About Canal Alliance
Canal Alliance exists to break the generational cycle of poverty for Latino immigrants and their families by lifting barriers to their success. Canal Alliance is a nonprofit champion of immigrants who are challenged by a lack of resources and an unfamiliar environment. Every day, we educate, empower, support, and partner with motivated immigrants to best meet all their unique needs—from putting food on the table, to becoming American citizens, to learning English, to graduating from college, and gaining quality, career-path employment.
Canal Alliance strives for a trauma-informed collaborative and inclusive culture. We invest in high quality services, professional development, and work-life balance.
Position Summary
Canal Alliance seeks an experienced individual to conceptualize, prepare and submit compelling grant proposals and reports to foundation, corporate and government funders. The Grant Writer is a member of a 13-person Development team, which is responsible for raising $6.5M+ annually from philanthropic sources and preparing applications for $4.5M in government contracts each year. This is a full-time exempt position that reports to the Director of Institutional Giving, and functions as part of a three-person Institutional Giving Team. The Grant Writer will work closely with agency leadership, program directors, and external partners, including those from the city and county agencies, to provide expert-level technical writing and editing services for grants. The successful candidate will effectively collaborate with team members, staff from other partner organizations, and representatives from various funding institutions to submit accurate and complete proposals and reports in a timely manner, and proactively source opportunities for additional funding. This is a hybrid position, with the expectation that you work from the office two days a week.
Key Responsibilities
Proposal and Report Writing – 70%
- Provide primary project management and writing and editing support for the development and timely submission of compelling and accurate grant applications and reports to fund Canal Alliance operations, programs and capital/capacity needs.
- Collaborate with program directors and senior managers, and with external partners on collaborative grant applications, leading proposal development to meet timelines and ensuring that all essential elements are included in the applications.
- Support program directors to review funding opportunities by helping to interpret funder priorities, and supporting program directors to prepare compelling applications that align with funder goals.
- Assist program teams to gather relevant program information and data for use in narratives and attachments.
- Work with the accounting team to prepare relevant program budgets and other financial documents that align with funder requests as attachments to proposals and reports.
- Create, revise, and edit drafts of content submitted by proposal team members including statement of need; project descriptions, goals, and outcomes; work plans; funding plans; budget narratives, evaluation plans, and organization credentials.
- Advise proposal team members regarding rhetorical strategy, ensure consistency between various pieces of content as details shift and provide close editing of narrative and basic formatting assistance.
- Oversee project timelines for assigned portfolio of proposals and reports, in order to ensure adequate time for document development, review and copyediting, and timely submission per funder deadlines.
- Maintain and update accurate electronic funder files and Salesforce grants management system records to include grants submission deadlines and all relevant grant-related information from all funder sources.
- Maintain and update our library of grant proposal support documents (i.e. executive summaries, organization history, staff biographies, theories of change, etc.) for use by development and program staff.
Prospect Research – 15%
- Conduct institutional funding research to identify new funding opportunities; work closely with various departments across the agency to identify grant and contract funding opportunities that align with the strategic directions of Canal Alliance.
- Proactively share suitable grant opportunities related to our agency's expertise and goals with relevant program staff for their review.
Other – 15%
- Support the Chief Development Officer and Director of Institutional Giving to monitor the annual fundraising plan for foundation, corporate and government revenue.
- Assist with researching, writing and preparing strategic and development communications including letters to individual funders, case statements, and appeal and campaign materials, etc.
- Track deadlines, requirements, and maintaining data about funding opportunities deliverables and tasks in Salesforce
- Build a library/repository of program content using the AI tool, Grantable.
- Maintain active and positive communication and relationships with Canal Alliance program directors and staff.
- Develop and maintain active and positive communication with foundation grant officers for assigned portfolio of funders.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
- Bachelor's or an advanced degree in government, sociology or related fields of studies strongly preferred. A graduate degree is preferred.
- Minimum of 4 years of grant writing experience in a professional setting with knowledge of federal grant guidelines and grant budgets preferred.
- Proven ability to write and submit successful grant applications, particularly large collaborative, and transdisciplinary grants.
- Thorough understanding of the role of grant funding at a nonprofit CBO.
- Strong ability to think creatively and independently on concepts requiring advanced analytical skills. Advanced skills analyzing and presenting data. Proven ability to grasp and communicate complex ideas clearly and concisely.
- Ability to effectively communicate clearly and concisely (written and verbal)
- Demonstrated experience and ability in technical writing (writing and editing technical documents)
- Ability to work across multiple projects simultaneously.
- Ability to effectively form effective partnerships with our CBO team and external partners.
- Excellent time management, critical thinking, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to work independently, be computer literate, and work under pressure and meet deadlines.
- Thorough knowledge and ability to apply all relevant federal, state, and agency policies, and federal guidance documents.
- Proven experience in keeping up with new requirements for grant proposals, such as formats and proposal components, of federal, state, and private granting agencies.
- Attention to detail to ensure proper and consistent editorial formatting of large grant submissions.
- Ability to work collaboratively with Leadership, Program Directors and external partners to accomplish grant development and initiative goals.
- Demonstrated experience in drafting federal grant proposals, coordinating grant budget development, writing letters of intent, and writing letters of support.
- Experience using office software and applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).
- Experience with Cal eGrants and federal grant process and guidelines is preferred.
Additionally Desired
- Commitment to social and economic justice
- Previous experience fundraising in a non-profit organization
- Experience using Salesforce/Non Profit Success Pack or similar CRM database
- Bilingual/bicultural in Spanish and English a plus
Compensation
This is a full-time, non-exempt position with benefits. We offer a competitive salary ($82k-$86k for a 4DWW) with a benefits package that includes:
- 3 weeks paid vacation per year
- 12 days of sick leave per year
- Four-day work week, 9-5, Monday through Thursday.
- Paid Birthday each year
- 14 paid holidays per year
- 100% paid employee medical & dental insurance, life insurance, LTD, and EAP.
- 403(b)-retirement plan with employer match of up to 4% after 3 months of employment.
- Voluntary benefits include FSA, vision, life, and pet insurance, as well as coverage for dependents.
- Telehealth for physical and mental health
*Canal Alliance works a 4DWW- Work 4 days / 32 hours in a highly effective and efficient team!
Location
- This is a hybrid position, with 2 days per week in the office.
Canal Alliance Equity and Inclusion Statement
Canal Alliance actively promotes and recognizes principles of fairness, equity, and social justice in relation to, and across, intersections of race, age, color, national origin, ethnicity, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, disability, ancestry and all other identities represented among our diverse employees.
By appreciating the importance of inclusion, we acknowledge that the collective and individual talents, skills, and perspectives of our staff foster a culture of belonging, safety, collaborative practice, innovation, and mutual respect. Canal Alliance is committed to the transformation of attitudes and systems that deprive any person or group of these principals.
Key Competencies
Client Focus
Cultural Competence
Collaboration
Communication