Senior Grant Writer

Inside Philanthropy; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Inside Philanthropy is seeking a Senior Grant Writer to serve as the primary author and strategist for grant proposals, letters of intent, donor reports, and related communications. You will own end-to-end narrative quality, accuracy, and timeliness of institutional submissions, aligning with funder priorities and INP’s mission.

Reporting to the Director of Institutional Giving, you’ll steward an active portfolio and collaborate across program, finance, and leadership to source data, develop

Qualifications

• 7+ years of grant writing experience for institutional fundraising.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills with a collaborative editorial process.
• Experience using Salesforce or a comparable CRM.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet strict deadlines.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI).

Responsibilities

• Grant Writing & Submission: write and submit approximately 30 proposals/LOIs and 30 reports annually.
• End-to-End Project Management: own the grant lifecycle and maintain the master institutional giving calendar.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: partner with program, finance, and executive leadership for data and narratives.
• Prospect Research & Pipeline Development: identify up to $1M in new funding opportunities annually.

Skills

Effective writer

Strong editing

Collaboration

Deadline management

Self-motivated

Adaptable

Impact-driven

Tools

Salesforce

AI tools

Office tools

Job description

About the Role - Senior Grant Writer

As the Senior Grant Writer, you serve as the primary author and strategist for all grant proposals, letters of intent, prospective funding scenarios, and donor reports. You hold end-to-end accountability for the narrative quality, accuracy, strategic positioning, and timeliness of every institutional submission. Deeply attuned to funder priorities and the nuances of institutional philanthropy, you translate INP’s mission, community impact, and strategic vision into compelling, persuasive narratives that resonate with foundation and corporate partners.

Reporting to the Director of Institutional Giving, you are an integral member of a collaborative seven-person development team. In this role, you steward an established institutional portfolio of roughly 30 local and national funders—representing gifts typically ranging from $100,000 to over $2 million and totaling more than $7 million in annual institutional support.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Grant Writing & Submission: Write and submit approximately 30 proposals/LOIs and 30 reports annually (averaging just over one submission per week), crafting compelling narratives that reflect INP’s voice, mission, and strategic priorities.
• End-to-End Project Management: Own the grant lifecycle from initiation to final delivery, tracking deadlines, maintaining the master institutional giving calendar, and ensuring strict adherence to foundation guidelines.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with program, finance, and executive leadership to source financial data, program metrics, and impact narratives needed for robust proposals and donor reporting.
• Prospect Research & Pipeline Development: Guide prospect research strategy and landscape analysis to identify and qualify up to $1M in new funding opportunities annually, partnering with Development Coordinators to execute detailed research and build out prospect profiles.

What You’ll Need

• 7+ years of relevant professional experience, with a proven track record of writing successful institutional fundraising proposals.
• Exceptional writing and self-editing skills, coupled with an appreciation for a collaborative, team-based editorial process.
• Experience using Salesforce or a comparable CRM to log outreach, manage pipeline data, and track conversion milestones.
• Comfort leveraging modern workplace tools and AI applications to streamline communications and day-to-day operations.
• Ability to work gracefully under pressure, manage competing priorities, navigate ambiguity, and meet strict deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across functions while executing independently to achieve organizational fundraising goals.
• An authentic commitment to INP’s mission and a dedication to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Who You Are

• An Effective Writer. You write well and take pride in your ability to do so, especially when given the opportunity to communicate an idea, topic, or vision that you are passionate about.
• Resourceful and Adaptable. You’re nimble and flexible. You possess a positive attitude and identify creative solutions to obstacles. You can juggle many important responsibilities at once and you’re rigorous about prioritizing.
• Self-motivated. You take the initiative, identifying problems and opportunities across your portfolio, developing recommendations, and taking action on those recommendations.
• A Humble Teammate. Nothing is beneath or above you. You are quick to always lend a hand or two! You are able to earn influence without authority and naturally seek to support small projects or large strategic goals.
• An Abundant Thinker. You operate from the belief that the right coalition of partners can unlock transformative possibilities. You approach relationship building with relentless curiosity and genuine enthusiasm.
• Impact-Driven. You are motivated by social justice and energized by the opportunity to strengthen, connect, and elevate social sector leaders nationwide.