About APEN

The Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) is an environmental justice organization that believes that all people have a right to a clean and healthy environment in which their communities can live, work, learn, play, and thrive. Our work is grounded in the leadership of Asian immigrant and refugee community members, who know that to win what our communities deserve, we have to build power at many levels and in many ways. Since 1993, APEN has built a membership base of Laotian refugees in Richmond and Chinese immigrants in Oakland. We have fought and won campaigns to make our communities healthier and just places where all people have the resources we need to live full, dignified lives. APEN is now expanding our base and organizing work in Los Angeles and across California, building power to make decisions at the state level that have real local impact. By building an organized movement, APEN is leading a transition away from an extractive economy based on profit and pollution and toward local, healthy, and life-sustaining economies that benefit everyone.

About the Position

The Senior Grants Manager anchors a core piece of APEN’s fund development strategy by sharing our mission, vision, and impact with private foundations, family foundations, and other institutional philanthropic partners. The Senior Grants Manager leads this function through: 

• Coordinating the timely development and submission of grant proposals and reports, including direct writing as well supervising contract grant writers; 
• Strategic collaboration across staff to strengthen case development and funder communications; 
• Grants administration, including managing data on revenue and contacts in Salesforce, managing systems for tracking funder communications and grant activities, and coordinating stewardship activities with funders in consultation with APEN’s Development Director, Co-Directors, and other key staff.

The position requires excellent writing and editing skills, experience designing effective communications for foundations and philanthropic institutions, strong interpersonal and collaboration skills, and the ability to manage and track multiple projects at once, while keeping a close eye on details. The Senior Grants Manager is a member of APEN’s development team, reports to APEN’s Development Director, and works closely with the Development Associate and Co-Directors. 

Primary Roles and Responsibilities

Grant Writing (30%)

• Write excellent grant proposals, including narratives, applications, and supporting documents that reflect APEN’s mission, vision, values and programs. Monitor the progress of submitted proposals.
• Design and update grant budgets and budget to actuals, in collaboration with APEN finance team and Co-Directors.
• Conduct research to include relevant and current data and information for grant proposals, case statements, and reports. 
• Work to continually strengthen APEN’s case for support in order to inspire foundations, family foundations, mission-aligned corporate partners, and high net worth philanthropists to invest in the organization. 
• Conduct funder research and manage prospect lists to identify new funding opportunities.
• Support APEN to continue evaluating and articulating its impact through qualitative and quantitative measures, and through stories of member and ally leadership.
• Perform other writing and editing tasks as needed to support APEN’s fund development plan.

Grants Administration and Project Management (40%)

• Oversee the maintenance of APEN’s grants portfolio and provide regular updates on progress towards foundation fundraising goals.
• Manage APEN’s grants calendar and project management systems for all proposals, reporting, and funder acknowledgments; meet all deadlines and targets for proposal submissions, and all required grant reporting and financial compliance.
• Maintain excellent documentation of fundraising records and tools, working within APEN’s shared Google Drive system. 
• Use Salesforce to track current and prospective funders, making sure APEN has up-to-date data for reporting and stewardship needs.
• Collaborate with the finance team to reconcile grant revenue quarterly and annually, and provide support for APEN’s annual audit preparation.
• Manage the work of contract grant writers to meet proposal and reporting deadlines.

Foundation Fundraising Planning and Strategy (20%)

• Work collaboratively with the Development Director, Co-Directors, and other key staff to craft foundation strategy and secure support from local, state, and national foundations and philanthropic partners.
• Support the Development Director in developing and implementing strategies to secure grant funding.

Relational and Interpersonal (10%)

• Lead strategic collaboration across APEN staff to strengthen case development and fundraising communications, and to keep the development team actively informed about organizational results and impact. 
• Serve as a positive ambassador and representative of APEN’s mission, through coordination of, and occasional participation in, funder meetings and conversations.
• Serve as a positive ambassador for APEN in partnership with movement allies and staff.

Qualifications

• Deeply committed to APEN’s mission and the Principles of Environmental Justice; shares the commitment of Indigenous Peoples and the broader environmental justice movement to work toward a Just Transition, defined as shifting from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy that provides well being for all. 
• Successful track record of at least 5 years in: grant writing and reporting, grants management, and prospect research.
• Proven success as a highly skilled project manager; demonstrated ability to work efficiently and produce quality written documents while staying on deadline. 
• Excellent written and interpersonal communications skills.
• Ability to work within deadlines, take initiative, manage multiple ongoing tasks, and strategize collaboratively in a team setting.
• Ability to work within a team-oriented environment; commitment to democratic participation.
• Experience using and managing data in CRMs (Salesforce preferred).
• Paid, lived, or volunteer experience in environmental justice, racial justice, immigrant rights and / or housing justice movements is ideal.

Salary and Benefits

The starting salary range for this position is $80,000-$90,000, commensurate with experience. APEN also offers a generous benefits package that includes fully paid health, dental, and vision for employees, spouses, and dependents; 2 week paid winter break, 12 days paid vacation, 9 paid holidays, and paid sick time; 5% employer contribution to 401k; health reimbursement account (HRA) and flexible spending account (FSA) including employer contribution to Dependent Care FSA; and an opportunity to qualify for a sabbatical. APEN is a family-friendly employer.

Accessibility and Working Conditions

This position will require the employee to work on a computer daily for long periods of time, and collaborate with colleagues and coalition partners through Zoom, email, and other digital platforms. APEN will provide a computer and other equipment needed to fulfill basic job responsibilities.

This position will be a hybrid (remote/in-person) position. Candidates will need to be able to work in-person at our Bay Area (Oakland) or Los Angeles office, and must live in or be willing to relocate to Alameda, Contra Costa, or Los Angeles County. All staff must follow APEN’s COVID safety policies and protocols regarding in-person work. Currently, masks are required to be worn in APEN offices and at indoor events, with the exception of eating and drinking. All employees also are required to be vaccinated as part of our safety policy. APEN will continue to closely monitor local and state health officials guidance around COVID and any additional guidelines around safety for people to return to offices and gather in-person as needed.

This position may occasionally require work during irregular hours including on nights or weekends, and will require occasional travel within California.

This position will not require carrying or moving heavy equipment, regularly ascending or descending a ladder, or standing or sitting for long periods of time. This position will not require working in hazardous or unusual conditions such as outdoors in inclement weather.

Application Process

This position is open until filled, with a priority application deadline of May 26, 2023. Applications are due electronically. Incomplete applications and mailed applications will not be accepted.

Please email your application with subject line “Senior Grants Manager” to hiring@apen4ej.org. The email must include three enclosures:

1. Resume
2. Cover letter describing interest in the position and qualifications
3. A writing sample of at least 500 words, preferably from a grant proposal or report. (Please remove any proprietary or confidential information from the writing sample.)

APEN is an equal opportunity employer. Women, people of color, queer, and gender non-conforming people are strongly encouraged to apply.