences.
• Strong command of grammar and style and attention to detail to produce polished and persuasive content.

RESEARCH AND ANALYTICAL SKILLS

• Proficient in prospect research, with the ability to identify and evaluate potential funding sources that align with organizational goals.
• Ability to synthesize information from various sources and interpret complex guidelines and requirements from grantors.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

• Proficiency in grant research platforms such as Foundation Directory Online, GuideStar Pro, RelSci, or similar tools.
• Experience with Salesforce or other CRM databases for tracking and managing grants and funders; familiarity with data management in nonprofit fundraising.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Google Workspace for document preparation and collaborative work.
• Ability to leverage ai tools in an authentic way to streamline some aspects of grant writing, while ensuring all content is thoughtfully reviewed, personalized, and refined to align with RMH-NY’s voice, values, and unique mission.
• Experience with government grant portals is a plus.

Interpersonal Skills

• Strong collaboration skills to effectively work across teams, gather needed information, and build productive relationships.
• Professional, clear, and proactive communication skills for liaising with funders and internal stakeholders.
• Ability to analyze and translate complex grant guidelines and funding opportunities into clear, concise summaries and actionable insights for other staff members.
• Industry Knowledge
• Interest in and familiarity with current trends in nonprofit fundraising, philanthropy, and grantmaking practices. Experience with securing funding for pediatric illnesses, supportive services, food insecurity, and health equity work is a plus.
• Understanding of financial terminology and budget creation for grant proposals, with a focus on program funding and reporting.

Additional

OTHER

• This job description is an overview or major duties, activities and responsibilities required for the role
• This description is not intended to be a complete listing of all tasks required for the role
• Responsibilities will change with the needs of the organization

ROLE/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Research, prospect, and identify private and government grant opportunities that align with the House’s mission, ongoing initiatives/projects, and current priorities. Using prospect research methodologies such as Guidestar Pro, The Foundation Directory Online, Relationship Science (RelSci), and others.
• Present prospected grant opportunities to the Assistant Director and collaborate on selecting which opportunities to pursue.
• Prepare grant outlines for review, draft proposals, and prepare accompanying materials. This includes writing compelling organizational, program, and budget narratives, and collecting supporting documents to compile a competitive application reflective of the House’s goals and priorities.
• Copy edit proposals and other drafts completed by Assistant Director and/or other staff.
• Work across the organization to remain updated on and understand the different programs’ and their funding needs, and to gather information and materials needed for proposals and reports, such as program outcomes.
• Draft interim and final reports to funders.
• Draft and facilitate stewardship communications (ex. LOIs, cultivation emails, invitations to meet) to prospective and existing donors to maintain and cultivate donor relationships.
• Support Assistant Director in managing grant proposal deadlines and reporting timelines.
• Support the Assistant Director in responding to ad hoc requests and questions from funders.
• Support Assistant Director in compiling materials, projections, and updates for internal Development meetings, updates, and briefs as needed, including for the leadership team.
• Support Assistant Director in reviewing and monitoring grant agreements to ensure the organization can adhere to donor requirements.
• Maintain knowledge and participate in ongoing training to be proficient in the CRM database; Utilize the CRM to track grant proposals, reporting deadlines, other tasks, and keep relevant notes on all updates regarding a grant opportunity/institution; and support CRM management, including with data entry, deduplicating records, and cleaning historical data.
• Support the Assistant Director of Grants and the Development department in ad hoc tasks as needed and perform other duties as needed, including attending fundraising events when needed.
• Develop processes to maintain grant attachments and standardized grant language to streamline grant applications
• Create and maintain log ins for grant portals
• Be a motivated RMH-NY employee, eager to collaborate with other teams, build relationships with colleagues, and participate in staff events.

The physical demands described herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Work for this job is performed in a hospitality environment with guests or in mechanical/maintenance rooms. Some outdoor work is required.
• This position requires standing, bending, climbing, walking, lifting, pushing, pulling or carrying for extensive periods of tim

The work environment characteristics described herein are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• This job is located in the same facility where RMH-NY provides temporary accommodations to pediatric patients and their families while the patients are undergoing active medical treatment at area hospitals. For some RMH-NY guests, medical treatment may include radiation therapy. While radiation therapy is never administered at RMH-NY, there is the potential for some radioactive material to be present in guests who have undergone radiation therapy. Based on radiation measurements performed throughout RMH-NY, it is not expected that individuals working at RMH will receive radiation doses that would exceed the general public limit (100 millirem per year).
• The noise level in the work environment is moderate to loud. Noise levels often increase with families and children who have temporary residence in the building as well as guests and musical performers for special events as well as mechanical equipment
• Some weekends and evening hours may be necessary for this jo