Grant Writer

Downtown Women's Center is dedicated to supporting women experiencing homelessness and is seeking a Grant Writer to help secure funding opportunities. The Grant Writer will manage a portfolio of funders, draft proposals and reports, and collaborate with various teams to align funding with organizational priorities.

Responsibilities

• Identify and solicit corporate, foundation, and government grant opportunities matched to DWC programs and activities and determine which opportunities strategically align with DWC’s organizational priorities and capacity
• Contribute to the fundraising goal for Grants revenue
• Work across departments to develop and submit grant proposals and reports, including identifying measurable goals and objectives for program development; compiling program outlines, materials, and data to write a compelling narrative; developing grant budgets and financial reports in partnership with program directors and the finance team; and working with Finance, Operations, and Program staff to ensure compliance with all public and private grant requirements
• Effectively manage grant deliverables aligned with an assigned portfolio, including crafting proposals, reports, and other grant deliverables that reflect DWC’s values and mission
• Leverage project management tools to steward deliverables and grant opportunities and effectively coordinate between all constituents from prospecting through closeout
• Develop engagement strategies and donor cultivation plans to grow DWC’s revenue from a portfolio of corporate, foundation, and/or government donors
• Meet with donors regularly, virtually and in person
• Possess a strong understanding of the measures and metrics used to evaluate DWC programs and identify measurable goals and objectives for use in proposals
• Work with Program Directors and Measurement and Evaluation staff to monitor grant outcomes and prepare accurate and timely reports
• Weekly, maintain and update proposal and award information in systems and databases, creating and maintaining files, and coordinating/tracking proposal submission, award set-up, compliance, tracking, and reporting
• Ensure that all deadlines are met and work is prioritized effectively
• Work across Development team to engage new and existing foundation and institutional partners and enhance relationships through grants, event sponsorships, volunteer opportunities, and in-kind donations
• Assist with additional activities in support of our annual Fund Development Plan, including annual and planned giving, capital campaigns, fundraising events, tours and presentations, and reporting
• Other duties as assigned

Skills

• Minimum of Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience required
• 1-3 years of previous grant writing, development, and/or fundraising experience for a nonprofit organization required
• Knowledge of foundation and corporate funding landscape for homeless/social service agencies in Los Angeles and beyond
• Ability to meet deadlines and follow rigorous, systematic, and disciplined approach to grant research, coordination, tracking, and reporting
• Exceptional skill in comprehension, analysis, and technical writing, including the ability to articulate and explain complex funding and financial issues in a clear, non-technical manner
• Fundamental understanding of the grants process, including prospect research, cultivation, proposal and budget development, and reporting
• Demonstrated success as a team player, including the ability to develop and maintain a goal-oriented, positive attitude throughout the organization
• Excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Ability to comfortably interface with Board Members, Leadership, donors, and general DWC community
• Self-starter capable of working independently
• Compassion and understanding of DWC's unique approach to service provision
• Cultural humility
• Must be a CA resident and live no more than 80 miles from DWC; must be available for in-person meetings at DWC
• Must provide documentation of a negative TB test result within the last twelve months, on first day of hire
• Being authorized to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment

Company Overview

• The Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) is the only organization in Los Angeles focused exclusively on serving and empowering women experiencing homelessness and formerly homeless women. It was founded in 1978, and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, US, with a workforce of 51-200 employees. Its website is