Legal Defense Fund is hiring: Grants Writer in New York

The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the country’s first and foremost civil and human rights law organization. Founded in 1940 under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall, who subsequently became the first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice, LDF was launched at a time when the nation’s aspirations for equality and due process of law were stifled by widespread state-sponsored racial inequality. From that era to the present, LDF’s mission has been transformative — to achieve racial justice, equality, and an inclusive society.

LDF’s litigation, public policy advocacy and public education programs in the substantive areas of criminal justice, economic justice, education, and political participation seek to ensure the fundamental and basic human rights of all people to quality education, economic opportunity, the right to vote and fully participate in democracy, and the right to a fair and just judicial system. LDF continues to make an impact in the area of public service and was recognized by Fast Company as one of its 2023 Brands That Matter under its public service category.

LDF operates in a hybrid work environment where employees are expected to be in the office a minimum of two days per week, unless otherwise indicated.

Responsibilities:

• Prepare accurate, well-organized, and compelling grant proposals, grant reports, supporting documents, and other grant-related materials (e.g., one-pagers, information summaries, program briefs) that reflect LDF’s and the funder’s missions and priorities.
• Research and synthesize data and information necessary to support strong proposals, including internal LDF resources as well as reports, statistics, and data compiled by external/non-LDF sources.
• Edit and proofread proposal/report narratives and other fundraising documents and materials for accuracy, consistency, and clarity.
• Collaborate with Institutional Giving team and program staff to develop and implement solicitation strategies and gather ideas for proposal development.
• Communicate with funders as needed to clarify details related to proposal and reports.
• Work with program staff across the organization (such as Communications and program staff) to capture and verify information and language for proposal and report narratives.
• Draft speaking points for donor meetings and speaking engagements.
• Support grant development processes, including notetaking at meetings, identifying funding opportunities, and developing and managing project timelines.
• Assist with stewardship of institutional donors, including drafting donor communications, such as email updates, impact reports, and annual reports.
• Develop and maintain proposal and report templates, such as boilerplate content, project summaries, Board and staff bios, etc. to streamline proposal and report development process and ensure consistency and quality.
• Monitor proposal requirements and ensure compliance with submittal deadlines and other requirements.
• Stay current on trends and best practices in grant writing and fundraising; and
• Other responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• At least 5 - 7 years of grant writing and fundraising experience in a development office with a proven track record of success in securing six- and seven-figure grants.
• Commitment to the racial justice mission of LDF.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills, with the ability to synthesize complex concepts into accessible narratives.
• Ability to succinctly convey complex ideas (e.g., draft responses to proposal questions with character/word limits);
• Ability to produce high-quality outcomes (draft narratives, respond to donors’ questions) quickly and accurately with high attention to detail.
• Deep commitment to and knowledge of a range of social and racial justice issues.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills, including managing multiple projects simultaneously, prioritizing tasks, and meeting deadlines.
• Experience managing complex processes, including working with multiple stakeholders, developing proposal strategies, and ensuring compliance with reporting requirements and deadlines.
• Ability to multi-task and adhere to multiple deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Detail-oriented.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders, as well as ability to work independently.
• Ability and willingness to accept feedback.
• Solid understanding of fundraising, especially corporate and foundation relations; and
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint and Word).

To be considered for this role, please submit resume, cover letter, and 2-3 writing samples.

This is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts or requirements or working conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned. This description does not constitute a contract of employment and LDF may exercise its employment-at-will rights at any time.

The salary range for this position is $75,000 - $90,000.

LDF offers all eligible employees a generous benefits package. To learn more click the following link 2024 Benefits Overview.

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The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to you without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status, age, veteran status, medical condition or disability, genetic information, gender identity, or any other protected status under federal, state, or local law.