Grant Writer and Coordinator

RFCUNY Research Foundation of the City University of New York; New York (NY); On-site; USD 85,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

RFCUNY is seeking a Grants Writer/Prospect Researcher to secure external funding for BMCC’s CEWD. The role collaborates with CEWD leadership, BMCC offices, and RFCUNY to craft proposals and manage funder communications.

The candidate should have a proven grants track record, strong writing skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining thorough records. Salary range aligns with nonprofit research funding norms.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in English, Communications, Public Administration, or related field.
• Minimum of 2 years of grant writing and prospecting experience.
• Experience in grant writing for workforce development preferred.
• Excellent persuasive writing, editing, and verbal communication.
• Proven track record of securing grants from private foundations and government sources.
• Liaise with funders, respond to queries, cultivate relationships.
• Effective time management and meticulous record-keeping.
• Ability to synthesize program data and budgets with narratives.
• Work independently and with diverse stakeholders.
• Actively participate in team meetings.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office.

Responsibilities

• Prospect Research: identify potential funding sources from diverse entities.
• Proposal Development and Writing: craft compelling grant proposals and letters of interest.
• Stakeholder and Funder Engagement: manage internal/external communications.
• Pre-submission process: coordinate drafts, forms, and signatures for compliance.
• Submission and Tracking: oversee portal submissions and status updates.
• Stewardship and Reporting: assist with post-award progress reports to funders.
• Budgeting and Compliance: review budgets per funder/CUNY RFCUNY rules.
• Documentation and Resources: maintain templates and policy knowledge.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Grant writing

Prospect research

Writing & editing

Stakeholder engagement

Budgeting

Microsoft Office

Data analysis

Organizational skills

Project management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in English/Comms/Public Administration (related field)

Job description

Thank you for considering a career with the Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY). The team at RFCUNY is made up of dedicated, talented professionals committed to providing the services that allow CUNY researchers, faculty, and staff to focus on their intellectual curiosity and scientific discoveries. We are pleased that you are interested in exploring opportunities to join RFCUNY.

Primary Location: BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN C. C. Bargaining Unit: No This role involves a blend of research, writing, and project management to secure external funding for a variety of programs and services at BMCC’s Center for Continuing Education and Workforce Development (CEWD). This role sits within CEWD and works closely with department leadership, BMCC’s Office of Sponsored Programs and Office of Institutional Advancement, as well as Research Foundation of CUNY. This is a key role in supporting the growth of BMCC’s CEWD.

Key Responsibilities

Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Prospect Research: Researching and identifying potential funding sources from federal, state, local government, corporate, and private foundations. This involves analyzing Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) and guidelines to determine eligibility, competitiveness, and alignment with department goals.
• Proposal Development and Writing: Drafting, writing, and editing compelling grant proposals, letters of interest, and other correspondence. This requires collaborating with program leadership and other key staff to gather information, data, and program specifics to craft proposals.
• Stakeholder and Funder Engagement: Cultivating strong internal relationships with CEWD staff and BMCC partners to facilitate grant proposal development, and actively managing external funder communications outside of formal reports, including scheduling and coordinating site visits, presentations, and other ad-hoc information requests.
• Pre-submission process: Maintaining a grants calendar, coordinating the timeline and completion of all drafts, edits, forms, charts, letters of support, and signatures ensuring thoroughness of all documents to ensure applications comply with all funder requirements prior to meeting submission deadlines.
• Submission and Tracking: Managing the grant/contract proposal submission process through various online portals and tracking the status of all applications. Communicate and manage subsequent requests from prospective funders.
• Stewardship and Reporting: Assisting with post-award tasks such as preparing interim and final progress/impact reports to funders and maintaining positive relationships with donors/sponsors.
• Budgeting and Compliance: Reviewing project proposal budgets to ensure they meet both funder and CUNY/RFCUNY requirements. This also includes preparing necessary administrative forms, and other supporting documentation.
• Documentation and Resources: Maintaining comprehensive records, developing a resource library of templates and boilerplate language, and staying current on funding policies, regulations, and philanthropic trends.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Qualifications Interested candidates should have the following qualifications:

• A bachelor's degree in English, Communications, Public Administration, or related field.
• Minimum of 2 years of grant writing and prospecting experience, preferably in higher education or non-profit settings.
• Experience in grant writing for workforce development is highly preferred.
• Excellent persuasive writing, editing, and verbal communication skills.
• Successful track record of securing grants from private foundations and government sources.
• Liaise with funders, respond to queries, cultivate productive and long-term relationships.
• Effective time management and organizational skills, including the ability to address multiple priorities simultaneously and maintain meticulous records.
• Strong research and analytical skills.
• Ability to synthesize program data, and metrics, create and justify project budgets, with budget narratives.
• Ability to work both efficiently, independently and collaboratively with diverse stakeholders, showing adaptability and resourcefulness.
• Actively participate in team meetings.
• Proficiency with relevant software, including Microsoft Office

Pay Range

Pay Range: $85,000 - $95,000

RFCUNY Benefits

RFCUNY Employee Benefits and Accruals

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The Research Foundation of the City University of New York is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Americans with Disabilities Act/E-Verify Employer. It is the policy of the Research Foundation of CUNY to provide equal employment opportunities free of discrimination based on race, color, age, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, national origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic violence victim status, arrest record, criminal conviction history, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

About RFCUNY

The Research Foundation of the City University of New York (RFCUNY) is a nonprofit educational corporation founded in 1963 to provide post-award fiscal and administrative support for CUNY’s research and sponsored programs. RFCUNY’s services allow CUNY researchers, faculty, and staff to focus on their intellectual curiosity and scientific discoveries, on projects and programs that serve our local and global communities, proposing concrete solutions to society’s most pressing challenges. RFCUNY serves as a fiscal agent and works closely with all the CUNY campus Grants Offices to perform the core functions of post-award financial management for CUNY research projects and sponsored programs. These functions include legal assessment and signing of agreements where RFCUNY is named as a fiscal agent; setting up award accounts; preparing sub-awards and assisting PIs in monitoring the work of the recipients of sub-awards; supporting project directors with hiring and managing research project and sponsored program staff; supporting the purchasing and paying for goods and services with grant and program funds; managing financial aspects of projects including accounts receivable, financial reporting, invoicing, budget monitoring, and cost compliance with uniform guidance; ensuring that sponsor financial requirements are met; monitoring compliance with applicable project and financial management rules and laws; supporting the management of independent and external audits and financial reviews; and providing data, information, management expertise, and other supports to CUNY’s research and sponsored programs.