Grant Writer – Healthy Forest Managment

Position Title: Grant Writer – Healthy Forest Management
Position Type: Full-time, Exempt
Reports To: CEO
Location: Remote/local option; headquarters at 90 W Redwood Ave., Fort Bragg, CA 95437
Compensation: $80,000 – $100,000 annually, commensurate with experience
Benefits: Full benefits package, including health insurance, retirement plan, and paid time off

Position Summary

The Redwood Forest Foundation (RFF) is seeking a mission-driven Grant Writer to secure funding for programs that advance healthy forest management—e.g., fuels reduction, forest health monitoring, watershed restoration, climate adaptation, cultural burning, and community engagement. You’ll own the full grant lifecycle from prospecting to reporting. The successful candidate will combine strong writing skills with the ability to translate technical forestry work into compelling, fundable proposals.

Key Responsibilities

Prospecting & Strategy

• Build and maintain a rolling pipeline of public and private funding opportunities aligned to forest health objectives (state/federal agencies, foundations, corporate, tribal partnerships).
• Track deadlines, match opportunities to program leads, and maintain an 18–24-month grants calendar.
• Monitor trends in forestry, conservation, and environmental funding to inform strategy.

Proposal Development

• Lead writing for LOIs and proposals, assembling narratives, scopes, logic models, timelines, and budgets.
• Translate technical inputs (e.g., THPs, burn plans, monitoring protocols) into clear outcomes and metrics.
• Coordinate cross-functional contributions (forestry, conservation science, finance, community and tribal partners).

Budgets & Compliance

• Draft and refine grant budgets with Finance; ensure allowability, cost share, and indirects align with funder rules.
• Support compliance with state/federal terms (e.g., CEQA/NEPA references, Davis-Bacon, procurement, match).

Reporting & Stewardship

• Manage post-award reporting schedules; produce timely, accurate progress and financial reports.
• Maintain strong relationships with program officers; support site visits and communications.

Data & Impact

• Define and track KPIs (e.g., acres treated, biomass removed, emissions avoided, habitat improved, community participants).
• Maintain a repository of reusable language, partner letters, maps, and evidence of impact.

Collaboration & Communication

• Work with forestry staff, tribal partners, community groups, to co-design projects and engage local knowledge.
• Support MOUs/letters of support and coordinate multi-party submissions.
• Represent RFF in meetings with funders and community partners when appropriate.

Qualifications Required

• Minimum of 5 years of professional grant writing experience (environmental, forestry, or conservation preferred).
• Proven track record of successful grant awards with government agencies (e.g., USFS, CAL FIRE, NOAA, EPA) and/or major foundations.
• Exceptional writing, research, and editing skills.
• Budget literacy; experience collaborating with finance on multi-year, multi-fund source budgets.
• Excellent project management; able to juggle multiple deadlines and stakeholders.

Preferred

• Familiarity with healthy forest management (fuels reduction, prescribed/cultural fire, restoration silviculture, watershed resilience, wildlife habitat).
• Understanding of monitoring/evaluation frameworks (logic models, results chains, SMART outcomes).
• Experience with Indigenous partnerships, community-based forestry, or collaborative landscape projects.
• Proficiency with grant systems (e.g., Grants.gov, CAL FIRE GRAnTs) and CRMs.
• GIS/map literacy and comfort referencing scientific literature.