Grant Writer (United States)

Grant Writer

WHEN Justice · Full-time · Remote (U.S.)

About WHEN Justice

WHEN Justice is a crowdsourcing platform democratizing litigation funding. We enable the public to directly fund strategic litigation that protects the environment, strengthens food safety standards, and defends consumer rights. Our mission is to hold accountable those who put power and profit before people, communities, and the planet we share.

Unlike traditional legal advocacy organizations, our model puts the public at the center. Ordinary people fund the cases, follow their progress, and share in the outcomes of holding powerful actors accountable. Institutional funding complements that model. Foundation, corporate, and government support lets us take on cases earlier, sustain them longer, and build the infrastructure that makes public participation possible.

About the Role

We are hiring a Grant Writer to build our institutional funding pipeline from the ground up. This role goes beyond writing proposals. The Grant Writer will own the research, strategy, and systems that turn our cases and public-interest priorities into sustained support from foundations, corporate funders, and institutions.

Our work is unusual, and that is an advantage. Most funders have never seen a model that lets the public directly back litigation. The Grant Writer’s job is to explain that model clearly, show why it works, and connect specific cases to the outcomes funders care about: clean drinking water, safer food, and fair treatment for consumers. Because our cases are active litigation, everything we submit has to be accurate and defensible. We consider that a strength, and we’re looking for a writer who does too.

We are a lean organization, and we expect everyone on the team to use AI tools well. For this role, that means using them for prospect research, first drafts, tailoring proposals to funder guidelines, and tracking deadlines, while keeping the judgment, accuracy, and voice that funders expect.

The Grant Writer reports to the Development Director and works closely with the Executive Director, legal, communications, and finance.

Responsibilities

• Research and prioritize grant opportunities aligned with our environmental, food safety, and consumer protection work
• Build and maintain a pipeline of foundation, corporate, and government funding prospects
• Write proposals, letters of inquiry, and concept notes that make a compelling case for supporting active cases and our crowdfunding model
• Prepare progress reports, renewal requests, and funder communications, and meet every deadline
• Partner with attorneys to ensure every claim about a case is accurate and appropriately framed
• Gather impact data and stories from the legal, communications, and campaign teams
• Work with finance to build accurate proposal budgets and supporting documentation
• Build and maintain relationships with program officers
• Track funding trends and identify emerging partnership opportunities
• Maintain grant records, deadlines, and submission history in our CRM, and report progress to leadership and the board
• Contribute to annual reports, donor recognition materials, and other institutional communications

Qualifications

We prioritize demonstrated outcomes. Strong candidates will be able to show:

• Foundation and institutional grants they wrote and secured, with the amounts and the funders
• A track record in the advocacy, legal, or environmental sectors
• Multi-year funding relationships they built or renewed
• Proposals that made complex legal, policy, or scientific work accessible to non-experts
• Concrete results from using AI tools in research or writing: more submissions, faster turnaround, or better targeting

In addition:

• 5+ years of experience in grant writing or institutional development
• Excellent writing, editing, and storytelling ability
• Comfort building and reviewing proposal budgets
• Working knowledge of CRM tools and grant prospecting databases
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines across departments on a remote team
• Sound judgment about accuracy in funder communications, especially in a litigation context
• Experience in a fast-moving, founder-led organization
• Experience with legal advocacy or environmental justice funders, or with federal and state funding processes, is a plus

Required Skills

• Excellent writing, editing, and storytelling ability
• Comfort building and reviewing proposal budgets
• Working knowledge of CRM tools and grant prospecting databases
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines across departments on a remote team
• Sound judgment about accuracy in funder communications, especially in a litigation context

Preferred Skills

• Experience in a fast-moving, founder-led organization
• Experience with legal advocacy or environmental justice funders, or with federal and state funding processes
• Concrete results from using AI tools in research or writing: more submissions, faster turnaround, or better targeting

Pay range and compensation package

• Salary range: $[XX,000–XX,000]
• Benefits: Health, dental, and vision insurance; a 401(k); paid time off; parental leave; and professional development support.

Equal Opportunity Statement

[Equal opportunity statement not provided in the original job description.]

What Success Looks Like in the First 12 Months

• A prioritized prospect pipeline, covering foundation, corporate, and government funders, built and in use
• A grant calendar and submission system in place, with no missed deadlines
• A core library of proposal materials: organizational narrative, case summaries, impact data, and budget templates
• A steady pace of proposals and letters of inquiry submitted, with the first awards secured
• Reporting and renewal processes in place for every active grant
• Regular pipeline updates delivered to the executive team and board

Work Arrangement and Benefits

This position is fully remote within the United States, with occasional travel for staff meetings, training, or conferences.

Salary range: $90,000

Benefits: Health, dental, and vision