Grant Officer, Development Unit

About NYLAG
Founded in 1990, NYLAG is a leading civil legal services organization combatting economic, racial, and social injustice by advocating for people experiencing poverty or in crisis. Our services include comprehensive, free civil legal services, financial empowerment, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community partnerships. NYLAG exists because wealth should not determine who has access to justice. We aim to disrupt systemic racism by serving individuals and families whose legal and financial crises are often rooted in racial inequality. NYLAG goes to where the need is, providing services in more than 150 community sites (e.g. courts, hospitals, libraries) and on our Mobile Legal Help Center. During COVID-19, most of our services are virtual to keep our community safe. NYLAG’s staff of 300 impacted the lives of nearly 90,000 people last year.

 

Mission 
New York Legal Assistance Group uses the power of the law to help New Yorkers experiencing poverty or in crisis combat economic, racial, and social injustice. We address emerging and urgent needs with comprehensive, free civil legal services, financial empowerment, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community partnerships. We aim to disrupt systemic racism by serving clients, whose legal and financial crises are often rooted in racial inequality.

 

Values that guide us

• We reduce the effects of poverty by providing high quality, effective civil legal services.
• We strive to serve individuals and communities through a race equity lens to counteract systemic racism.
• We work to create a welcoming and inclusive work environment that reflects the communities we serve.
• We achieve systemic change through class actions, impact litigation and by advocating for just laws and policies.
• We partner with our clients to help them transform their lives and strengthen their communities.
• We address our clients’ multiple legal needs by collaborating across our practice areas.
• We are at the forefront of identifying and understanding New Yorkers’ most pressing legal needs, rapidly adapting to meet these needs with innovative programs and partnerships.
• We assess need broadly, recognizing that need is not a function of income alone.
• We collaborate with community organizations and engage pro bono attorneys and volunteers to serve a greater number of people with unmet civil legal needs.
• We teach and train the next generation of legal service professionals.

Job Description: 

NYLAG seeks an experienced grant officer to join our development team. The Grant Officer will report to the Director of Institutional Giving & Government Relations and will work closely with members of the development team, NYLAG leadership and advocates to support the life-cycle of a grant, including prospect research, proposal development and stewardship. This includes crafting, coordinating, and submitting compelling letters of interest, proposals, reports, and renewals in support of the advancement of NYLAG’s mission.

 

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with the development team, legal staff, and financial counselors to draft and submit compelling and succinct letters of inquiries, proposals, reports, and renewals
• Perform prospect research on government, foundations, and corporate funders; identify potential fits between grantor funding priorities organization goals. Make recommendations on pursuing potential new grant opportunities.
• Craft compelling case statements and other materials in support of both institutional and philanthropic fundraising efforts
• Engage with legal and financial counseling staff and grants and data coordinators and the data analyst to maintain knowledge of the organization’s programs and to collect data and information to bolster the quality of proposals, reports, and renewals
• Monitor grant expectations, needs, deliverables and programmatic updates, and maintain regular communication with internal and external stakeholders for a portfolio of grants and contracts
• Maintain grant calendars; coordinate with programmatic staff, data team, finance department, and other key staff to prepare grant proposals, reports, and renewals for timely submission; develop protocols to streamline processes
• Collaborate with the development team and staff to regularly steward with current potential funders, including preparing updates, communicating successes, and coordinating site visits
• Maintain updated grant records and files, including maintaining grant records in the donor database
• Manage grants calendars; develop protocols to ensure timely submission of grant proposals and reports. and develop protocols for timely submission of proposals and reports
• Engage with staff across NYLAG’s legal and financial counseling units to understand the work of the organization, gather information and success stories to strengthen proposals
• Maintain updated grant files and records
   

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree
• At least 3-5 years of experience grant-writing at a nonprofit
• Excellent writing and editing skills; the ability to translate complex information to tell a clear and compelling story
• Demonstrated ability to craft compelling letters of interest, proposals, reports, and renewals
• Demonstrated success in 5-, 6-, and 7-figure grants from both government and foundation funders
• Demonstrated ability to utilize various prospecting tools to identify and secure new funding sources
• Passion for NYLAG’s mission and ability to translate that passion in writing
• Ability to engage with staff to develop a deep understanding of programmatic areas
• Strong project management skills; ability multitask several projects simultaneously
• Ability to coordinate with multiple stakeholders to manage and meet proposal and submission deadlines

NYLAG’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

NYLAG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  People of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, veterans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, and those with lived experiences in the communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply.

 

The New York Legal Assistance Group is an equal opportunity employer; applicants from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.  Salary commensurate with experience and subject to funding limitations.

 

Employment type: Full Time

 

Professional Level: Professional

 

Salary: NYLAG is a unionized workplace, and salaries are set pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement. The current salary range for this position is $63,436 to $76,805, commensurate with experience.

 

Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401k, life insurance, long term disability, commuter benefits, flexible spending accounts (FSA) for Medical and Dependent care.

 

Application Instructions: Please save resume and cover letter on one pdf.

 

Covid Vaccination Policy: Please note, to safeguard the health and well-being of our employees and clients, NYLAG requires all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless a medical or religious exemption is approved.

 

NYLAG is committed to a hybrid work policy for staff whose work does not require their full-time presence in the office. NYLAG’s current policy is that most staff are required to work in NYLAG’s offices or do other in-person work at least two days each week. This policy is subject to change.