Contract Math Item Writer Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

Grant Writer

Compensation: $65,000 Base Salary + Up to $10,000 Annual Performance Bonus

Expected First Year Earnings at Plan: Approximately $75,000

Growth Opportunity: Increased responsibility and compensation as you grow into managing a full caseload.

Location: Rockford, IL - Onsite and hybrid candidates preferred; full remote will be considered for the right candidate.

Help Nonprofits Build the Application that Funds Their Security

Nonprofit Security Advisors (NPSA) is a rapidly growing national consulting firm serving churches, Christian schools, and nonprofit organizations across the United States. We help clients win Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding, both federal and state, so they can protect the people who walk through their doors. Nationally, only about 13 percent of applications are funded, so the quality and completeness of what we submit matters enormously. We are looking for a writer who can own that quality on their own applications and help us maintain our 70+% success rate.

Your Mission

Carry clients through the grant writing phase, from the day a client signs with us to the day their application is submitted to their state. That means you own the outcome, not a task list: run the calls, scope the security wish list, write the Investment Justification that a state reviewer scores, and decide when the package is submission-ready. You will be taught this work and supported closely while you learn it, but the destination is self-guided work.

Key Responsibilities

Client Ownership

• Own a caseload of signed clients end to end, from contract through submission, as the client's primary point of contact.
• Run kickoff and follow-up calls unaccompanied, and turn what you hear into the record the application gets built from.
• Drive information collection: facility details, incident history, existing security measures, and the supporting documents every application needs for the narrative.
• Follow up warmly and persistently. Our clients are pastors, administrators, and volunteers with full plates, and keeping them moving without wearing out the relationship is a real skill.

Writing the Application

• Write the Investment Justification, the scored narrative explaining a client's threat picture, vulnerabilities, and proposed investments. This is the heart of the role and the work.
• Scope the security wish list with the client using layered defense, and match each item to the correct Authorized Equipment List code.
• Build the budget and make sure it is internally consistent with the assessment findings and the narrative.
• Verify every fact and figure you cite, and flag anything that looks overstated before it reaches a reviewer.
• Present the completed application to the client, walk them through it, and carry their feedback into the final version.
• Assemble the submission package and prepare it for client upload or state submission.

Registration and Deadlines

• Track and clear the registrations that gate a submission and take weeks to obtain: SAM.gov and UEI, state grant portals, and state prequalification systems.
• Serve as the point of contact with each client's State Administering Agency, the state office that scores applications and forwards them to FEMA.
• Monitor submission deadlines and keep each application tracking to the earlier date.

Records and Documentation

• Maintain accurate, current client records to track and report progress against the process milestones.
• Keep client files and communications organized.

What We're Looking For

Bachelor's degree preferred, but not required for the right candidate. Prior experience in the grant world is welcome and not required; what is not optional is that you can digest and produce a narrative. We need someone who can take notes from a phone call and produce clear, specific, persuasive prose on a deadline, and who can hold a factual argument together across several pages. 

Beyond the writing, this role calls for judgment. Program rules and state requirements vary and change every year, so you need to know where to look for an answer and when to check with the state agency rather than guess. You should be comfortable owning a deadline without being reminded of it, and comfortable telling a client that what they are asking for will not score well. Attention to detail, curiosity, and genuine care for the clients you serve are essential. We prefer candidates who have experience working in a local church or Christian school, either as staff or a volunteer.

Experience with AI-assisted tools is a plus. 

Benefits

• Full-time W-2 employment
• 20 paid PTO days plus 6 paid holidays
• Onsite and hybrid work preferred; full remote considered for the right candidate
• Company-provided computer and equipment
• Professional development opportunities
• As a growing company, we are not yet able to offer medical, dental, or retirement benefits. Our goal is to add these benefits as the company continues to grow.

Interested?

Learn More: www.nonprofitsecurityadvisors.com

Email your resume/CV to stuart@nonprofitsecurityadvisors.com