THIS IS A HYBRID ROLE.

POSITION

Grants Manager

ABOUT HOMEFIRST SERVICES

Established in 1980, HomeFirst (HF) is the premier Silicon Valley provider of homelessness services. Every day, HomeFirst works to end homelessness by providing a full spectrum of services to help people find a home, improve their lives, and stay housed. HFS envisions a community in which everyone has a home.

Do this mission and vision resonate with you? Do you believe that housing is a human right? Do you have relevant experience in these key areas:

• Identifying, writing, and winning RFP, SOI, and NOFA government grant funding opportunities, including renewals?
• Identifying, writing, and winning RFP, LOI, and SOI foundation and corporate grant funding opportunities, including renewals?

POSITION OVERVIEW

HomeFirst is seeking a Grant Writer responsible for managing and executing the resource development plan for government and private grants, supporting agency programs, and general operations. The ideal candidate will have extensive knowledge of government grant application, compliance, and reporting processes and will have the ability to produce compelling written proposals. Candidates should have a good understanding of the Santa Clara County nonprofit fundraising landscape and demonstrate proficiency in a variety of computer applications. HomeFirst is a diverse company in a diverse field, and the Grant Writer should desire to work with people from a variety of social and economic backgrounds.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

The position reports to the Chief Development Officer (CDO) with support and guidance from the Chief Program Officer (CPO). The position will play a critical role in funding and compliance, while also serving as a community representative and liaison. The Grant Writer is a vital member of the development team.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Government Grant, Compliance, and Report Writing:

• Research and review government RFP, SOI, and NOFA grant funding opportunities, including new contracts and existing contracts for renewal;
• Participate in pre-application workshops and webinars;
• Provide recommendations to Senior and Executive Leadership about government grant opportunities;
• Work with appropriate team(s) to identify appropriate programs and services to respond to RFPs, SOIs, and NOFAs; and
• Prepare government grant application submissions, including grant narrative writing, budget development, forms, documents, and appendices.

Foundation, Corporate, and Other Grant Writing:

• Research and review foundation, corporate, and other RFP, LOI, and SOI grant funding opportunities, including new prospects and existing awards for renewal, with an eye to identifying likely funding sources for specific projects, programs, and operating support;
• Participate in pre-application workshops and webinars;
• Provide recommendations to Senior and Executive Leadership about government grant opportunities;
• Work with appropriate team(s) to develop programs to respond to RFPs, LOIs, and SOIs; and
• Compile, write, and edit all grant applications and reports exhibiting strong expository writing skills and a high-level command of grammar;
• Develop grant proposals in accordance with each grant-making organization’s preferences, adhering to all formats and writing guidelines;
• Provide regular reports to the CDO, identifying the status of past submittals as well as prospective submittals for presentation to the Board of Directors;
• Respond to all funder communications and inquiries in a timely and concise manner; and
• Resolve past or pending grant questions or concerns.

Administration:

• Work with appropriate team(s) and department(s) to gather grant outcomes and client data for proposals and reporting;
• Work with finance to gather budget information for reports or presentation;
• Maintain a schedule of grant proposals and reports with identified deadlines;
• Model the values and principles of HomeFirst within the agency and the broader community; and
• Actively foster the growth of the development team to embody the values of HomeFirst and equip the team for further advancement.

Outreach/Prospect Communications:

• Contact prospective foundations and corporations for funding opportunities;
• Follow up on existing proposals within a minimum of three months for organizations with no response or set deadline;
• Be the main point of communication for reporting deadlines and any relevant extension requests;
• Work with the Chief Development Officer to establish and maintain relationships with grant-making organizations; and
• Other projects and duties as assigned.

COMPETENCIES

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in English, Social Sciences, or Communications is preferred but not required;
• Experience working in the social service, nonprofit, or government sector;
• Experience with online grant application and reporting processes;
• Grant database experience is a plus; and
• Government grant experience is required.

Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge

• Adept in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel) and Adobe Acrobat;
• Knowledge of the Silicon Valley and Bay Area fundraising landscape, with a focus on Santa Clara County;
• Able to work effectively both independently and as part of multiple teams;
• Exemplary oral, written, and interpersonal skills;
• Able to adjust to changing priorities from various directives and manage workload changes, including multi-tasking to meet deadlines; and
• Keen attention to proposal packaging and presentation detail; and
• Exceptional organizational skills.

ORGANIZATIONAL EQUITY STATEMENT

At HomeFirst, our services and work culture are grounded in the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. This means we:

• View housing as a social justice issue:
• We identify equitable ways to serve, house and care for people.
• We commit our findings to action.

• Foster a work environment where everyone belongs.
• We value diversity and believe it makes us a stronger organization.
• We celebrate our diversity in trainings, gatherings, and clubs.

To live our beliefs, we:

• Incorporate DEI values into our service delivery processes.
• We hold ourselves accountable for addressing our unconscious bias as practitioners.
• We seek out and honor lived experience in our programming.
• We treat our participants with dignity and respect.

• Weave DEI into our management practices.
• We design roles and responsibilities that reinforce our DEI values.
• We recruit talent with an equity lens, valuing the lived experience of homelessness and other social injustices.
• We manage performance broadly to give everyone a chance to succeed.

• Hold ourselves accountable by highlighting our progress publicly.
• We “live” our Conscious Culture statement through our actions and decisions.
• We track and measure our progress and own our mistakes - with a goal of excellent execution.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

HomeFirst Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

For more information, please visit www.homefirstscc.org/