Part-Time Grant Writer & Institutional Funding Consultant

Reports To: Executive Director, Safe & Sound, Inc.

Engagement Type: Independent Contractor

Work Arrangement: Hybrid/Flexible

Anticipated Level of Effort: Approximately 15–20 hours per week, based on grant activity and deadlines

Contract Compensation: $2,500–$3,500 per month, commensurate with experience and agreed-upon scope

ORGANIZATIONAL SUMMARY

Safe & Sound, Inc. works collaboratively with residents, youth, law enforcement, community organizations, and other partners to build safe and empowered neighborhoods throughout Milwaukee and Racine. Through youth development, violence prevention, community organizing, and resident engagement, Safe & Sound creates opportunities for residents to identify priorities, strengthen relationships, and advance community-led solutions.

CONSULTING ENGAGEMENT SUMMARY

Safe & Sound is seeking an experienced Part-Time Grant Writer & Institutional Funding Consultant to provide strategic and hands-on support for the organization’s institutional fundraising efforts.

Working in partnership with the Executive Director, the consultant will research, identify, evaluate, develop, and submit competitive funding proposals to private foundations, corporate foundations, government agencies, and other institutional funders.

This engagement requires more than strong writing skills. Safe & Sound is seeking a consultant who can independently assess funding opportunities, determine alignment with organizational priorities and capacity, maintain a proactive grant pipeline, and help position the organization competitively for funding.

The consultant will support the full grant lifecycle, including prospect research, proposal development, submission, grant tracking, reporting, renewals, and closeout requirements. The consultant will coordinate with designated program, finance, administrative, and executive staff to obtain the information necessary to ensure applications and reports are accurate, compelling, timely, and compliant.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

Grant Research & Funding Strategy

• Research prospective funding opportunities from private foundations, corporate foundations, and federal, state, county, and local government sources.
• Evaluate potential opportunities based on eligibility, mission and program alignment, competitiveness, organizational capacity, funding restrictions, reporting requirements, match requirements, sustainability, and overall strategic fit.
• Make informed recommendations to the Executive Director regarding opportunities that should be pursued, monitored, or declined.
• Maintain awareness of philanthropic trends, public funding opportunities, and emerging funding priorities relevant to Safe & Sound’s mission and programs.
• Help develop a diversified institutional funding pipeline that balances existing funder relationships, renewal opportunities, and new prospects.

Proposal Development & Submission

• Draft, edit, assemble, and submit high-quality letters of inquiry, concept papers, grant proposals, applications, renewals, and other institutional funding requests.
• Translate Safe & Sound’s mission, programs, community impact, organizational strengths, outcomes, and funding needs into clear and compelling narratives tailored to individual funders.
• Review requests for proposals and application guidelines to identify requirements, scoring criteria, restrictions, attachments, and other submission expectations.
• Coordinate the collection of programmatic, demographic, financial, evaluation, organizational, and supporting documentation required for applications.
• Partner with appropriate staff on the development of proposal budgets and budget narratives.
• Manage online application portals and ensure complete and timely submissions.
• Maintain quality control and conduct final compliance reviews prior to submission.

Government & Public Funding

• Research appropriate federal, state, county, and municipal funding opportunities.
• Support development of government grant applications, including more complex applications involving multiple narratives, budgets, attachments, certifications, performance measures, and compliance requirements.
• Track government funding requirements and communicate important application, contracting, reporting, or compliance considerations to organizational leadership.

Grant Management & Reporting

• Maintain a comprehensive and current grant calendar that includes prospecting opportunities, submission deadlines, award periods, reporting requirements, renewal dates, and other key milestones.
• Track submitted proposals, pending decisions, awards, declines, reporting obligations, and follow-up activities through Safe & Sound’s designated grant tracking system.
• Coordinate preparation and submission of interim, annual, and final grant reports.
• Work with appropriate organizational staff to gather accurate performance data, program accomplishments, participant information, financial information, and other information required by funders.
• Support grant modifications, extensions, amendments, renewals, and closeout requirements when applicable.
• Maintain organized electronic grant files, boilerplate narratives, organizational attachments, program descriptions, outcomes, funder correspondence, and commonly requested documentation.

Funder Relations & Stewardship

• Support the cultivation and stewardship of professional relationships with foundation representatives, program officers, corporate partners, and other funding contacts.
• Identify opportunities for appropriate funder engagement beyond the application process.
• Coordinate meetings, introductory conversations, site visits, and other funder engagement opportunities involving the Executive Director or other designated organizational representatives.
• Prepare appropriate background information, talking points, and follow-up materials for funder meetings when needed.

Internal Collaboration

• Participate in regular grant strategy meetings with the Executive Director and other designated staff to review the institutional funding pipeline, organizational priorities, upcoming deadlines, funding gaps, and emerging opportunities.
• Establish clear internal timelines for information needed from program, finance, and administrative staff.
• Develop efficient processes that allow the consultant to gather necessary information while minimizing unnecessary administrative burden on program staff.
• Raise potential concerns regarding organizational capacity, program design, budget alignment, reporting requirements, or grant compliance before applications are submitted.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of 3–5 years of demonstrated grant writing, institutional fundraising, or grant consulting experience.
• Demonstrated success developing competitive proposals for private foundations, corporate foundations, and/or government funding sources.
• Experience with federal, state, county, or municipal grant applications strongly preferred.
• Experience managing multiple grants and deadlines simultaneously.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and proofreading skills, with the ability to communicate complex programs and community impact clearly and persuasively.
• Strong prospect research, critical thinking, analytical, and strategic decision-making skills.
• Ability to assess not only whether an organization is eligible for an opportunity, but whether pursuing the opportunity represents an appropriate strategic investment of organizational resources.
• Ability to understand programmatic and financial information and translate it into compelling narratives, goals, objectives, outcomes, and budget justifications.
• Strong attention to detail and demonstrated ability to independently manage projects from initial research through final submission.
• Experience with grant calendars, prospect tracking systems, online grant portals, government application systems, and electronic grant management practices.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with executive leadership, program staff, finance staff, community partners, and funders.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain confidentiality regarding organizational, financial, personnel, programmatic, and funder information.
• Familiarity with nonprofit community development, youth development, violence prevention, community organizing, public safety, or related fields is preferred.
• Experience working with nonprofit organizations serving diverse urban communities is preferred.

SUCCESSFUL CONSULTING ENGAGEMENT

The consultant’s effectiveness will be evaluated based on the overall quality and execution of the institutional funding strategy, including:

• Development and maintenance of a strong, diversified, and realistic funding pipeline;
• Identification of high-quality opportunities that align with Safe & Sound’s mission and organizational priorities;
• Timely submission of complete, accurate, compliant, and competitive applications;
• Quality and persuasiveness of grant narratives;
• Effective management of grant reports, renewals, and required documentation;
• Consistent communication regarding deadlines, funding opportunities, risks, and needed decisions;
• Ability to independently advance work while appropriately engaging organizational leadership and staff;
• Strengthening of Safe & Sound’s relationships with institutional funders;
• Increased organizational capacity to approach grant seeking proactively rather than reactively; and
• Contribution to the diversification and long-term sustainability of Safe & Sound’s institutional funding portfolio.

Grant awards are an important measure of overall institutional fundraising success; however, compensation is not contingent upon grant awards or calculated as a percentage of funds raised.

CONTRACT STRUCTURE & WORK ARRANGEMENT

This is an independent consulting engagement and not an employment position. The selected consultant will operate as an independent contractor under a written professional services agreement. The engagement is anticipated to require an average of approximately 15–20 hours per week; however, workload may fluctuate based on grant cycles, application deadlines, reporting periods, and organizational priorities. The consultant will maintain responsibility for organizing their work and managing their schedule to meet agreed-upon deliverables and deadlines.

The consultant will primarily work remotely but should be available for periodic in-person meetings, funder meetings, site visits, or collaborative work sessions in Milwaukee when appropriate.

The initial contract term, specific deliverables, invoicing requirements, confidentiality expectations, work-product ownership, termination provisions, and other contractual terms will be outlined in the professional services agreement.

Compensation: The anticipated contract range is $2,500–$3,500 per month, based on experience, demonstrated expertise, scope, and final negotiated deliverables.