Grant Writer – Part Time

About Porchlight Music Theatre

Porchlight Music Theatre is the award-winning center for music theatre in Chicago. Dedicated to setting the stage for the future of the American musical, Porchlight celebrates the past, present, and future of this unique art form through live performance, youth education, and community outreach. As a leader in the Chicago arts community, we are committed to looking at the musical theatre canon through a modern lens, offering intimate and powerful theatrical experiences that inspire and connect our audiences.

The Grant Writer plays a critical role in securing funding from foundations, corporations, and government agencies. This position is responsible for developing compelling grant proposals, coordinating submission materials, maintaining grant calendars, and ensuring timely reporting.

• Grant Development & Writing
• Prepare and submit grant proposals, letters of inquiry, applications, and supporting materials.
• Collaborate with program, finance, and leadership staff to collect information and data needed for proposals.
• As appropriate, develop budgets, narratives, and outcome measurements for funding requests.
• Maintain proposal templates and grant-writing resources.
• Grant Management
• Follow a project-driven grants calendar and ensure all deadlines are met.
• In partnership with the Development Manager, track proposal status, award notifications, reporting requirements, and renewals.
• Prepare interim and final grant reports.

• Bachelor’s degree in English, Communications, Nonprofit Management, Public Administration, or a related field.
• 3–5 years of grant writing or institutional fundraising experience.
• Demonstrated success securing foundation, corporate, and/or government grants.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and proofreading skills.
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines simultaneously.
• Proficiency with Google Suite and donor database/CRM systems.
• Preferred Qualifications
• Experience in arts and culture or other nonprofit sectors.
• Knowledge of grant budgeting and program evaluation.
• Familiarity with proposal management software and research tools.

$50 per hour at approximately 4 – 10 hours per project (anticipated 6 – 8 projects per year)