Grant Writer & Foundation Relations Lead

Guiding Eyes for the Blind; Town of Yorktown (NY); On-site; USD 85,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Guiding Eyes for the Blind is seeking a Foundation Relations Officer to advance fundraising by managing foundation donors, researching opportunities, and coordinating grants. You’ll craft proposals, reports, and communications, while collaborating across departments to compile budgets and program impact data.

You will build strong relationships with funders, manage the full grant lifecycle, and ensure timely stewardship and renewals, all in a mission-driven nonprofit environment that supports

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Two (2) or more years of experience in grant writing, foundation relations, development, fundraising, or a related nonprofit role.
• Demonstrated ability to research funding opportunities and develop clear, persuasive grant proposals, reports, and donor communications.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Exceptional attention to detail and a commitment to maintaining accurate donor, grant, and gift records.

Responsibilities

• Manage and steward an assigned portfolio of foundation donors and prospects, developing strategies to secure funding and strengthen long-term engagement.
• Conduct prospect research to identify and evaluate private, family, community, and corporate foundation funding opportunities aligned with Guiding Eyes' programs and priorities.
• Coordinate and host foundation donor meetings, site visits, and other engagement opportunities, including preparing materials and working with colleagues across the organization.
• Prepare and submit grant proposals, letters of inquiry, grant reports, donor updates, stewardship materials, and other foundation communications.
• Manage the full grant cycle, including opportunity research, proposal development, submission tracking, reporting, stewardship, compliance, and renewals.
• Maintain and regularly update the grants calendar to ensure all proposal, reporting, stewardship, and renewal deadlines are met.
• Monitor organizational statistics, program outcomes, and other information relevant to foundation fundraising and reporting.
• Partner with Finance and colleagues across departments to prepare grant budgets and gather accurate programmatic, financial, and impact information for proposals and reports.
• Foster effective cross-functional partnerships to support donor engagement, information sharing, and fundraising success.
• Maintain accurate and detailed foundation donor and prospect records in Salesforce, including grant activity, deadlines, communications, relationship information, and other relevant documentation.
• Process and enter gifts in Salesforce accurately and in a timely manner, ensuring appropriate coding, documentation, and donor information.
• Prepare donor acknowledgements and related correspondence, ensuring gifts are recognized accurately, promptly, and appropriately.
• Maintain detailed records and supporting documentation related to gifts, grants, donor communications, and stewardship activities.
• Assist with Development department fundraising and stewardship projects as needed.
• Gain and demonstrate a passion for the Guiding Eyes mission and a deep understanding of the organization's programs, culture, and services.
• Perform other duties as assigned in support of the mission and goals of Guiding Eyes.

Skills

Grant writing

Foundation relations

Donor stewardship

Project management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Guiding Eyes for the Blind is seeking a Foundation Relations Officer to advance fundraising by managing foundation donors, researching opportunities, and coordinating grants. You’ll craft proposals, reports, and communications, while collaborating across departments to compile budgets and program impact data.

You will build strong relationships with funders, manage the full grant lifecycle, and ensure timely stewardship and renewals, all in a mission-driven nonprofit environment that supports