Grant Writer

POSITION SUMMARY

At Fountain House, we believe in the power of community to transform the lives of individuals with serious mental illness. Every day, thousands of members choose to come to Fountain House to contribute their talents, learn new skills, access opportunities, and form friendships. Members and staff operate successful employment, education, wellness programs and work as partners to perform all the functions that keep our community going. The Fountain House model has been replicated in more than 300 locations in 30 countries and 32 states and currently serves more than 100,000 people with mental illness worldwide. As originators of this approach, we provide leadership by constantly advancing the practice and by leading the conversation around mental health recovery. As a result, Fountain House has created a comprehensive Community System of Care. This includes Clubhouses in Manhattan, the Bronx, Hollywood, California and Care Management, Home and Community-Based Services and a large housing program ranging from 24 hour supervised residences to scattered site supported apartments. We are committed to reducing social isolation, advocating for mental health policy change, and driving solutions that empower our members.

• Your Impact

The overall role of the Grant Writer is to work closely with the Director of Institutional Giving to identify, secure, and steward grant and contract opportunities for Fountain House from new public funding opportunities and to strengthen current public funding relationships.

This position will support the activities of Fountain House's dynamic development team! The Grant Writer will author concept papers, grant proposals, grant progress reports, and will also play a role in research prospecting for public and private funding opportunities. You will have proven expertise in applying to funding sources related to service innovation, demonstration projects, evaluation, cost-benefit studies, and research, as well as ensuring compliance with such funding sources.

Salary: $65k - $75k

Minimum x2 days per week on-site (Hell's Kitchen)

During the 3-month onboarding period, a greater on-site presence may be required

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Prospecting, Cultivation, Stewardship

• Work closely with the Director to maintain an existing portfolio, while researching and responding to new and emerging local funding opportunities that align with the agency's mission, goals, and existing programs.
• In coordination with the Director, ensure that the production and submission of all external funder communications (Grant proposals, grant reports, etc.) are of exceptional quality and persuasive to funders. (This position will require an individual with exceptional writing skills.)
• Collaborate internally within the Development team and externally across departments to strategically plan how to approach prospects and opportunities.
• Analyze and assess qualified prospects to determine which opportunities to pursue. This includes creating a funding profile of RFPs that provides a high-level summary of the funding opportunity to be shared with external Fountain House departments actively involved in determining whether to move forward with the application process.
• Identifies, researches, and recommends new funding sources and prospects that align with the Fountain House organizational vision, mission, and strategy.
• Maintains prospect databases and robust pipelines of new potential funders.
• Supports strategy meetings and implements action items for the Director as they research different program offerings and determine proposal concepts.
• Authors proposal drafts and will collaborate across teams to gather and include relevant inputs and necessary data into each proposal.
• Assembles all relevant components of proposals and ensures that a Fountain House proposal submission complies with all proposal parameters and detailed requirements for each funder
• Meets proposal deadlines by adhering to systems and timelines for the different phases of proposal creation including information gathering, writing, review, approval, and transmittal.
• Supports grant management activities for secured grants, including documenting and communicating reporting requirements, tracking correspondence with funders, producing grant progress reports, and keeping up with funder reporting requirements and action items.
• Collaborates with the Director to create and maintain internal systems, structures, and processes to streamline and organize the Development team's activities and workflow
• Responsible for other duties as assigned.
• Perform related duties as assigned by supervisor.
• Maintain compliance with all company policies and procedures.

Administrative Functions

• Provide support to the Director for the interdepartmental RFP process, including downloading programmatic information and collecting required attachments for submission.
• Assist with renewals of current grants in coordination with the Development team
• Record and track all activity and progress in Salesforce database, including prospecting, moves management, pipeline of opportunities/deliverables, grant management/admin/filing, etc.
• Ensure contract compliance and complete all required grant reporting, including narrative and financial reports, working with program, research, finance, and other staff to ensure timely submission

Who you are

• You are creative, meticulous and thrive in a collaborative environment.
• You are solutions-oriented and resourceful initiative-taker who shows determination to solve problems and has the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• You thrive in changing environments where your innovative ideas and problem-solving skills can take shape.
• You believe people with serious mental illness deserve holistic support, and the opportunity to define their futures.
• You have ability to work under pressure, multi-task, prioritize, organize time and meet deadlines.
• You value inclusion, joy, accountability, and creativity-and you're ready to join a program that embodies all of these.

What you bring

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and/or experience
• Two years of working in fundraising or in a nonprofit setting highly preferred
• Strong written communication skills, presentation skills, analytical skills, and the ability to create excellent content and persuasive narratives.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including ability to proofread and draft high-quality documents.
• Knowledge of RFP processes, with impeccable attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines under high-pressure situations.
• Experienced in donor databases, such as Salesforce or similar CRM, as well as Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams, Outlook, etc.) and internet research skills.
• Excellent research/prospecting skills and experience using online grant databases.
• Ability to work independently and in a highly collaborative team environment across multiple programs and departments.
• Demonstrated ability to work with confidential information in a trustworthy and reliable manner.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google Suite, and familiarity with fundraising software (Salesforce)

Why Join Fountain House?

• Empower Marginalized Communities - Elevate the voices of individuals with lived experience and drive real systemic change.
• Innovate in Mental Health Advocacy - Join a mission-driven team at the forefront of mental health reform.
• Professional Growth & Leadership - Access mentorship, training, and career development opportunities in a rapidly evolving field.

Join Us & Make an Impact!

Be part of a movement that is transforming mental health care through research, advocacy, and community.

The physical requirements of the position include the following:

• This position resides in a brownstone building and requires the ability to ascend and descend stairs and may include some light lifting, sitting and standing.
• Extensive computer use, reading, writing, analysis, attention to detail, and concentration.
• Regular, punctual in-person attendance at Fountain House's main headquarters and other business locations.
• Occasional long hours, including evening or weekend work.
• In the case of work conducted remotely, the position requires reasonable access to phone, email, and video conference and a dedicated place to work that is reasonably free from interruption and where confidentiality is secure.

Fountain House, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer