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Grants Officer


The Grants Officer leads development of proposals (including federal, state, corporate and foundation grants as well as other funding proposals) from development through receipt of award. The Grants Officer identifies opportunities and advises the corporate and mission delivery teams, assembling grant proposals, which includes budget preparation and submission, and providing post-award management support, which includes timely and accurate delivery of reports throughout the grant period. The Grants Officer serves as a point of contact for Finance, Mission Delivery and the Corporate Relationship Manager during proposal development, submission and post-award stages in order to ensure compliance with UWGPSNJ’s policies and procedures. The Grants Officer will drive research and proposal development for all initiatives supported by United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ), including the Impact Fund, Social Venture Partners, The Promise, and the Knowledge Center.

Successful completion of the tasks and responsibilities of the Grants Officer will result in high retention of existing financial support from current corporate and foundation partners, as well as a pathway and pipeline of growth for funding in future years from a more diverse base of local and national sources. In addition, the Grants Officer will help foster increased collaboration and ongoing communication between Mission Giving and Mission Delivery, to ensure that UWGPSNJ maximizes its funding opportunities and builds strong internal and external working relationships.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. Support Mission Delivery Managing Directors and Corporate Relationship Managers throughout prospecting and proposal development process for all grant applications and contracts (80%).

  • Assist staff with interpreting grant guidelines and restrictions, compile all financial and programmatic content to draft proposals, and track approval of proposals and budgets in accordance with UWGPSNJ policies and funder guidelines. Essential work includes research, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of about 60 annual grant proposals and reports.

  • Write grant proposals, sponsorship requests, letters of intent/inquiry, reports, special requests, and other communications for funders and potential funders.

  • Ensure appropriate stewardship of these gifts (signed contracts, acknowledgements, database entries, etc.) through appropriate internal management notification and administration.

  • Ensure that funders receive ongoing updates on progress of work being supported, gathering appropriate information from Mission Delivery for written or in-person/phone updates, and holding the appropriate relationship manager or Mission Delivery team accountable to grant deadlines and requirements.

  • Where necessary, participate in prospecting and cultivation calls with relationship managers and Mission Delivery to help generate new opportunities or renewal of existing support.

  • Time permitting, draft proposals for major gifts (individual) donors to support specific initiatives.


  1. Track grant activity and maintain database with appropriate reports and ongoing communications (20%).

  • Prepare quarterly activity reports as necessary to assess progress and performance.

  • Perform other basic pre- and post-award duties as assigned by supervisor and internal procedures.


BASIC JOB QUALIFICATIONS, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

  • Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent experience preferred

  • Four to six years of development experience desired.

  • Excellent writing/editing and analytic skills, highly attentive to detail

  • Excellent oral presentation skills

  • Ability to present and balance qualitative and quantitative data in reports, helping translate into clear and compelling non-technical language

  • Motivated, highly organized, self-starter who is comfortable working closely and collaboratively with a diverse group of colleagues and stakeholders internally and externally.

  • Ability to work under the pressure of tight deadlines and to effectively manage, organize and prioritize projects and workload with attention to detail and strong follow-through

  • Must be able to problem-solve and be proactive, goal-driven and focused on results

  • Fluency with major office software including Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint

  • Comfortable working in and entering information into a relational database

  • Familiarity with the local/regional funder community, both corporate and foundation, and commitment to UWGPSNJ’s mission.


To apply, click here.



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