Experienced Grant Writer & Funding Development Specialist

Experienced Grant Writer & Funding Development Specialist

Organization: Big Ideas Educational Services
Position Type: Independent Contractor / Project-Based
Location: South Florida / Remote-Hybrid Options May Be Considered

About Big Ideas Educational Services:

Big Ideas Educational Services is a nonprofit organization committed to developing programs that transform the academic visions of the students and families we serve. We provide high-quality educational and enrichment programming for children and families and are focused on strategically expanding our impact, partnerships, and funding portfolio.

As Big Ideas continues to grow, we are seeking an experienced Grant Writer & Funding Development Specialist who can play an important role in securing, maintaining, and expanding the resources needed to support our mission and long-term sustainability.

Position Overview:

This is not an entry-level grant writing position.

Big Ideas is seeking a dependable, highly organized, self-directed, and experienced grant professional with demonstrated success securing competitive grant funding.

The ideal candidate must have experience researching, developing, writing, and submitting state and federal government grants, as well as foundation, corporate, and other private funding opportunities.

Candidates must be able to demonstrate a proven record of successful grant awards and funded proposals.

This individual will work closely with Big Ideas leadership to strengthen our existing funding portfolio, maintain current funding opportunities, and identify and pursue new opportunities that align with the organization's mission, programs, and strategic growth.

The successful candidate should be a self-starter who is comfortable taking ownership of assigned projects, managing deadlines independently, following up when information is needed, and keeping leadership informed throughout the grant development process.

Key Responsibilities

The Grant Writer & Funding Development Specialist will:

• Research and identify federal, state, local, foundation, corporate, and other funding opportunities aligned with Big Ideas' mission and programs.


• Lead the development and writing of competitive federal and state grant applications, including complex RFPs and funding proposals.


• Develop compelling grant narratives that clearly communicate organizational need, program design, outcomes, impact, and sustainability.


• Review grant guidelines and RFP requirements to ensure all application components meet funding requirements.


• Coordinate required grant components, including budgets, attachments, data, organizational documents, letters of support, and supporting materials.


• Manage grant calendars, application deadlines, renewal dates, reporting requirements, and other critical funding milestones.


• Maintain organized electronic grant files and records for submitted, awarded, pending, and prospective funding opportunities.


• Support the maintenance and renewal of existing grants to help protect and sustain current funding.


• Develop and maintain Big Ideas' profiles with foundations, corporate funders, government agencies, and other philanthropic organizations.


• Identify new funding opportunities and proactively present viable opportunities to leadership rather than waiting for opportunities to be assigned.


• Work with program, finance, compliance, and leadership staff to gather accurate information needed for proposals and reports.


• Support grant reporting, continuation applications, renewals, amendments, and other post-award requirements as needed.


• Maintain reusable organizational content, program descriptions, outcomes, data, and supporting documentation to strengthen future submissions.


• Track grant submissions, award decisions, funding amounts, deadlines, and required follow-up activities.


• Provide leadership with regular updates regarding the grant pipeline, upcoming opportunities, submissions, pending decisions, and funding outcomes.


• Follow up consistently when information, documents, approvals, or action are needed to keep projects moving forward.

Required Qualifications

Candidates should have:

• Demonstrated professional grant writing experience with a proven record of securing grant funding.


• Direct experience developing and submitting state and/or federal government grant applications.


• Experience with foundation, corporate, or private philanthropic funding.


• Strong research skills and the ability to identify funding opportunities that strategically align with an organization's programs and growth goals.


• Experience managing complex grant applications with multiple components, attachments, deadlines, and contributors.


• Excellent written communication, editing, proofreading, and organizational skills.


• Strong ability to interpret and follow detailed RFP requirements, grant guidelines, scoring criteria, and submission instructions.


• Ability to manage multiple deadlines simultaneously with minimal supervision.


• Strong attention to detail and follow-through.


• Ability to communicate effectively with leadership and team members when information or action is needed.


• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and move projects forward without requiring continuous direction.


• Strong time management and project management skills.

Demonstrated Grant Success Required

Applicants should be prepared to provide information demonstrating their grant writing experience and success.

Qualified candidates may be asked to provide:

• Examples of federal and/or state grants they have written or substantially contributed to;


• Funding agencies or grant programs for which they have prepared applications;


• Approximate dollar amounts of grants successfully awarded;


• Their specific role in developing each application;


• Examples of foundation or private funding successfully secured; and


• A writing sample or redacted portion of a previously submitted grant proposal.

Big Ideas may verify grant awards or request professional references who can speak specifically to the candidate's grant development experience.

Compensation

This is a project-based independent contractor opportunity.

Compensation will be determined based on the scope, complexity, timeline, and requirements of each individual grant or funding project.

Projects may include grant research, proposal development, application writing, foundation and funder profile development, renewal submissions, reporting support, funding research, or other grant-related assignments.

Specific deliverables, expectations, deadlines, and compensation will be established and agreed upon before work begins for each project.

Because grant opportunities can vary significantly in size and complexity, this position does not have a fixed salary or standard project rate. Big Ideas is seeking an experienced professional who can provide reasonable project-based pricing based on the scope and level of work required.

The Person We Are Looking For

Beyond strong writing skills, Big Ideas needs someone who is dependable, accountable, organized, and proactive.

The right person is a self-starter who researches opportunities, tracks deadlines, communicates clearly, follows up when information is needed, and takes ownership of moving a grant from initial research through development, submission, and follow-up.

We are looking for someone who understands that successful grant development is more than simply writing an application. It requires strategy, organization, research, relationship development, compliance, follow-through, and a strong understanding of the organization's long-term funding needs.

This role will be an important part of Big Ideas' continued growth and sustainability.

To Apply

Please submit a current resume outlining your grant writing and funding development experience along with a summary of your successful grant funding history.

Applicants should specifically identify their experience with:

• Federal grants


• State grants


• Foundation grants


• Corporate or private funding


• Competitive RFPs


• Successfully funded proposals

Please include examples of funded grants or funding programs you have worked on and, when possible, the approximate amount of funding awarded.

Candidates whose experience aligns with the position may be asked to participate in an interview and complete a grant-related work sample or practical exercise.