Grant Writer at Minnesota Marine Art Museum

Job Title: Grant Writer

Job Status: Contract

Location: Winona, MN

Salary: $70.00 – $125.00 (hourly)

POSITION DESCRIPTION

GRANT WRITER

Contract RFP (Open Through November 14, 2023)

Initial Contract – Six months, renewed annually thereafter

400 to 450 hours per year – $70-$125 per hour

Reports to:  Director of Development

Directs Reports: None

The dynamic and evolving Minnesota Marine Art Museum (MMAM) is seeking a skilled contract grant writer to help the organization identify, cultivate, and execute a successful grant program with local, regional, and national funders. Our ideal partner is primarily accountable for the procurement of grants from foundations and government agencies through the development and preparation of timely, well-crafted, and strategically aligned grant proposals. 

This position works to advance MMAM’s strategic plan by maximizing funding opportunities for priority activities, programs, andprojects and aligning those with funders’ priorities. The Grant Writer is expected to maintain the annual grant work calendar, prospect for new funders, identify eligibility between the funder guidelines and MMAM’s goals, and prepare and submit grant proposals and reports.

This strategic role for the organization comes at an exciting time of opportunity as the Museum positions itself to grow a dynamic portfolio of programs, launch a major capital campaign, and grow its art acquisition fund. The Museum’s contract grant writer will participate in the vision, drive and creativity of MMAM’s Advancement Team to reach ambitious fundraising goals with an eye toward growing high-end stewardship and cultivation of major foundations and granting agencies, a diverse and active membership, principal and major gifts, campaigns and opening new revenue markets. The Grant Writer will be a passionate and knowledgeable advocate for the arts, culture, and the environment, with awareness and relationships with funding partners, an articulate and persuasive communicator, and a relationship-builder of the highest integrity for the Museum. 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Cultivate foundation, government, and corporate fundraising strategies to further the mission of the division and meet museum goals and priorities.  

  • Participates on MMAM’s Advancement Team, with administrative support from the Museum’s Director of Operations, to strategize, plan, and implement all phases of activity necessary to successfully achieve fundraising goals for grants from private foundations and corporate funders. 
  • With the Advancement Team, create a three year fundraising plan, an annual work plan to seek and acquire funding to support institutional and department priorities with special emphasis on local, state, and federal grant opportunities. 
  • Cooperates  with program staff to plan weeks, months, and years ahead to maximize funding opportunities.

Manages written communications and grant budget preparation to ensure clear, consistent, and compelling representation of the museum’s case for funding. 

  • Serves as primary proposal developer and manager, ensuring consistent high-quality representation of the museum generally and with regard to specific projects and programs. 
  • Supports program staff in performing their roles in proposal development; including adherence to deadlines, aligning proposals to the funder’s priorities using language that resonates with reviewers, and crafting clear concise grant project budgets 

Collaborates across divisions while following museum wide standards to ensure the most effective and coordinated pursuit of the organizational mission. 

  • Orchestrate work and communication flow ensuring high-level funder relationships consistent with the museum’s vision and mission. 
  • Uses professional language and style in all email and documents.
  • Understands and utilizes organizational databases to maintain proposals and report deadlines, submissions, and other pertinent data.

Prioritizes critical tasks and adjusts strategy as needed to successfully fulfill deadlines and departmental needs. 

  • Demonstrates organization in all areas of work, communication, assigned tasks, and deadlines including but not limited to solicitations, prospecting, budgets, proposal documents, and grant reports. 
  • Balances many projects and tasks at once and accomplishes them successfully, often independently, within established timelines, especially during periods of increased workload. 
  • Completes tasks and projects as assigned, including developing a grant work calendar, tracking details, meeting deadlines, and communicating regularly with supervisor and other stakeholders. 
  • Takes initiative in solving problems and regularly applies critical thinking and problem solving skills in all areas of work.

POSITION SPECIFICS: 

  • Contract – Hourly (not to exceed 450 hours a year) 
  • Flexibility to work a varied schedule including some required evenings and weekends.
  • Work location: off-site / remote
  • Benefits: Not applicable

Values – This person is a champion of:

  • Centering their work in Relationships and Collaboration.  
  • Stewarding Sustainability, Equity and Hospitality.
  • Operating with Honesty, Transparency and Trust.
  • Being Bold and Brave.
  • Always Enterprising, Always Outstanding.

ABOUT MMAM:

The Minnesota Marine Art Museum is committed to being an inclusive workplace. Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the communities and audiences we serve. We are dedicated to fair and inclusive employment practices for all individuals. The Minnesota Marine Art Museum is an equal opportunity employer and will consider requests for reasonable accommodations based on disability or sincerely-held religious beliefs possible without undue hardship.

Mission

We create meaningful art experiences that explore our relationship with water.

Vision 

Boldly leveraging the generative capacities of great art inspired by water, to spark wonder and create a more compassionate and connected world for all. 

About

Before there ever was a Minnesota Marine Art Museum, there was a Maritime Heritage Society, a community group dedicated to preserving and sharing stories about life on the river. Their commitment set in motion the creation of a museum to showcase art inspired by water. MMAM opened in 2006 with the vision of creating a nationally recognized center for arts and culture in Southeast Minnesota. The initial collections consisted of traditional marine paintings and regional folk art. After expanding the quality and diversity of its collections, evolving the exhibition program, adding an annual roster of educational programs and temporary exhibitions, and enlarging its facility, today’s MMAM is a dynamic and surprising experience for tens of thousands of visitors a year.

MMAM operates from Mni Sota Makoce (Land Where the Waters Reflect The Clouds), the traditional homeland of the Dakota people. Residing here since time immemorial, Dakota still call Mni Sota Makoce home, with four federally recognized Dakota nations and many more Dakota people residing in what is now the state of Minnesota. Due to continued legacies of colonization, genocide and forced removal, generations of Dakota peopleremain disenfranchised from their traditional homeland.  Presently, Mni Sota Makoce has become a refuge and home for many Indigenous nations and peoples, including seven federally recognized Ojibwe nations.  We humbly encourage our audiences to reflect upon the historical legacies held in the lands they occupy.  

MMAM is committed to ecological stewardship. We strive to make our communities—social, cultural, and natural— better off than we found them. Built on a former industrial site, the museum’s five-acre gardens—our 7th Gallery—are not only a source of natural beauty, they are the base of MMAM’s sustainability goals. The land has transformed to become a biodiverse ecosystem that sequesters carbon and improves climate sustainability. From the roots of the plants to the roof of the museum, MMAM is working to achieve Net Zero by 2030.

HIRING PROCESS

Please submit your resume, two professional references, one example of a successful grant application, and a cover letter to Elizabeth Indra, MMAM Director of Operations (eindra@mmam.org)

RFPs are accepted through 8 a.m. Tuesday, November 14, 2023.  Interviews will be scheduled the weeks of November 21 and November 28, 2023.   

Hiring manager(s)/committee: Scott Pollock, Executive Director; Elizabeth Indra, Director of Operations

Ideal candidates will be available to begin work in November and December, working in a transitional capacity as MMAM’s current Grant Writer transitions into retirement at the top of the year.

Requirements

You’ll likely demonstrate: 

  • AAS degree or higher, or equivalent mission advancement or grant writing experience.
  • At least three to five years successfully grant writing for nonprofit organizations.
  • Have access to paid databases for grant prospecting.
  • Preference for Grant Professional Certification (GPC) or Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).
  • Demonstrated experience in project management or administrative role; experience working in a highly collaborative, service oriented environment and working with diverse audiences.
  • Highly proficient in cloud-based software applications. Google Suite experience is preferred, but a willingness to work in Google Suite is required. 
  • Familiarity with museums, art, and water/climate issues is desirable.
  • Collaboration: Develops, maintains, and strengthens partnerships with others inside or outside the organization who can provide information, assistance, and support.
  • Customer Service: Demonstrates an understanding of the MMAM mission by ensuring that their own interactions with internal and external customers consistently support the mission.
  • Fostering an Inclusive Community: Contributes to a museum environment that reflects and responds to the diverse needs and cultures of our community (internal and external).

This job was sourced via AAM