Temporary Grant Writer

About KIND 
Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) is a global leader in the protection of unaccompanied and separated children who are forcibly displaced from their countries of origin. Launched in 2008, KIND champions a world in which every child’s rights and well-being are protected throughout their journey to safety.  Building on its extensive programming and successful model in the United States, KIND is expanding in the Americas and Europe to bring its experience to bear in working with unaccompanied and separated children. Our work focuses on addressing the legal and mental health needs of this population; building strong partnerships and engaging in training and capacity strengthening with governments, NGOs, and the private sector; and advocating for systemic and pragmatic reforms to advance the rights of unaccompanied and separated children.
Position Summary
KIND seeks a Temporary Grant Writer to prepare persuasive fundraising and institutional development materials for a wide range of audiences, including foundations, governments, and corporations. The incumbent, part of the grant writing team, will collaborate with KIND’s program departments to clearly and compellingly convey the urgent work KIND is doing to protect unaccompanied children in their search for safety through grant proposals, LOIs, concept notes, donor reports, talking points, and briefs. The Temporary Grant Writer is fluent in a variety of styles, ranging from narrative storytelling to highly technical writing, and can navigate a complex workload while moving from project to project with ease. This position requires strategic thinking, excellent project management skills, effective and empathic communication skills, and deep knowledge of KIND’s mission, values, and goals. The incumbent is a key member of the development team and reports to the Senior Director, Institutional Development.
This a headquarters position based remotely from any location in the U.S.
This position is temporary, for a fixed term of 7 months (August 2024-February 2025), with the possibility of the position transitioning to a permanent, full-time role depending on budget and performance.

Essential Functions

• Learns and maintains a deep working knowledge of KIND and its mission, values, strategic goals, and programs.
• Proactively gathers information related to multiple varied and complex programs, and conveys this information succinctly and compellingly, tailored to different audiences.
• Partners with program departments to write, edit, and format grant proposals, reports, cover letters, donor communications, and related materials.
• Serves as proposal coordinator for assigned proposals and reports. This includes preparing summaries of opportunities, facilitating kickoff meetings, creating responsibility matrices and calendars, and keeping the team on schedule to ensure deadlines are met.
• Coordinates with finance department to ensure alignment of technical proposal and budget.
• Collaborates with development colleagues to prepare concise and compelling talking points and briefs to support donor solicitations.
• Ensures all materials are professionally formatted, visually compelling, and adhere to KIND brand guidelines.
• Ensures responsiveness and compliance with funder requirements.
• Edits and proofreads drafts of proposals, reports, presentations, and other materials, as requested.
• Supports maintenance of data in Salesforce in a timely manner.
• Assists the director of institutional giving with activities related to organizational grants, writing tasks, and institutional funder stewardship.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Undergraduate degree required.
• Must be fluent in English, with excellent written and oral communication skills. Spanish proficiency helpful but not required.
• Minimum of 4 years of experience in grant writing, journalism, or programmatic research/writing, preferably for advocacy or mission-driven organizations.
• Demonstrated track record of success securing six- and seven- figure grants from foundations, governments, and corporate funders.
• Knowledge of fundraising principles.
• Highly detail-oriented and organized.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Teams, Excel, etc.)
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment, managing numerous priorities and emerging opportunities.
• Ability to plan for, prioritize, and meet deadlines.
• Ability to give and receive feedback respectfully and remain flexible in the face of input from team members within Development and across the organization. 
• Ability to work effectively with people of diverse backgrounds, lived experiences, and communication styles.
• Commitment to prioritizing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, as well