Grants Manager, Temporary (6 Months)

Van Alen Institute helps create equitable cities through inclusive design. In an equitable city, every person is civically engaged, regardless of income or personal circumstances. To achieve that goal, inclusive design supports a community-driven public realm.

For more than 125 years, our purposeful community engagement, convening capacity, and global interdisciplinary network have produced profound transformations in the public realm of New York City and beyond. With a core belief in an interdisciplinary approach to design, the Van Alen team has backgrounds in architecture, urban planning, public health, civic advocacy, community engagement, and arts and culture. See all work at vanalen.org.

Van Alen is dedicated to diversity and inclusion. We are committed to reflecting the communities in which we work and encourage members of traditionally underrepresented populations to apply, including people of color, women, LGBTQ people, and disabled people.

ROLE DESCRIPTION

Reporting to the Director of Development, the Grants Manager will develop and execute a comprehensive institutional development strategy for contributed income totaling $2.5-3 million annually for general operations, and restricted program support.

The Grants Manager works with the Development team on the overall institutional development strategy (foundation, government, and corporate), manages a portfolio of institutional donors, and executes institutional fundraising efforts including prospect research, stewardship, grant solicitations, proposal and budget preparation, grant writing, corporate negotiations, grant reporting, and related administrative duties.

The position provides the expertise to advance Van Alen’s interests by researching and identifying potential sources of support; proactively seeking opportunities to generate new proposals based on foundation, government, and corporate guidelines and interests; and by maintaining strong communication with foundation, government, and corporate donors and prospects.

The role is full-time temporary, starting in September for a period of six months, with a possibility to extend.

DUTIES

Specific duties include but are not limited to:

• Under supervision of the Director of Development, design, implement, and manage a fundraising strategy to expand and enhance giving from foundations, corporations, and government agencies in alignment with the mission, strategic vision, funding, and immediate and long-term programmatic priorities of Van Alen Institute
• Research and identify prospective foundation (family, public, community), corporate, government (local, state, federal), and private funding opportunities
• Cultivate pipelines of prospective funders, develop and implement stewardship strategies to acquire, renew, maintain, and upgrade donors in all categories
• Develop highly competitive proposal letters, concept papers/overviews, general operating support and restricted grant applications, reports, presentations, and other fundraising materials, including preparing project budgets and supporting documents
• Stay informed about and work collaboratively with program and other internal staff to identify projects for foundation, government, and corporate support; advise staff on funder areas of interest, cultivation, and special requirements in the development and presentation of proposals; strategize with Director of Development and other leadership staff on application priorities
• Develop and manage institutional giving calendar, including oversight of reporting schedule, grant compliance, and deliverables, and manage workplan to ensure application and reporting deadlines are met
• Support other Development staff in their goals including meeting special event goals, Board and Council cultivation, and major donor approaches, etc.
• Represent Van Alen with external organizations to foster relationships and organizational advancement
• Communicate fundraising updates to senior staff on a regular basis, maintain filing systems, and use Salesforce database to log all data related to funding prospects and opportunity tracking
• Coordinate the activity of occasional outside grant writers, as required

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree and minimum five years' experience in institutional fundraising that demonstrates a proven track record of outstanding writing skills and successful fundraising from foundations, corporations, and government agencies in a cultural, community, or urban planning field
• Knowledge of the design, architecture, and urban planning fields locally and nationally, and of the field’s engagement with communities
• Well-networked within local, national, and international individual, foundation, corporate, and government funding sources
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to work well with staff at all organizational levels and to interact professionally with trustees, members, donors, volunteers, and other external stakeholders in person and via telephone and email communication
• Knowledge of Salesforce functionality to track relationship management data and funding opportunities; ability to create custom reports for routine analysis, progress checks and strategic planning
• Highly organized and detail oriented, with a demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and projects, meet deadlines, and produce quality work within tight time constraints
• A high level of energy, initiative, and ability to think creatively and strategically are essential
• Computer proficiency in MS Word, Excel, and Google Drive

HOW TO APPLY

Please send your application to jobs@vanalen.org with cover letter, resume, and writing sample in a single PDF with subject line “Grants Manager: [Name]”

The salary for this position is $65,000-70,000, depending on experience. Generous benefits are provided at no extra cost to employee. Contribution is required for dependents. Van Alen is an equal opportunity employer.