Grants Manager

Position Title: Grants Manager 

Location: Zenger Farm - Portland, OR

Position Type: Full-time (32/hour week) hybrid, overtime exempt, salaried 

Compensation: Starting $55,000-65,000 plus benefits

Timeline: Position will remain open until filled, application review begins October 23rd.

Zenger Farm is a 501(c)3 nonprofit working urban farm in Portland, OR that models, promotes, and educates about sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship, community development, and access to good food for all. We are guided by a vision of a healthy, resilient community, where the wellbeing and prosperity of children and adults, regardless of race, geography or socio-economic status, is enhanced through access to affordable, plentiful and nourishing foods. As a justice centered, food access and education non-profit, we believe nourishment is a basic human right and that the root causes of inequitable food access – racism, poverty and other systems of oppression – must be addressed to create a just food system.

We encourage Black, Indigenous, and people of color, women, LGBTQ+ people, religious minorities, recent migrants/refugees, people with disabilities, and applicants from different generational and economic backgrounds to apply.

About this Position:

The Grants Manager is a seasoned grant writer who brings their creative, innovative, and thoughtful writing skills to fundraising while prioritizing Zenger Farm’s values, priorities, and commitment to food justice. This position directly reports to the Director of Development and Communications. Grants are central to the organization's financial health. Both foundation and governments have historically constituted 65-75% of the organization's $2.5 million operating budget. This position works closely with the organization's Program Directors, Program Managers, Executive Director as well as the development and outreach team  to coordinate content for competitive program aligned proposals, as well as accurate and timely reports. 

Ideal Candidate: 

As a central member of the Zenger Farm team, the Grants Manager will make Zenger Farm’s work possible by being responsive, thoughtful, and intentional in communication and welcoming to our work. The ideal candidate will be a strong writer, who enjoys creating narratives, researching, prospecting, capturing organizational shifts, sharing our successes and challenges, and overarching theory of change. When possible this role seeks to decolonize our writing with the understanding that language holds power while being contextual and shifting, and has an analysis in centering racial justice. Similarly they are comfortable providing transparency across the organization on who our funders are and what funding agreements are in place. In addition, this person will also bring strong attention to detail and a collaborative stance, both within the department and across the organization.

Essential Duties:

• Develop a complex working knowledge of all of Zenger Farm programs, goals, and financial needs
• Research and prospect organizationally aligned grant opportunities 
• Serve as project manager for the entirety of the proposal process, monitoring application and reporting timelines and delegating tasks where necessary
• Write concise narratives that tell stories with data the focuses on the experiences, needs, and resiliency of East Portland and/or Multnomah County 
• Collaborate with Zenger Farm staff and external organizations to lead the writing of high quality grant proposals, supporting documents, and reports 
• Holding awareness of existing funding streams and the ability to identify and engage new funders, while acting as an organizational point of contact for grant related questions from donors
• Works with the Director of Development and Communications to guide grant-based funding strategies
• Creates the annual grants fundraising plan and collaborates with the development team, on generating both short-term and long-term grant fundraising streams for the organization
• Promotes a culture of philanthropy and engages staff, and at times community members, in developing a grants fundraising strategy
• Other tasks or projects as identified by the Executive Director

Qualifications: 

• Minimum three years of grant writing experience, with over $1,000,000 in annual grant income generated
• Demonstrated success writing successful $250,000+ proposals to local, state, and federal government, as well as private and corporate foundations
• Outstanding organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities
• Exceptional writing, editing, and copy editing skills through strong and versatile storytelling
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, both in person and virtual
• Team collaborator with strong interpersonal skills, good judgment, and ability to work effectively with diverse groups of people
• Ability to learn new grant platforms as technology and funders evolve 
• Experience with donor databases (Salesforce preferred), Microsoft, Google, Outlook, and project management software (asana preferred)
• Passion, a strong work ethic, and self-motivated drive
• A commitment to and passion for Zenger Farm’s mission

Compensation

This is a salaried position located in Portland, OR. The current salary range for manager level positions at Zenger Farm is $55,000-70,000 annually. Applicants should expect starting salaries from $55,000-65,000 with the opportunity for merit-based pay increases and bi-annual market-based pay adjustments. Benefits currently include a four day work week, fully paid medical and dental insurance, generous paid time off, 10 annual paid holidays, monthly technology allowance, and an employer paid 3% retirement matching program.

To Apply

Please fill out this application form and attach a resume, cover letter, and writing sample here. Position will remain open until filled, application review will begin the week of October 23rd. If you have additional questions please email apply@zengerfarm.org

Zenger Farm provides equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, handicap, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity, in accordance with applicable federal laws.