Grants and Foundations Manager

Position Title: Grants and Foundations Manager

Tier / Category: Tier 4 / Specialist

Reports to: Deputy Director of Development

Employment Status: Full Time

FLSA: Exempt

Location: Remote

Union: Bargaining Unit Member

Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) is a national organization that brings white people into fights for racial and economic justice. We work to undermine the power of the Far Right and build the white flank of multiracial majorities fighting for the things all communities need. We organize white people by engaging their shared interest-- what they stand to gain by joining alongside people of color. We do this through 150+ local chapters across the US and Canada, a National Membership base, and local base building projects in the South.

Summary of Position:

SURJ is seeking a Grants and Foundation Manager to support all institutional giving at SURJ, ranging from prospecting, proposal writing, submissions, reporting, and general grants management.

A successful person in this role will have exceptional writing skills and enjoy managing a large portfolio of institutional funders ranging from large multi-year investments ($500,000 and above) to smaller one-time grant opportunities ($5,000 - $25,000). SURJ Development encompasses a holistic approach to cultivating engagement, participation and financial support for the work and mission of SURJ. We combine political education, organizing, and leadership development to grow donors’ investment in the essential work of SURJ and the broader movement for racial justice and dismantling white supremacy.

This position will report to the Deputy Director of Development. This position is included in a union-represented collective bargaining unit, and specific terms and conditions of employment are subject to negotiations for a Collective Bargaining Agreement.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES — Essential duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to the following:

Priority 1: Grants and foundations management (90%)

• Prospect new opportunities for institutional giving and map relationships to support SURJ building connections with new institutional giving entities.
• Coordinate and execute all aspects of the foundation giving cycle, including writing Letters of Interest, Proposals, Interim & Final Reports, and other needed materials at a level of professionalism, accuracy, and completion that requires minimal editing by other development staff.
• Initiate and ensure meetings and communication with Program Leads when necessary to develop proposals and gather information to track towards proposal outcomes.
• Compile grant information into EveryAction Grants Action Plan system.
• Represent SURJ in funder meetings and be able to talk in a clear and compelling way about SURJ’s work.
• Maintain up to date materials on SURJ and on SURJ programming.
• Manage all workflows related to SURJ Development’s grants and foundations work.
• Monitor effectiveness of workflows and improve approach to project management where needed.
• Hold big picture awareness of all of SURJ’s active grants and foundation relationships and be ready and able to articulate it to others when needed, including maintaining a detailed grants calendar.
• Coordinate and collaborate with the Director of Impact and Executive Director when necessary to secure institutional funding.

Priority 2: Writing for the development team/fundraising (5%)

• Write drafts of donor communications, including for the national email list and smaller lists of high level donors at a level of professionalism, accuracy, and completion that requires minimal editing by other development staff.
• Work with the development team on writing and administrative needs for Spring and year-end appeals .

Priority 3: Administration and other work (5%)

• Maintain an up-to-date document that outlines SURJ’s current work and how to talk about it with funders.
• Participate in SURJ development team strategy work and annual planning processes.
• Attend SURJ all-staff meetings (virtual).
• When working as a peer leader, oversee the day to day activities of the staff they support; assign work effectively; support, mentor and cultivate leadership skills; provide consistent feedback and identify opportunities for development.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum of 5 years as Grants Manager or equivalent work-related experience doing grant writing and reporting, preferably in a non-profit organization
• Proven track record of writing and securing grants in award range of $25,000 to $500,000
• Understanding of writing and reporting on grants that are compliant to c3, c4 and PAC regulations is strongly preferred
• SURJ policy requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, subject to reasonable accommodation under federal, state, and local law. Accommodations may be not possible for positions that require in-person contact with other staff or members of the public.

KNOWLEDGE:

• Familiarity with the foundation landscape–proposal development, budgeting, and funder requirements
• Experience tracking program outcomes and supporting program teams to be able to convert their stories and experiences into grant deliverables
• Understands regional and national funding opportunities in the United States
• Experience with political and/or racial justice organizing is preferred
• Knowledgeable about organizational and inclusive culture and supervision theories and non-profit practices
• Demonstrated ability to be an effective and engaging leader of a small, collaborative team

SKILLS:

• Solid time management skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple projects
• Excellent relational and verbal communication skills
• Excellent networking and relationship building skills
• Effectively leverages relationships to identify new funding opportunities
• Excellent professional and persuasive writing skills

ABILITIES:

• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Ability to write with a wide variation in tone and description to explain SURJ’s work to funders along a spectrum of political alignment and awareness
• Finds creative solutions to funding challenges and proposal obstacles
• Solves and troubleshoots any potential issues with compliance or reporting requirements