Position: Grant Writer

Company: Elevation Scholars, Inc.

Compensation: This position is an independent contractor (1099). Compensation will be based on an hourly rate and on experience with a range of $27 to $37 per hour.

Hours: This position will average 20 hours per week.

Who We Are:

Elevation Scholars invests in high-achieving students from high-need families who have demonstrated an ability to impact their schools and communities. Our goal is to increase their college access and ensure successful completion of college degrees from the nation's most competitive colleges and universities.

We believe our students have earned the right to attend top schools but know without our support nearly one third of applicants would never step foot on a college campus. We believe college attainment helps everyone - students, families, and the community at large, and strive to be Central Florida’s leading organization empowering high-achieving, high-need students to achieve college success and lifelong impact!

About this Role:

The Grant Writer will collaborate with the Manager of Development in strategic planning, budgeting, and developing grants initiatives. This position is responsible for all phases of grants development, evaluation, and compliance, including:

• Researching funding opportunities
• Preparing grant proposals
• Coordinating and tracking grant applications
• Providing post-award support for grant-funded projects
• Managing the grant reporting process, including successfully closing out grant projects with a final budget and reporting outcomes to stakeholders

An ideal candidate is passionate about education, has shared experiences or understanding of first-generation and minority college students, and is knowledgeable about fundraising, grant writing, and the local funding environment.

Responsibilities:

• Write, submit, and manage all grant proposals to meet the fundraising goals as described in the organization’s fundraising strategy
• Identify, research, and evaluate new funding opportunities from foundations, governmental agencies, corporations, and community-based organizations
• Meet with the Manager of Development weekly to review grants strategy, progress, and needs.
• Determine proposal concept by understanding the organization’s opportunities and needs, studying requests for proposal (RFPs), and attending strategy meetings
• Develop proposals by assembling information including project nature, objectives/outcomes/deliverables, implementation, methods, timetable, staffing, budget, standards of performance, and evaluation
• Obtain approval by reviewing proposals with key providers and project managers
• Coordinate with staff to manage ongoing/multiyear grants, including developing usage plans, scheduling update meetings, and distributing annual reports
• Meet proposal deadlines by establishing priorities and target dates for information gathering, writing, review, approval, and transmittal
• Maintain accurate records of grant applications, awards, and reporting requirements including consistent updating of the grants dashboard
• Manage maintenance of external non-profit information websites
• Maintain proficient knowledge of the organization’s history and programs
• Improve proposal-writing results by evaluating and re-designing processes, approach, coordination, and boilerplate language
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Previous experience and proven success with writing competitive grants
• Experience with Foundation Search is a plus
• A strong commitment to the mission of Elevation Scholars and an ability to passionately work towards solving for educational inequality with an unshakable belief in student potential
• Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to plan and manage details of grant requests
• Excellent oral and written communications skills
• Highly effective in communication: including effective listening skills, high oral, written and presentation skills and negotiation skills
• Ability to present clear and accurate compelling information
• Capable of balancing multiple priorities effectively
• High level of research ability and experience
• Ability to work independently and take initiative to accomplish tasks
• Ability to effectively work with diverse constituencies in a fast-paced professional work environment
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion
• Must pass background screening

This position is essential for driving our organization's growth through effective funding strategies. If you are passionate about making a difference through your writing skills, we encourage you to apply.