Public Advocates Inc., a bold and highly regarded nonprofit civil rights law firm and advocacy organization with a $7 million annual budget, is seeking a highly capable, full-time Senior Grants Manager to join our exceptional and dedicated staff.  The Senior Grants Manager will play an essential role in our organization’s pursuit of social justice by strengthening our capacity to raise foundation revenues to support our work.  This position will report to the Director of Philanthropic Engagement and will work very closely with the Managing Attorneys and other staff on our program teams.  To learn more about Public Advocates, please visit www.publicadvocates.org.

Our ideal candidate is a skilled grant writer, researcher and process manager who knows how to collaborate internally with team members to provide funders with the best information about our impact.  They are highly detail-oriented and can grasp and communicate our programs to a foundation audience.  Our small development team has significant organizational responsibility, so we are looking for a self-directed, responsible process manager who can skillfully “manage up”.  Optimally you will have some background and understanding of one or more of the following areas: legal and/or policy advocacy, equitable public school funding, affordable housing and public transit that serves low-income communities.  This role could be satisfying for an academic with a strong background in the social sciences as well as a background in tracking and analyzing program outcomes.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Grant Writing: Work closely with the Director of Philanthropic Engagement and the Managing Attorneys to understand our programs and funding priorities, leverage internal and external resources to draft and repurpose content for letters of intent, proposals and reports.
• Database Management: Manage the foundations segment of our DonorPerfect database – ensure that all relevant data (e.g., contact information for program officers, proposal and report deadlines, stewardship notes) are regularly updated, and generate and analyze reports.
• Process Management: Manage grant deadline tracking, own the submission and filing processes, and work with Director of Philanthropic Engagement and staff to ensure that grant deliverables are tracked on an ongoing basis and deadlines are met.
• Foundation Research: As needed, partner with Director of Philanthropic Engagement to research foundation prospects and leverage our impact to make the case for new prospects.

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum of 5 years of substantial grant writing experience, specifically with private foundations, with a proven and verifiable track record of success   
• Excellent writing and editing skills – ability to write clear, well-researched, articulate and persuasive proposals and to effectively repurpose existing material
• Excellent organizational skills and proven ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines
• Excellent attention to detail, particularly in meeting grant proposal requirements and navigating foundation portals
• Excellent research skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite, Google documents
• Experience working with donor management database (DonorPerfect experience a plus)
• Bachelor’s degree (a master’s degree is a plus for this role)

Qualities expected of all Public Advocates staff include integrity, high professional standards, commitment to progressive social change and working successfully with diverse colleagues, clients and community partners.  We value cooperation, candor, flexibility, resilience, optimism, curiosity and sense of humor.  We seek someone who shows up as a kind and collaborative colleague, someone we can rely on.

Compensation & Work Setting:

The position is a full-time (37.5 hours/week), exempt position.  The starting salary range for the Senior Grants Manager position is $85,000-$105,000 and will be dependent on relevant experience and internal equity considerations.

Benefits include full health, dental and vision insurance for the employee and all eligible family members; generous vacation, 13 paid holidays, 2 floating holidays and additional paid time off between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day; $750 annual professional development budget; $1,000 wellness budget; 403(b) retirement plan; $75 monthly internet/cellular service stipend; paid parental leave; flexible spending accounts for health and dependent care; and paid sabbatical after 7 years.  We will also provide a laptop and peripherals to set up your home office. 

Public Advocates has adopted a flexible “hybrid” work model based on community COVID-19 levels in SF and Sacramento and requires staff to commute to the office 1-2 days a week, depending on those levels.  We have also adopted a COVID-19 vaccination policy that requires all employees either establish that they have been fully vaccinated or obtain an approved exemption as an accommodation.

Start Date

Target start date is March 3, 2025.

Application

Only complete applications that follow these directions will be considered so please read carefully.  Please submit the following items combined into one document: 1) a cover letter that explains your qualifications, your interest in this position and your reasons for applying to Public Advocates; 2) a resume; and 3) two writing samples that illustrate the range of your grant writing skills, for example, consider submitting one longer proposal and one LOI.  

Please submit electronic application (.pdf format preferred) to srgrantsmgr@publicadvocates.org by the Application Priority Deadline of Monday, December 16, 2024.

Public Advocates seeks to fill this position with someone who shares our values, including our organizational value for diversity.  We encourage all interested individuals to apply, including people of color, women, people with disabilities, people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, and anyone belonging to any other federal or state protected category.  Read our Organizational Diversity Vision Statement here.

*Applicants requiring an accommodation to complete the application and/or interview process should send an email to spaik@publicadvocates.org for assistance.