Grant Writer

Grant Writer

Reports to: Development Officer, Institutional Giving
Location: U.S.; Remote or NYC office
Classification: Part-Time (20 hours per week); temporary through June 30, 2022
Salary: $37,500-40,000 (FTE equivalent to $75-80K)
Start Date: Immediately

About Bend the Arc:

Bend the Arc is a movement of over 125,000 progressive Jews across America who are working together to achieve our vision: to transform our country to be inclusive, equitable, and supportive of the dignity of every person across race, class, gender and faith. We are the only national Jewish organization focused exclusively on social change in the U.S.

We’re rising up in solidarity to repair the damage of the last 4 years, confront the racial injustice of the last 400 years, and to build a new America for all of us. Alongside all who are most negatively impacted by antisemitism and white supremacy we’re working to expand civil rights, defend democracy, and protect each other. We’re mobilizing in cities and states across the country and advocating in Washington to win a new future — where everyone can thrive, no matter what we look like, how we pray, or where we come from.

Bend the Arc has recently adopted a new strategic plan to guide our work in the coming years. This plan is centered on our commitment to dismantling white supremacy and advancing Black liberation in our organization, in the Jewish community, and in the US at large. We are seeking candidates who are ready to engage with a long-term organizational race equity transformation process at a historically majority white and Ashkenazi organization, as we strive to embody our racial equity commitments.

The Bend the Arc family of organizations consists of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, our 501(c)(4) organizing and advocacy arm; Bend the Arc Jewish Action PAC, the first and only Jewish PAC to advocate exclusively for progressive policies in the U.S.; and Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice, our 501(c)(3) education and leadership arm.

Headquartered in New York City, we have remote staff nationwide with clusters in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Washington DC, with a network of staffed chapters, volunteer-led local groups, and affiliates organizing nationwide.

Department and Position Overview:

Bend the Arc is seeking a part-time Grant Writer, reporting to the Development Officer, Institutional Giving. The Grant Writer will be an integral member of the Development team, a department that raises more than $6 million each year across Bend the Arc’s family of organizations. The team currently consists of two interim Co-Directors, a Development Officer, and a Development Coordinator. Together, the team stewards individual and major donors and institutional funders across the country, with concentrations in NY, Boston, DC, LA, and the Bay Area. Our bi-coastal team has a strong commitment to relational culture and learning, and holds regular learning sessions around racial equity in fundraising work.

The Grant Writer will directly support Bend the Arc's institutional giving portfolio, with a focus on researching and writing proposals, grant reports, renewal requests, and letters of inquiry to foundations and other institutional funding sources. The successful candidate will be able to leverage existing data and information to produce compelling and responsive cases for both general operating and project-specific support, and will be adept at forging relationships with colleagues and other stakeholders to tell the story of Bend the Arc and our work. The candidate will be part of a three-person Institutional Giving team in Bend the Arc’s Development department, which includes one of the interim Co-Directors of Development and the Development Officer, Institutional Giving.

Key Responsibilities:

  • In collaboration with the Co-Director of Development and Development Officer, Institutional Giving, research, outline, and develop content for proposals, reports, and stewardship updates.
  • Alongside the Co-Director of Development and Development Officer, Institutional Giving, steward the materials and resources of the Institutional Giving team, including proposal and report narrative language, financial documentation, and administrative documents to ensure they are up to date.
  • Track all deadlines and funds pledged and received to support Institutional Giving team.
  • Work with the Development team to develop talking points in support of specific programs and initiatives.
  • Attend regular all-staff meetings and trainings (as schedule permits) to stay abreast of organizational updates.
  • Ensure that the assigned portfolio of grants are complete and submitted by or ahead of deadlines.
  • Use sound judgment and discretion when handling sensitive information.

Skills and Qualifications:

  • Minimum of 3 years of previous grant writing experience
  • Experience participating in organizational change or transformation work around racial equity and Black liberation in a multiracial community is a strong plus — including commitment to doing this work in various ways at the interpersonal, team, organization, and structural levels.
  • Excellent writing skills for developing compelling and engaging grant applications on a broad range of topics, as well as editing and proofreading skills.
  • Proven track record of writing successful fundraising proposals.
  • Strong ability to collect and synthesize information and effectively tell the story of Bend the Arc and our work.
  • Proven capacity to develop and sustain relationships with colleagues, foundation professionals, trustees, and other stakeholders.
  • Proven ability to successfully manage projects independently from start to finish, multi-task, prioritize, organize, and meet deadlines.
  • Familiarity with progressive movement and/or Jewish social justice spaces a plus.
  • Openness to giving and receiving feedback; orientation toward iterative growth individually, at the team level, and organizationally
  • Meticulous attention to detail.
  • Ability to maintain the highest standards of confidentiality with sensitive information, including proprietary organizational information, personnel, and the like.
  • Strong computer skills including MS Office Suite, Google Docs, and general familiarity/comfort with online grant submission portals
  • Demonstrated commitment to and passion for the mission of Bend the Arc, including commitment to racial equity, inclusion, and anti-oppression practices.

Essential Physical Tasks:

Bend the Arc is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to participate in the job application/interview process and to perform essential job functions. Please advise in writing of needs for accommodation at the time of application by emailing [email protected].

Must be able to sit in a stationary position for prolonged periods of time, and constantly operate a computer and other office machinery. Must identify and discern large amounts of correspondence, fundraising, proposals and reports. Must occasionally travel by air and ground transportation and move about to attend conferences, events and an annual staff retreat/conference in accordance with organizational guidelines on travel due to COVID.

Compensation and Work Schedule:

This is a part-time position (20 hours per week), with a schedule to be determined by the Co-Director of Development in consultation and agreement with the successful candidate. The annual salary range for the position is $75,000-80,000 FTE ($35,000-40,000 per year), commensurate with experience.

  • Paid time off including:
    • 7.5 vacation days per year during your first three years with an increase to 10 vacation days in your fourth year (prorated from full-time benefits based on a 20-hour workweek).
    • 6 sick days per year (prorated from full-time benefits based on a 20-hour workweek).
    • 23 paid holidays each year
    • Generous Caregiving / Personal Leave of Absence policy with a Paid Leave Benefit that covers 3 weeks of paid leave for each year of employment, up to 12 paid weeks after four years on staff

In addition to this benefits package, Bend the Arc has a commitment to a thriving and intentional organizational culture, as well as a commitment with staff and board to be in ongoing practice and learning around racial equity and inclusion.

Bend the Arc is working 100% remotely due to COVID, and does not currently have a hard date for returning to in-person work. We offer a stipend to facilitate remote work, if needed. We regularly update our policies for in-person gathering to reflect CDC guidelines and best practice.

To Apply:

Frequently cited statistics show that women and structurally marginalized and/or underrepresented groups apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. Bend the Arc encourages you to apply and break that statistic, as no one ever meets 100% of the qualifications. We look forward to your application.

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and one brief and relevant writing sample of no more than 3-4 pages (letters of inquiry as well as excerpts from previously written grants are welcome), to [email protected], with “Grant Writer” in the subject line of the message. Your cover letter should highlight why you want to join the staff at Bend the Arc and in this particular role. Only those applications submitted with a cover letter will be reviewed by our hiring team.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis; preference will be given to applications received before Monday, December 27th. Due to the number of applications we typically receive, we sincerely regret that someone from our hiring team will not be able to respond to all applicants. Only those considered for the position will be contacted to interview. No phone calls please.

Bend the Arc values a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture because we recognize that diversity within our staff helps us organize and work well with diverse Jewish and progressive constituencies. Candidates should be willing to work within the Jewish community, but may be of any (or no) faith or background.

We encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, and record of arrest or conviction. Bend the Arc is an equal opportunity employer.

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understand the scope of the position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, or responsibilities associated with the position.