Job Description

About Chicago Beyond 

Chicago Beyond is a national philanthropic organization that addresses systemic inequity by backing solutions led by those closest to the issues. Since our inception in 2016, Chicago Beyond has invested more than $65 million in catalytic funding in over 250 individuals and community organizations while leading national systems change initiatives. Because there is no single barrier to equity, Chicago Beyond engages in opportunities across philanthropy, justice, health, and beyond. 

We address systemic inequity in three ways:

• Investments: We make catalytic investments to increase the impact of solutions led by those closest to the issues.
• National Initiatives: We lead national initiatives in partnership with change makers to challenge and reshape the status quo.
• Insights: We provide insights to disrupt and reimagine “systems as usual” and share learnings on equitable funding, practices, and policies.

About Chicago Beyond’s Partners  

Through flexible funding, strategic support, and an equitable approach, Chicago Beyond’s partners are strongly positioned to provide high-quality services to their communities and reshape systemic structures to improve lives. 

Our investment partnerships include: 

• Multiyear Investment Partners: Through multimillion-dollar, flexible grants and partnership support, we work to increase the impact of solutions led by those closest to the issues. 
• Rapid Response Fund: This fund quickly delivers unrestricted grants to organizations and individuals with solutions for their own communities across the country. Our investments strengthen partners’ wide-ranging work.
• Leader in Residence: The Leader in Residence program offers funding and support to selected leaders, empowering them to develop innovative, transformative ideas that create meaningful impacts in targeted communities.

Chicago Beyond was founded by Liz Dozier, a nationally renowned former educator and high school principal. Chicago Beyond’s innovative and impactful work has been featured on both the local and national level from the Chicago Tribune to the Clinton Global Initiative to Aspen Ideas Festival and Stanford Social Innovation Review. For more information on Chicago Beyond, please visit chicagobeyond.org . 

Position Details  

Chicago Beyond prepares grant proposals on behalf of and in collaboration with potential investment partners, which enables Chicago Beyond funds to reach people and organizations that do not already have development staff. As a Grant Writer focused on multiyear investments and responsive funding at Chicago Beyond, you will play a critical role in driving the organization's investment strategy by crafting compelling grant proposals and reports. Reporting to the Senior Director of Investments, this role will collaborate closely with potential community partners and internal teams to ensure the successful execution of funding. This role requires strong writing skills, attention to detail, the ability to grasp and distill context, and the ability to communicate complex concepts effectively to diverse audiences. In addition to what is outlined below, you will be responsible for other duties as assigned to support the goals and objectives of the organization.  

Key Responsibilities:   

1. Proposal Development: Lead the development of grant proposals and reports for potential multiyear investments and responsive funding, in alignment with the organization's investment strategy.  
2. Craft clear, persuasive, and well-structured grant proposals that effectively communicate the organization's mission, goals, and impact.  
3. Ensure timely submission of grant proposals and reports by tracking and monitoring deadlines and requirements.  
4. Provide regular updates and reports on grant proposals and report activities to the Senior Director of Investments and other stakeholders as needed.  
5. Prepare investment proposals, memos, presentations, and recommendations for review and decision-making.  
6. Investment Research: Collaborate with team members to gather relevant information and data to inform grant proposal narratives and other written materials. Collect and incorporate diverse data and field insights, including unconventional sources and relevant national and local context, to strengthen and enrich grant proposal narratives and reports.  
7. Stakeholder Engagement: Cultivate and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including community partners and their collaborators, and subject matter experts, towards the goal of writing compelling, perspective-widening, and accurate rationale for potential investments.  
8. Impact and Learning: Work with the Senior Manager of Investments to capture learnings during the investing process and during the course of the investment partnerships.   

Qualifications:   

• Bachelor's degree in English, Communications, Nonprofit Management, or Public Policy  
• 5+ years of proven experience in grant writing or fundraising.  
• Excellent writing and editing skills, with the ability to craft clear, concise, and compelling narratives.  
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously.  
• Ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders to gather information and insights.  
• Familiarity with philanthropic funding processes and best practices.  
• Ability to work independently and take initiative in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.   

Working at Chicago Beyond  

We are an agile, ambitious team with diverse experience across various sectors. We thrive on challenging each other and continuously learning, united by our passion for equity and lasting impact. If you are an entrepreneurial individual looking to join a dynamic community with significant opportunities to grow and shape what you do, then this will be a perfect role for you. 

Our values guide our work.

• Always Equitable – People in our communities face unimaginable obstacles to achieving their fullest human potential. So, we must fight for equity, not equality. 
• Incessantly Urgent – The simple fact is that lives are literally at stake right now. The unacceptability of the situation requires our relentless bias to action in order to accelerate our impact. 
• Endlessly Creative – To dramatically impact the lives of our youth and communities, we must employ imagination to augment or replace the usual, typical, and predictable. 
• Stubbornly Audacious – Entrenched challenges require disruptive ideas boldly applied. We must be unafraid to embrace risks. 
• Uncompromising Integrity – How we achieve our mission is equally as important as our mission. We must do right by our youth, our communities, our partners, our teammates and ourselves. 

Benefits  

Chicago Beyond provides a comprehensive benefits package, including competitive medical, dental, and vision plans, a matching 401(k) program, and generous paid time off. 

To Apply  

Please note there is no standard candidate profile. Research shows that underrepresented applicants tend to downplay their qualifications. What is more important to us than numbers and titles are the experiences that you have had and the expertise you have developed. If you think you would be a good fit, please apply. 

To apply, please send the following to Chicago Beyond at [email protected] with the subject line “Grant Writer” 

• Brief answer to the question: Why are you interested in this role, at Chicago Beyond, at this time?  
• A copy of your resume 
• A grant proposal you’ve written 

Chicago Beyond is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ+, and other underrepresented applicants.  

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