Grant Writer

Since 1984, Larkin Street Youth Services has helped more than 75,000 young adults in San Francisco with outreach, shelter, housing, education, employment, healthcare, and other services.

Today, Larkin Street Youth Services is the largest provider of housing and services to homeless youth in the Bay Area. We serve 1,500 youth annually, operating or partnering to provide more than 500 emergency shelter, transitional, supportive, and subsidy-based housing beds at several unique sites across San Francisco.

Working at Larkin Street, no matter what department, means making a real difference in the lives of young people experiencing homelessness. Our team is skilled, diverse, and passionate. Our culture encourages achievement and professional development, as well as teamwork and self-care. Our focus is always on the young people at the heart of our mission and to nurture potential, promote dignity and support bold steps by all.

For more information about us, visit www.larkinstreetyouth.org.

WHO WE ARE

Tonight, more than 1,100 young people will sleep in shelters or on the streets of San Francisco. Tomorrow must be different, and Larkin Street Youth Services is building the momentum to end youth homelessness through coordinated prevention efforts, direct services, and research and advocacy. Since 1984, Larkin Street has empowered more than 75,000 youth, ages 12-24, to build a better future. We provide comprehensive engagement, housing, education, employment, and health services to help these young people achieve a permanent pathway out of poverty. Our work is changing lives: three out of four youth who complete our programs exit homelessness. We celebrate diversity, stand for equity, and create pathways for individual and community growth. For more information, visit our website and our Culture Guide. 

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

Reporting to the Director of Institutional Giving, the Grant Writer is responsible for institutional related grant writing and reporting; prospecting and researching; building, cultivating, and maintaining relationships, and other grant-related tasks. The Grant Writer will enthusiastically and consistently articulate Larkin Street’s mission, programs, and impact to current, lapsed, and potential funders.The role works with the Development Team, Finance, Research and Evaluation, and Program staff who are subject matter experts in their departments.

This is a full-time position, eligible for full benefits.

Your responsibilities:

Foundation Grant Writing, Development and Management (60%) 

• Working closely with the Director of Institutional Giving, Program Staff, and Research & Evaluation Team, develop accurate, compelling, and individualized letters of inquiry, proposals, reports, and other written communication to foundation donors at all stages of the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship process.
• Prospect, research, and ultimately solicit potential funding sources from foundations that are aligned with organizational and programmatic priorities.
• Write clear, compelling, and effective grant requests and proposals.
• Develop individual grant proposals in accordance with each grant-making organization’s preferences and follow exactly each grant-making organization’s guidelines.
• Research and collect data to support grant proposals and reports.
• Ensure grant assignments are submitted on time via mail, email, online portal, and/or in hard copy to funders in person as requested.
• Maintain complete and accurate records of past and current proposals.
• Collaborate with Program and Finance Staff to track progress against current grant goals and expenditures, troubleshooting as necessary to ensure compliance.
• Work with the Finance team to track and ensure the timely spend-down of grants.

Relationship-Building and Collaboration (30%)

• Develop and nurture relationships with grant-making staff and other key stakeholders.
• Keep in contact with grant-making organizations during their review of a submitted grant application to be able to supply additional supportive material.
• Communicate with current, lapsed, and prospective funders about Larkin Street (invitations to site visits, events, following up to requests), RFPs, grant application status, etc.
• Collaborate with Larkin program (and R & E) staff to ensure grant applications accurately reflect program activities and to prepare timely reports that track deliverables and outcomes.
• Collaborate with Director of Institutional Giving and other Development Team members to ensure timely distribution of grant stewardship touchpoints.
• Build/maintain relationships with Larkin Street staff (e.g., Marketing).

Tracking / Other (10%)

• Document all fundraising efforts (interactions, grant deliverables, etc.) in Salesforce NPSP in a timely manner.
• Maintain the Private Grants Library in SharePoint uploading all documents submitted to funders.
• Help maintain a master file of pending, existing, and past grants across the whole organization.
• Contribute to Institutional Giving and Development strategy utilizing knowledge of donors, trends, and programmatic priorities.
• Participate in staff meetings and trainings as required, including a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Work Group.
• Help maintain funding calendar deadlines and activities, including specific cultivation strategies and donor meetings.
• Other duties as assigned.

LOCATION AND SCHEDULE

This full-time hybrid position will require working onsite (711 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco) for three days/week, depending on job duties and agency requirements. May also include occasional local travel to and from partner organizations, businesses, and donors. Depending on the events schedule, it may occasionally require working evenings or weekends. 

WHO YOU ARE:

• You are passionate about the Larkin Street Youth Services mission to end youth homelessness.
• You are a skilled writer and storyteller. 
• You have graduated with a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university.
• You pride yourself in attention to detail, action-orientation, and follow-through. You are eager to take initiative to meet or exceed ambitious fundraising goals.
• You are a relationship-builder with strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to listen attentively and speak persuasively.
• You are experienced in workplace software, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook and Sharepoint). Your experience in Salesforce is preferred.
• You embody our values and core strategies: "This Is How We Roll":
  • Client-Centered
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  • Trauma Informed Care
  • Restorative Practices
  • Harm Reduction
  • Non-Violent Crisis Intervention
  • Motivational Interviewing
• You work best in a hybrid working environment with at le7ast three days per week in the office. 
• You are vaccinated against COVID 19.

THE PERKS:

• Annual Salary: $69,000-$75,000
• Choice of Kaiser and Sutter medical plans, plus dental and vision.
• Clipper Bay Pass - Commute for FREE!
• Generous 3 weeks of vacation annually, plus 11 Paid Holidays and 3 Floating Holidays.
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer matching.
• Flexible spending accounts for Healthcare and Dependent Care expenses.
• Life Insurance.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for counseling services.
• Health Advocate Service.
• Commuter Benefits Program.
• Paid Sabbatical following 5 and 10 years of employment.

Larkin Street Youth Services is an equal opportunity employer. Larkin Street Youth Service seeks qualified candidates with an interest in the non-profit sector. We are committed to embracing diversity and consider all applicants for all positions without regard to color, ethnic background, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, HIV/AIDS status, veteran status, or any other legally protected class. We encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply for any open position in which they feel qualified. 

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider employment for qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. 

All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment.  For details on how it is applicable to your employment, please click here.