Senior Grant Writer in San Luis Obispo, California at Peoples Self-Help Housing

Essential Functions

• Support and contribute to the development and implementation of the PSHH grant program strategy.
• Research government, foundation, and corporate funders at the local, state, and federal levels to evaluate opportunities in relation to PSHH fundraising goals.
• Assess the viability of grant opportunities in relation to potential funding amounts, alignment with organizational priorities, and internal administrative requirements.
• Independently manage the full range of activities required to prepare, submit, and manage complex grant proposals to government, foundation, and corporate funders.
• Write and lead development of high-quality grant proposals, letters of interest/inquiry, concept papers, and related materials aligned with funder priorities and organizational strategy.
• Generate complex proposals, narratives, applications, and supporting documentation in response to solicitations, ensuring accuracy, competitiveness, and compliance with funder requirements.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration with accounting, department leads, external partners, and subject matter experts to establish timelines, compile financials, and develop programmatic content for grant submissions.
• Monitor application and reporting timelines and proactively communicate deadlines interdepartmentally to ensure compliance with funder requirements.
• Regularly follow up on the status of submitted proposals and maintain accurate, up-to-date records in the Grants Tracker.
• Maintain and manage Grants Tracker entries for assigned submissions, including tracking deadlines, reporting requirements, and interdepartmental tasks.
• Maintain complete and accurate grant records and files in accordance with PSHH record-keeping policies, including funder communications, contracts, and documentation.
• Track progress of grant-funded programs and facilitate communication between funders and internal stakeholders.
• Provide guidance to staff on grant compliance, including the allowability of expenditures and reporting obligations.
• Analyze grant outcomes and provide recommendations to improve proposal competitiveness and funding success rates.
• Participate in the creation of fundraising campaigns and appeals, ensuring accurate and strategic grant-related content.
• Provide data, analysis, and draft content for donor stewardship, public communications, and internal reporting.
• Support donor cultivation efforts through participation in meetings, events, and strategic communications.

Skill & Knowledge Requirements

• Advanced knowledge of grant funding processes, including research, application, award management, and reporting.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to draft clear, persuasive, and strategic grant proposals and reports.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple complex projects and deadlines simultaneously.
• Ability to write clear, structured, articulate, and compelling proposals tailored to diverse funding audiences.
• Experience synthesizing programmatic, financial, and evaluation data into cohesive grant narratives.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook) and CRM platforms such as Donor Perfect.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to cross-functional teams.
• Strong problem-solving skills in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments.
• High level of attention to detail, confidentiality, and professionalism.
• Ability to type 40+ words per minute.

Experience Requirements

• Minimum 4–6 years of experience in grant writing for a nonprofit organization.
• Proven experience successfully managing complex grant cycles, from research and identification through award, compliance, and reporting.
• Demonstrated success securing competitive grants from government, foundation, and/or corporate funders.
• Experience leading or managing significant proposal efforts or multi-departmental grant submissions.
• Experience collaborating with finance and program departments to develop comprehensive grant materials.
• Familiarity with affordable housing funding and wrap-around service programs in California is highly desirable.
• Experience working in deadline-driven environments.
• Experience in proposal writing and working with institutional donors.

Education Requirements

• A bachelor's degree in Communications, Nonprofit Administration, English, Writing, or a related field is preferred.
• Experience commensurate with education preference will be considered.

Physical Requirements

• The job requires sitting for long periods of time, the ability to bend and squat for short periods of time, and light lifting (paperwork/files).