Public Fundraising Specialist

Position Overview

At Services for the UnderServed, we seek a Public Fundraising Specialist to research, develop, and submit competitive city, state, and federal grant proposals to secure public funding aligned with organizational priorities. This role collaborates with program, finance, and leadership teams to ensure proposals are compliant, compelling, and accurately reflect program impact and budgets.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Grant Research & Strategy
• Identify and track relevant government funding opportunities (city, state, federal).
• Align funding opportunities with organizational priorities, programs, and strategic goals.
• Maintain a grants calendar with deadlines, renewal cycles, and reporting requirements.
• Proposal Development
• Lead the development of high-quality government grant proposals, including narratives, work plans, budgets (in collaboration with Finance), and supporting documentation.
• Translate program models, outcomes, and impact data into compelling, funder-aligned language.
• Ensure proposals meet all technical, formatting, and compliance requirements.
• Cross-Department Collaboration
• Collaborate with program staff to gather program descriptions, metrics, outcomes, and data.
• Work with finance and operations teams to develop accurate and compliant budgets and justifications.
• Cook up internal reviews and approvals prior to submission.
• Submission & Compliance
• Prepare and submit applications through government portals (e.g., NYC, state systems, federal platforms).
• Ensure adherence to procurement rules, certifications, and documentation standards.
• Respond to follow-up questions, clarifications, and revisions requested by funders.
• Post-Award Support
• Support grant handoff to Project Management Team for kick-off documentation, contracts, and amendments.
• Aid in interim and final narrative reports, renewals, and reapplications if necessary.
• Track award terms, deliverables, and reporting deadlines in collaboration with program and finance teams.
• Data & Documentation Management
• Maintain organized grant files, templates, past proposals, and reporting materials.
• Support continuous improvement by documenting best practices and proposal outcomes.

Qualifications

• REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in public administration, nonprofit management, communications, or related field.
• 2+ years of experience writing and managing government grant proposals.
• Demonstrated success securing public funding at the city, state, or federal level.
• Strong writing, editing, and proofreading skills with close attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and complex requirements simultaneously.
• Knowledge of government procurement or RFP/RFA processes.
• PREFERRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
• Experience in nonprofit, human services, healthcare, housing, behavioral health, or food security sectors.
• Familiarity with government contracting, compliance, and reporting requirements.
• Experience working with program budgets and outcome-based funding.