Senior Grant Writer

Title:   Senior Grant Writer

Location: Remote, Flexible within the United States Full-time

Reports to: Director of Philanthropic Partnerships

Compensation:  $70,000--$80,000

ABOUT THOUSAND CURRENTS

For over 35 years, Thousand Currents has invested in and learned from more than 1,000 community-led initiatives in over 40 countries. Today, Thousand Currents is a public foundation funding grassroots organizing that addresses the interdependent issues of food sovereignty, economic justice, and climate justice in the Global South. We partner with an ecosystem of grassroots-based formations, including, but not limited to, movements, grassroots groups, and research institutions in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and Latin America.

Too often, resource and investment decisions are made without the input and participation of the people who contribute the least to – and are most impacted by - large-scale global problems like climate change, inequality, poverty, and corporate-based food systems. Thousand Currents has intentionally flipped this dynamic, choosing instead to build long-term partnerships with movements and organizations led by women, youth and Indigenous Peoples. This means h​onoring ​their​ leadership and wisdom, ​their​ right to self-determination​, and ​their​ transformative solutions to global challenges.

In addition to long-term flexible partnership and financial resources, we support our partners in strengthening their impact by linking them with each other and with broader social change movements at regional, national, and global levels through convenings, learning exchanges, and conferences; facilitating the creation and sharing of knowledge practices and resources; and amplifying their solutions to redirect the flow of resources and relationships within philanthropy.

At the same time, we use our position and influence as a vocal and visible advocate for grassroots-led social change, bridging emerging approaches and learnings from the Global South with philanthropic models and practices from the Global North. We do this through our Philanthropic Partnerships program, where we work with donors to adopt transformative practices that dismantle injustice and inequity. Through trainings, workshops, tools, and resources, we help donors strengthen their relationships with grantee partners in alignment with their values and missions. And we bring them together to cultivate a just, equitable, and inclusive philanthropic and social impact investment sector through our practice communities: ​Thousand Currents Academy​, ​Buen Vivir Fund, ​CLIMA Fund​ ​and ​Africans In The Diaspora​.

The values that underpin and shape our work and approach are ​courage, humility, creative collaboration, experimentation, and interdependence.​ These values have allowed us to create new -- respectful -- models of partnership and collaboration. You can learn more about Thousand Currents including our grassroots and philanthropic partnerships and collaborative initiatives​ ​here​.
 

THE OPPORTUNITY

Thousand Currents is thrilled to launch the search for our first Senior Grant Writer.  We are a dynamic, values-based global organization of twenty-two staff, in the midst of a period of significant growth in a rapidly evolving environment. After several years of sustained growth, we are seeking an experienced grant writing professional and systems thinker to join our Philanthropic Partnerships team.

We are seeking a seasoned professional with demonstrated experience with having direct responsibility for all aspects of an organization’s grant writing and grant reporting functions.  In addition to direct responsibility for the writing of grants and grant reports, this position will work collaboratively with colleagues to develop improved systems for workflow and information management designed to streamline and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization’s grant writing and reporting functions.

The ideal candidate will be a self-starter with significant professional grant writing expertise and will have the experience and initiative to manage and perform all aspects of the organization’s proposal/report writing. The successful candidate will be someone who is energized by both independent work and developing systems for tracking and project management.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Senior Grant Writer reports to the Director of Philanthropic Partnerships and will be responsible for Thousand Currents’ grant writing, grant reporting, and related systems. Annually, Thousand Currents raises approx. $7.8M from about 40 institutional funders, and generates 50-60 proposals, reports, LOIs, and funder information packets.  The Senior Grant Writer will be responsible for writing, research, preparation and submission of all foundation and major donor grant proposals, reports, LOIs, and funder information packets, including coordination of internal review, approval and finalization processes. The Senior Grant Writer will also serve as the internal staff lead for ensuring that there are clear and effective procedures and systems for tracking and managing key dates and timelines related to grant writing and reporting functions.
 

KEY ROLES AND FUNCTIONS:

A. Responsible for writing, research and production of high quality grant proposals, grant reporting, LOIs, information packets, and any other written materials requested by funders, in a timely manner. 

B. Holds direct responsibility for the full range of activities required to research, write, submit and report on existing, new, and prospective grants.

C. Coordinates with other members of the Philanthropic Partnerships team to gather relevant information for responding to new grant opportunities, as well as, writing grant reports that are in compliance with donor and organizational requirements.

D.  Coordinates and collaborates with colleagues in key departments, primarily the Grassroots Partnerships team, to source & gather materials from different internal and external sources, and develop systems for compiling accurate narrative, financial, qualitative, and quantitative grant data for proposals and reports.

E. Is committed to embodying Thousand Currents values and contributing to a culture of joy, collective care and connection.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

a. Demonstrated lived and professional alignment with Thousand Currents’ values and mission, including a strong commitment to racial, gender, class, social and/or environmental justice and equity. Commitment to our mission will be demonstrated through previous relevant work in comparable organizations or settings. Experience with Thousand Currents’ issue areas and grassroots movements in the Global South a plus.

b. Eight or more years of relevant, comparable professional experience including a track record of relevant grant writing, project management and systems development expertise, and developing written materials on a variety of complex, intersecting issues.

c. Proven success with effective development and implementation of systems for planning, project management and execution of the grant writing and reporting functions in a comparable context.

d. Demonstrated experience working independently and collaboratively across functions and teams.

e. Impeccable oral and written English language skills. Outstanding interpersonal, project management, and systems thinking skills. Ability to respond swiftly and effectively to urgent funder requests.

f. Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience - required; Proficiency with SalesForce, Slack, and Asana or similar platforms is welcome.

g.  Maintains confidentiality with respect to internal and donor information.

COMPENSATION, BENEFITS AND EXPERIENCE:

This is a full-time, exempt, salaried position. The salary range is $70,000 to $80,000. Exact salary will be determined based on the successful candidate’s experience. Benefits include 100% employer paid health insurance premiums, partner/child coverage, a health reimbursement arrangement, sick and vacation leave, flexible holidays, and internal systems that engender a culture of mutual accountability to personal ecology, transparency, open communication, and opportunities for professional, personal, and leadership development.

Once we are able to resume travel, the successful candidate must have the capacity and willingness to undertake occasional travel.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please submit a substantive letter of interest (one page) and resume to seniorgrantwriter@thousandcurrents(dot)org with “Senior Grant Writer” in the subject line by Friday, November 12, 2021.​ Early applications are welcome and encouraged. Due to the volume of applications, we will only contact applicants who are moving to the interview rounds for writing samples and additional information.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY​:

Thousand Currents is an equal opportunity employer. As a global organization, we recognize the importance of our staff reflecting the communities our work aims to benefit. We encourage and seek applications from women, people of color, and bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical condition including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related conditions.