Grant Writer Contractor Chicago, Illinois, United States

Climate Cabinet is seeking a remote Grant Writer Contractor to produce high-quality proposals, reports, and renewals for funders until December 31, 2025. The role requires a skilled writer with knowledge of climate and clean energy policy, focusing on creating compelling narratives for philanthropic audiences. Responsibilities include grant reports, renewal proposals, and impact reporting, with an emphasis on collaboration across teams to support climate action initiatives.
Role: Grant Writer (Contract – Now through Dec 31, 2025)
Role Goal: Deliver high-quality proposals, reports, and renewals for Climate Cabinet’s funders.
Location: Remote, anywhere in the U.S.
Timeframe: Proposals due August 29, 2025. Contract start date in early September.
Budget: Seeking proposals with fee structure

About Climate CabinetClimate Cabinet helps state and local candidates run, win, and legislate on climate change. State and local policymakers are key to tackling climate change – they drive progress regardless of who is in the White House. That’s why Climate Cabinet exists.

We are a dynamic, passionate, startup team of experienced climate experts with staff on-the-ground across the country and a remote-first workplace. Our team culture prioritizes: supporting each other as full people, striving for the highest standard of excellence in our work, respecting local knowledge, embracing technology and innovation, curiosity, and a continuous growth mindset.

Role SummaryWe’re looking for a grant writer contractor to join our passionate team in shaping the future of climate progress! Our philanthropic partnerships have grown in the last year to support our year-round work in supporting climate champions at the state and local levels. In this role you will get to work at the impactful intersection of climate issues, policy, and politics and write for our philanthropy audience.

This role is best suited for a skilled writer with a strong understanding of climate and clean energy policy and philanthropy who can ramp up quickly and translate complex, evolving programmatic work into compelling, funder-aligned narratives. At times, you’ll need to read between the lines, spotting what matters most, anticipating funder expectations, and moving forward even when details are incomplete. Collaborating cross-functionally with leadership, program, policy, comms, and finance teams, you will distill sophisticated work into concise proposals and reports while managing a steady flow of rolling deadlines.

This writing role focused on executing grant reports, grant proposals, impact reports, and other types of funder collateral; the scope does not require funder relationship management. The right candidate will bring curiosity, speed, and discernment to the task of turning complex programmatic work into high-quality narratives that support our fundraising efforts to keep building momentum on local and state climate action!

Scope of Work (September–November/December 2025)The contractor will support our growing grant writing needs. Work will include a mix of:

Grant reports to institutional fundersRenewal proposals that update and extend existing funder relationshipsNew grant proposals, aligned to program priorities and funding opportunitiesSupport for year-end impact reporting and other funder collateral, including synthesis and drafting of narrative contentWe anticipate the contractor will complete approximately 5–10 reports, 4–6 proposals, and contribute significantly to at least one major year-end impact deliverable. Final deliverables may shift based on internal needs and funder timelines.

A 3–5 page grant report summarizing state-level policy wins and organizational impact, and where the climate movement should focus next.A new proposal tailored to a foundation’s electricity/climate finance/transportation or state specific investment focusA section of our year-end impact report focused on wins in high-priority climate states across America.Requirements7+ years experience writing proposals, reports, or strategy documents for mission-driven organizationsDeep familiarity and experience with climate and clean energy policy and philanthropy – you should be comfortable writing to these audiences and concepts and frame solutions within the realities of the policy landscape.Strong writing and editing skills with an ability to adopt organizational voice and translate technical, data-rich content into persuasive forward-thinking narrativeAbility to manage multiple deliverables independently and collaborate efficiently and effectively with a remote team.Application ProcessWe are accepting applications via Greenhouse on a rolling basis through August 29, 2025. Include a resume and proposal (through Cover Letter option) with the following information:

Introduction and relevant experience:What about Climate Cabinet and this role is appealing to you?A description of your experience and skills that satisfy the requirements (listed above) of this role.Fee structure/rate and availability2–3 referencesAn example of a proposal or report you developed that you’re proud of and illustrates the type of writing and deliverable we’re looking for.All applications submitted through August 29th will be reviewed and candidates will receive updates no later than September 5th, 2025, with the goal of onboarding in early September.The interview process will include up to three Zoom interviews with staff and reference checks.

No obligation to contract:

This request for proposal does not obligate Climate Cabinet to contract for services specified herein.

Rejection of proposals:

Climate Cabinet reserves the right at its sole discretion to reject any and all proposals received without penalty and not to issue a contract as a result of this request for proposal.

You should apply! We encourage applications from people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, women, first-gen and low-income people, and members of marginalized communities.

Climate Cabinet is an equal opportunity employer. Climate Cabinet believes every employee has the right to work in an environment free from unlawful discrimination. Consistent with applicable federal, state and local laws, Climate Cabinet provides all employees and applicants with equal opportunity in all aspects of the employment relationship. This includes employment decisions related to hiring, promotions, transfers, disciplinary action, termination, and training. Climate Cabinet will comply with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination in employment.

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