SENIOR WRITER-INSTITUTIONAL GIVING

Tenacity; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 78,000 - 86,000; Full time

Job summary

Tenacity, a Boston-based nonprofit, seeks a Senior Writer to lead institutional grant writing and reporting. You will collaborate with the Director of Institutional Giving to craft compelling LOIs, proposals, and narratives for foundations, corporations, and government agencies.

This role involves assembling budgets, coordinating with program leadership, and leveraging AI to accelerate proposals. You will join a mission-driven team in Tenacity’s Allston office, contributing to strategic growth

Qualifications

• 5-7 years grant writing experience in nonprofit sector or equivalent
• Proven track record securing grants $25k+
• Excellent written communication; persuasive proposals
• Ability to manage large amounts of information and deadlines
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office; create grant budgets in Excel
• Familiarity with grant tracking tools and systems
• Experience using AI to assist grant identification, development, and tracking

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead grant proposals and reports for foundations, corporations, and government agencies
• Review funder guidelines and ensure adherence; attend funder sessions
• Lead LOIs, proposals, and reports with data from program leadership and operations
• Prepare budgets and narratives for proposals/reports
• Gather attachments and ensure timely submissions
• Use AI to enhance proposals and streamline development process
• Track deadlines and maintain proposal calendars in SharePoint/CRM
• Maintain grant trackers and update real-time status in CRM
• Stay informed on youth development trends relevant to Massachusetts

Skills

Grant writing

Nonprofit

Communications

Budgeting

Raiser’s Edge

Excel

AI tools

Tools

SharePoint

Raiser’s Edge NXT

CRM

Excel

Job description

Reports To: Director of Institutional Giving

About Tenacity

Tenacity is a Boston-based nonprofit organization that empowers under-resourced youth to graduate from high school and succeed in post-secondary education. Since 1999, Tenacity has delivered high-dosage youth enrichment programs integrating literacy, life skills, racket sports, fitness, and social-emotional development to students aged 6–22 across Boston, Worcester, and Chelsea. Tenacity students achieve a 95% high school graduation rate and 75% post-secondary success rate — outcomes that far exceed city and state averages. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core to everything we do.

About the Position

Tenacity seeks an experienced, articulate, and tech-savvy Senior Writer to join its Institutional Giving team. Collaborating closely with the Director of Institutional Giving in a dynamic work environment, the Senior Writer will take the lead in generating compelling grant proposals and reports for foundations, corporations, and government agencies.

This is an exciting time to join Tenacity’s institutional and overall development efforts. Guided by a new 10-Year Vision for Strategic Growth, Tenacity is striving to enhance our services and empower more youth to graduate high school, succeed in college or other post-secondary education, and pursue their life dreams. Tenacity’s annual institutional budget of $1M+ will need to expand further over the coming years to support new growth initiatives. By developing high-quality proposals and reports for institutional partners, the Senior Writer will be helping Tenacity reach our organizational goals, and strengthening youth from Boston and beyond.

Key Responsibilities

Proposal Development and Writing (80-85%)

• Collaborate with the Director of Institutional Giving on the strategic approach for each proposal
• Review funder guidelines thoroughly and ensure adherence to them
• Attend funder information sessions
• Take the lead on writing compelling letters of inquiry (LOI’s), proposals, and reports to existing and new institutional partners
• Obtain data and other information from Tenacity’s Program Leadership, and Operations Department staff to inform proposals and reports
• Prepare organizational and project budgets, and budget narratives, for proposals and reports
• Gather and/or prepare required attachments for proposals and reports
• Utilize AI to enhance proposals and reports, or to improve or accelerate the document development process
• Submit grant deliverables through online portals in a timely manner
• Stay current on studies of the challenges facing youth in Massachusetts; incorporate data and findings into grant narratives
• Stay abreast of developments and trends in the fields of youth development, fitness, education, and college/post-secondary success
• As needed, conduct prospect research to identify potential new foundation, corporate, and governmental grant targets
• Draft brief synopses of grant opportunities for the Director; assist in outreach to funders as needed

Grant Tracking, Document Organization, Other Technology (15-20%)

• Check shared grant trackers regularly; create independent proposal and report submission schedules to ensure all deadlines are met
• Save final versions of narratives, budgets, and unique attachments to shared SharePoint folders in a timely manner
• Record all actions in Raiser’s Edge NXT, Tenacity’s CRM, and update grant trackers regularly, to accurately reflect real-time proposal and report deadlines, submissions, status, and next steps
• Collaborate with the Director, and Development Operations Manager to:
• Research and implement new technology solutions to monitor and manage the annual grants calendar
• Help develop more efficient systems for tracking each grant – from the research phase all the way through the donor compliance phase

Qualifications and Attributes:

• At least 5-7 years of grant writing experience at a nonprofit organization, or a combination of significant grant writing and other related, compelling professional experience
• Proven track record of securing grants of $25,000-$50,000+ with the ability to take on larger grant opportunities as needed
• Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to craft clear and persuasive proposals that start with the big picture and incorporate relevant details as needed
• Ability to organize large amounts of information and determine appropriate usage within grant-related documents
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite; ability to create individualized grant budgets using Excel
• Familiarity with grant tracking spreadsheets and/or other tracking technologies
• Exceptional attention to details and accuracy
• Ability to meet strict deadlines by setting priorities and managing multiple tasks
• Ability to generate 2-5 quality deliverables per month
• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills; clear verbal communications
• Ability to work independently, and to contribute positively as a member of the Institutional Giving and larger Development teams
• Experience utilizing AI to assist with grant identification, development, and tracking
• Flexibility and ability to work well in a fluid, fast-paced environment
• Commitment to confidentiality and data security
• Ability to work on-site in Allston office 3+ days per week

*Cover Letter is required to be considered for this position.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Salary Range: $78,000-$86,000, commensurate with experience.

Tenacity offers a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, 401(k) plan, paid time off, and professional development opportunities.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT

Tenacity is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.