Grant Writer

Good Shepherd Services; City of Niagara Falls (NY); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Good Shepherd Services in New York seeks a Grants Writer to manage a portfolio of private foundations and to lead the writing of interim and final reports and grant proposals. You will coordinate with funders, the Impact and Evaluation team, and our finance department to track outcomes and expenses.

The role requires strong writing, deadline discipline, and experience with fundraising databases. You will support the grants team, attend meetings, and contribute to special projects as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree preferred, some relevant experience may suffice.
• Strong writing and communication skills are essential.
• Detail orientation and ability to meet deadlines are required.
• Familiarity with fundraising databases like Salesforce is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of private foundations supporting various programs; write interim and final reports and grant proposals.
• Oversee the Helping Hands initiative in partnership with senior leadership and provide emergency assistance funds.
• Research funding opportunities and lead process for new private grants; summarize RFPs.
• Develop and submit public proposals to NYC, NYS, and federal agencies; assist with proposals and reporting.
• Maintain boilerplate documents and ensure organizational information stays current.
• Draft thank-you letters for funders, track signatures, and log acknowledgments in Salesforce.
• Attend weekly grants team meetings and support additional initiatives as needed.
• Represent the grants team at external meetings as required.
• Complete special projects as necessary.

Skills

Strong writing

Detail oriented

Microsoft Office

Salesforce familiarity

Education

Bachelor’s degree preferred

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Are you ready for new challenges and new opportunities?

Join our team!

Current job opportunities are posted here as they become available.

Subscribe to our RSS feeds to receive instant updates as new positions become available.

Location: 305 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10001

Hours: 35 hours

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage a portfolio of private foundations supporting Good Shepherd Services’ mental health work, economic mobility work, Safe Homes domestic violence advocacy program, and general operating support. This includes writing interim and final reports and grant proposals and renewal requests, communicating with funders and managing site visits, liaising with our Impact and Evaluation department to secure and analyze program outcomes, and coordinating with our finance department to create program expense reports and budgets.
• Oversee all aspects of the Helping Hands initiative in partnership with the Vice President of Foundation and Corporate Relations and Vice President of Supportive Housing and Youth Homelessness Initiatives, providing emergency assistance funds to GSS participants.
• Research prospective public and private funding opportunities, including leading the process for new private grant opportunities, connecting grants team members with funding opportunities that align with their portfolio, and completing RFP (Request for Proposal) summaries.
• Work with grants team members to develop and submit public proposals to NYC, NY State, and federal government agencies (e.g., NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, NYS Office of Children and Family Services).
• Assist other grants team members in the completion of proposals and reports through writing specific sections and helping secure program outcomes and financials documents.
• Help maintain and update the grant team’s Boilerplate document, ensuring that organizational information remains accurate and current.
• Manage all grant team thank you letters for payments received by private funders, including drafting thank you letters, getting the appropriate signature, and tracking the completed acknowledgement in salesforce.
• Be an active member of the grants team, including attending weekly team meetings and development division meetings; support additional initiatives as needed.
• As needed, attend external meetings (e.g., bidders’ conferences) as a representative of the grants team and GSS.
• Complete special projects as necessary.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree is preferred but not required if candidate has relevant experience.
• Must be a strong writer and have a passion for the written word. This can include writing in your personal life (e.g., creative fiction; poetry) and/or experience writing in a professional setting – grant writing experience strongly preferred but not necessary.
• Must be self-motivated, detail and deadline oriented, and comfortable following up via email, phone, and in-person with staff at all levels of the organization to secure information.
• Comfortable working with individuals from all different backgrounds and experiences.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite required; familiarity with fundraising databases (e.g., Salesforce) preferred but not necessary.
• Able to maintain a positive, strength-based perspective when navigating multiple deadlines.
• Possess the skills to multi-task and prioritize assignments based on the needs of the grants department and GSS as a whole.
• Willingness to work the occasional evening and/or weekend if needed.