Public Fundraising Specialist

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Position Overview

SCOPE OF ROLE:

At Services for the UnderServed, we believe all New Yorkers - especially individuals facing homelessness, behavioral health challenges, and developmental disabilities - deserve to live healthy, fulfilling lives. We help make this possible by providing access to permanent housing, the cornerstone of stability, along with essential support services such as food access, counseling, job training, and mental health care to help people remain housed, healthy, and connected to their communities. For nearly 50 years, we have continued to expand and evolve our programs to meet the changing needs of the communities we serve. We’re looking for individuals who are passionate about our mission and ready to help us make an even bigger impact on tens of thousands of New Yorkers each year.  

The Public Fundraising Specialist reporting to the Sr. Manager of Government and Institutional Partnerships, research, develops, and submits competitive city, state, and federal grant proposals to secure public funding aligned with organizational priorities. This role collaborates closely with program, finance, and leadership teams to ensure proposals are compliant, compelling, and accurately reflect program impact and budgets. The grant writer also supports post-award documentation and hand-off, as well as renewals to maintain strong government funder relationships.

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.
• Coordinate 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.
• Assist with 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.

• KEY PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
• Exceptional written communication and storytelling skills
• Strong analytical and organizational abilities
• High level of accuracy and compliance orientation
• Ability to work cross-functionally and independently
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and grant management systems

Qualifications

• 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.

Company Overview

S:US IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Join a team of employees who care about the wellbeing of others. We believe in fostering a culture built on our core values: respect, integrity, support, maximizing individual potential and continuous quality improvement.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information and including all other statuses protected by Federal, State and Local laws. S:US is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities, including allowance of the use of services animals. To request reasonable accommodation or if you believe such a request was improperly handled or denied, contact the Leave Team at MyMedicalLeave@sus.org.

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