Grant Writer & Fundraising Specialist (Contract)

Are you a persuasive storyteller with a track record of securing funding and driving meaningful impact? We are looking for a talent\-driven **Grant Writer \& Fundraising Specialist** to join our team on a contract basis! In this role, you’ll help expand our mission by identifying new funding opportunities, writing compelling grant proposals, executing targeted fundraising initiatives, and building strong relationships with donors, corporate sponsors, and foundations. We are seeking a results\-oriented, high\-efficiency specialist to maintain a steady funding pipeline by managing a high volume of grant output (approximately 1–3 grant submissions per week) alongside key fundraising campaigns. In this role, you will own the grant lifecycle—from prospect research through final submission—and play a key role in donor engagement and revenue diversification. You will work closely with our Executive Director, Program Staff, Finance Team, and Management Team to align fundraising strategy with organizational goals. **What You'll Do** * Research, write, and submit high\-quality grant proposals and reports. * Develop, implement, and analyze strategic multi\-channel fundraising campaigns (annual appeals, individual donor drives, and corporate sponsorships). * Build, steward, and manage relationships with foundation officers, corporate partners, and individual donors. **The Ideal Candidate** * **A True Strategist:** You bring a proven track record and approach overall fundraising and institutional giving through a strategic, revenue\-generating lens rather than treating it solely as a writing task. * **Subject Matter Expert:** You have a deep understanding of the nuances of environmental justice, community organizing, and fiscal sponsorship. * **Versatile \& Adaptable:** You seamlessly switch between high\-volume grant writing, donor communications, campaign planning, and foundation outreach. * **Highly Efficient:** You excel at time management, allowing you to maintain a consistent, rapid submission pace while keeping meticulous donor and pipeline records. **KEY RESPONSIBILITIES** * **High\-Volume Proposal Production:** Draft, edit, and submit 1–3 grant proposals, letters of interest (LOIs), or concept papers weekly. Collaborate with the Executive Director and program staff to translate complex environmental sustainability, water infrastructure, emission reductions, and youth programming concepts into compelling, fundable narratives. * **Fundraising Strategy \& Campaign Execution:** Help design and launch targeted fundraising campaigns (e.g., year\-end appeals, GivingTuesday, digital micro\-donations, corporate partner outreach). Draft donor stewardship materials, acknowledgment letters, and campaign communications. * **Pipeline \& Funding Research:** Actively research local, state, federal, foundation, corporate, and individual funding opportunities that support environmental justice, climate justice, movement\-building, grassroots organizing, and capacity building. Filter opportunities to ensure alignment with organizational capacity and long\-term revenue targets. * **Donor \& Funder Relationship Management:** Assist in cultivating and maintaining relationships with institutional grantmakers, major individual donors, and corporate sponsors to build long\-term, sustained support. * **Submission Management \& Fiscal Sponsorship Navigation:** Handle all technical aspects of grant submissions across online portals, ensuring 100% accuracy and timely uploads of narratives, budgets, logic models, and supporting attachments. Manage applications requiring coordination with a fiscal sponsor, ensuring compliance measures are met. * **Tracking \& System Maintenance:** Maintain a comprehensive tracker/CRM of submitted proposals, reporting deadlines, donor interactions, and campaign metrics. Maintain an organized digital library of standard grant support documents (resumes, board/staff lists, IRS forms, 501(c)(3\) letters, insurance certs, and standard boilerplate language). **QUALIFICATIONS** * **Proven Success:** A documented grant win rate of 50% or higher and a track record of driving campaign or individual/corporate donor revenue growth. * **Subject Matter Expertise:** Extensive writing experience in Environmental Justice \& Sustainability, Climate Resilience, Water Advocacy/Infrastructure, and Youth Programming. * **Sector Experience:** Background in movement\-building, grassroots policy advocacy, community fundraising, and working with coalitions to drive policy change. * **Fundraising Competencies:** Experience planning digital appeals, corporate partnership outreach, donor cultivation, and multi\-channel campaign strategies alongside grant lifecycle management. * **Volume \& Deadline Management:** Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously, maintaining a weekly proposal output alongside ongoing campaign deliverables. * **Core Skills:** Superior writing, storytelling, editing, and proofreading skills with the ability to adopt the organization's voice across grant applications and donor appeals. Must be a self\-starter motivated to set and achieve fundraising goals with minimal supervision. * **Software Proficiency:** Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Calendar), Microsoft Office (advanced Excel skills for budgeting), donor management software/CRMs, Adobe Acrobat Professional, and Zoom. * **Values Alignment:** A demonstrated commitment to racial, environmental, and climate justice. COMPENSATION * **Contract Type:** This is a contract/1099 consultant position. * **Rate:** $30/hr \- $35/hr, commensurate with expertise and experience. The rate will be reviewed quarterly based on performance. * **Hours \& Capacity:** The workload is expected to average 10–15 hours per week to successfully balance the 1–3 grant submission pace and supporting fundraising objectives. Work exceeding 15 hours in any given week requires prior written authorization from the Executive Director. * **Payment:** Submit detailed invoices monthly. **APPLICATION SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:** Please submit your application as a single PDF to **info@sdevweb.org** with the subject line **"Grant Writer \& Fundraising Specialist Application"**. Your PDF package must include: * **Cover Letter:** Briefly outline your experience with environmental justice fundraising, donor campaign strategy, and your familiarity with Southwest Detroit (if applicable). * **Resume/CV:** Highlight your relevant professional grant\-writing and broader fundraising experience. * **Track Record \& Metrics:** Provide a summary of your grant history and fundraising campaign results over the past 2 years (explicitly demonstrating a 50%\+ grant win rate and key fundraising metrics achieved). Please also include your typical turnaround time per proposal. Pay: $30\.00 \- $35\.00 per hour Expected hours: 10\.0 per week Benefits: * Paid time off Application Question(s): * How many grant proposals do you write per year? * Do you have experience in technical grant writing? Experience: * Grant proposal writing: 3 years (Required) Location: * Detroit, MI (Required) Work Location: Remote