Grants Manager

Public Law Center; Santa Ana (CA); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Flexible Spending Account

Paid holidays

Paid time off birthday

Retirement plan (403b) with match

Wi‑Fi stipend

Bilingual pay premium

Job summary

Public Law Center in Santa Ana seeks a Grants Manager to sustain and grow its grant funding portfolio. You will manage deadlines, draft proposals, gather data and outcomes, and ensure compliance across funders.

You will collaborate with program and finance teams and report to the CEO/Executive Director, supervising 1–2 staff on the Development and Outreach Team in a hybrid role.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of grant writing and management experience in nonprofit or legal services.
• Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills with attention to deadlines.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively across departments.
• Commitment to PLC’s mission and values: Empowerment, Compassion, Community, Respect.
• Familiarity with budgets and financial reporting for grant applications is preferred.
• Experience with government grants (e.g., VOCA) preferred.
• Familiarity with LegalServer or similar case management software preferred.
• Supervision experience and ability to mentor staff and manage workload.

Responsibilities

• Draft and submit high‑quality grant proposals, letters of inquiry, and reports to private foundations, corporations, and government funders.
• Gather data, stories, and outcomes to support proposals and reporting.
• Maintain familiarity with funded programs, goals, metrics, and progress.
• Develop and maintain client testimonials and stories for grants and outreach materials.
• Oversee calendar of grant deadlines, renewals, and deliverables; ensure timely reports.
• Support site visits, audits, and monitoring from funders.
• Collaborate with program and finance teams to provide timely grant narratives and budgets.
• Communicate with the CEO/Executive Director to align grant activity with priorities.
• Identify and research new funding opportunities and track trends in philanthropy.

Skills

Grant writing

Grant management

Writing

Project management

Communication

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

About Public Law Center

Founded in 1981, The Public Law Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free legal services to low income residents and other nonprofits in Orange County. Last year, Public Law Center staff and volunteers provided over 65,000 hours of free legal services in handling over 4,500 cases benefiting low-income children, adults and seniors. The estimated value of this work is roughly $60 million in just the past three years. Our services include counseling, individual representation, community education and strategic policy advocacy and impact litigation to challenge societal injustices.

About the role

The Grants Manager plays a key role in sustaining and growing PLC’s grant funding portfolio. This position is responsible for managing a calendar of grant deadlines, preparing and submitting compelling grant applications and reports, and maintaining compliance with grant requirements. The Grants Manager works closely with program staff, the finance team, and senior leadership—including the CEO/Executive Director—to ensure PLC meets its fundraising goals and reporting obligations. The Grants Manager supervises 1-2 non-exempt employees and is part of the organization’s Development and Outreach Team. This is a hybrid position and candidate must live within driving distance of PLC's Santa Ana office and be able to attend on-site events on a regular basis.

What you'll do

Grant Writing and Reporting

• Draft and submit high-quality grant proposals, letters of inquiry, and reports to private foundations, corporations, and government funders.
• Work with program staff and leadership to gather data, stories, and outcomes to support proposals and reporting.
• Maintain familiarity with all funded programs and their goals, metrics, and progress.
• Develop and maintain a bank of client testimonials and stories for use in grants and outreach materials.

Grants Management and Compliance

• Oversee accuracy and maintenance of comprehensive calendar of grant deadlines, including applications, renewals, reports, and deliverables.
• Ensure compliance with all funder requirements and timely submission of reports and documentation.
• Support site visits, audits, and monitoring from funders.

Collaboration and Communication

• Collaborate with program and finance teams to collect accurate and timely information for grant narratives and budgets.
• Communicate regularly with the CEO/Executive Director to align grant activity with organizational priorities.
• Maintain excellent relationships with grant funders, including communication regarding PLC’s work and impact.

Research and Strategy

• Identify and research new funding opportunities that align with PLC’s mission and strategic priorities.
• Track trends in philanthropic and government funding for legal services and nonprofit advocacy.
• Contribute to long‑term grants strategy development in collaboration with senior leadership.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of experience in grant writing and management, preferably in a nonprofit or legal services setting.
• Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills with attention to detail and deadlines.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively across departments.
• Demonstrated commitment to PLC’s mission and values of Empowerment, Compassion, Community, and Respect.
• Strong experience and skills working with Microsoft Office products (Word and Excel).
• Familiarity with budgets and financial reporting in the context of grant applications is preferred
• Experience with government grants (e.g., VOCA and state/county contracts) preferred.
• Familiarity with LegalServer case management software preferred.
• Supervision experience and skills are preferred, including the ability to delegate tasks, provide constructive feedback, support professional development, and manage team communication and workload.

Salary & Benefits

• Compensation dependent on experience; range of $75,000 – $100,000
• Competitive benefits provided, and for this position include:
• Health, Dental, Vision, Disability, and Life Insurance (100% of employee premium costs paid by PLC, and 50% of dependent health insurance premium costs paid by PLC)
• Flexible Spending Account Program to help pay for medical expenses and childcare costs
• 15 paid holidays per year
• Approximately 1 paid week off during office winter closure (between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day)
• 21 paid sick/wellness days per year to promote mental wellness and general wellbeing
• 15 paid vacation days per year
• Birthday paid time off (2 hours of paid time off during birthday month)
• 403b retirement plan (after 6 months of employment PLC provides a matching contribution equaling 100% of salary deferral up to a maximum of 3-4%, depending on length of employment)
• Monthly $55 stipend for Wi‑Fi and cell phone use
• Monthly Bilingual Pay Premium upon successful completion of an oral and/or written test ($50 for oral premium and $50 for written premium)
• Optional monthly peer support group facilitated by third party mental health clinic
• Opportunities for growth and advancement

Public Law Center is dedicated to building a diverse team and fostering a fair and welcoming work environment. To view our complete DEI statement, please click here.

Public Law Center is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances.

If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, please contact Public Law Center.

PLC will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with all legal requirements.

PLC regrets that it is unable to sponsor employment Visas or consider individuals on time-limited Visa status for this position.