Job Summary
Central Valley Mental Health is seeking an experienced and mission-driven Grant Writer to secure federal, state, foundation, and private funding that supports behavioral health, substance use disorder (SUD), and integrated healthcare services. The Grant Writer will lead the development, preparation, submission, and management of competitive grant applications, with a primary focus on funding opportunities from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), HRSA, CDC, DOJ, and private foundations.
This position plays a critical role in expanding access to evidence-based mental health, addiction treatment, crisis stabilization, residential treatment, co-occurring disorder services, prevention, recovery support, and community outreach programs. The successful candidate will collaborate with executive leadership, clinical staff, finance, quality improvement, and program directors to develop high-quality proposals that align with organizational goals and funding priorities.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Research, identify, and evaluate federal, state, local, and private grant opportunities that support behavioral health, substance use disorder treatment, crisis services, integrated care, housing, and recovery programs.
- Lead the development and submission of competitive grant proposals to SAMHSA, DHCS, HRSA, DOJ, CDC, foundations, and other funding agencies.
- Prepare compelling narratives that demonstrate organizational capacity, community need, evidence-based practices, measurable outcomes, and program sustainability.
- Coordinate proposal development with clinical leadership, finance, quality improvement, compliance, and executive management.
- Develop detailed grant budgets, budget justifications, work plans, logic models, implementation timelines, and evaluation plans.
- Ensure compliance with all Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), Request for Applications (RFA), and grant submission requirements.
- Manage the complete grant lifecycle from opportunity identification through application, award, implementation, reporting, and closeout.
- Monitor grant performance, reporting deadlines, deliverables, and compliance with federal regulations including 2 CFR Part 200 (Uniform Guidance) when applicable.
- Prepare programmatic and financial reports required by funding agencies.
- Maintain organized records of grant applications, awards, contracts, reporting schedules, and supporting documentation.
- Track funding opportunities through Grants.gov, SAM.gov, eCivis, Foundation Directory, and other grant management platforms.
- Assist leadership with strategic funding initiatives and long-term organizational sustainability planning.
- Collaborate with external partners, healthcare providers, county agencies, educational institutions, and community organizations on collaborative grant applications.
- Review, edit, and proofread grant proposals to ensure clarity, accuracy, consistency, and compliance with funding requirements.
- Stay current on emerging behavioral health funding priorities, federal initiatives, and legislative changes affecting mental health and substance use services.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Public Health, Healthcare Administration, English, Communications, Public Administration, Business, Nonprofit Management, or related field; Master's degree preferred.
- Minimum of three years of professional grant writing experience, preferably within behavioral health, healthcare, public health, or nonprofit organizations.
- Demonstrated success obtaining competitive federal grants, particularly SAMHSA funding.
- Experience preparing proposals for DHCS, HRSA, DOJ, CDC, CMS, or other federal and state agencies is highly desirable.
- Strong understanding of behavioral health systems, substance use disorder treatment, co-occurring disorders, residential treatment, crisis stabilization, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), recovery services, and integrated care models.
- Familiarity with federal grant regulations, Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200), and grant compliance requirements.
- Experience developing grant budgets, logic models, evaluation frameworks, and measurable performance outcomes.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Acrobat, Grants.gov Workspace, SAM.gov, and grant management or CRM software such as Raiser's Edge, Blackbaud, Salesforce, Instrumentl, or similar platforms.
- Exceptional organizational, analytical, and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple deadlines simultaneously.
- Excellent written, editing, research, and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across multidisciplinary teams.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Advanced grant proposal and technical writing skills.
- Strong research and analytical abilities.
- Knowledge of evidence-based behavioral health and substance use treatment models.
- Experience with strategic planning and program development.
- Budget preparation and financial reporting experience.
- Excellent proofreading and editing skills.
- Ability to interpret funding announcements and translate requirements into competitive proposals.
- Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
- Ability to establish collaborative relationships with clinical staff, executive leadership, community partners, and funding agencies.
- Commitment to confidentiality, ethical standards, and organizational mission.
Preferred Experience
Experience writing grants for:
- SAMHSA
- California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)
- Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
- Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
- Substance Use Disorder treatment programs
- Community Mental Health Centers
- Residential Treatment Programs
- Crisis Stabilization Units
- Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC)
- Integrated Primary Care and Behavioral Health Programs
Why Join Central Valley Mental Health?
At Central Valley Mental Health, our mission is to expand access to high-quality behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment for underserved communities. As a Grant Writer, your work will directly support innovative programs that improve lives, strengthen recovery, and increase access to comprehensive mental health services throughout California. We offer a collaborative, mission-driven environment where your expertise will have a lasting impact on individuals, families, and communities.
Pay: $56,246.91 - $67,738.22 per year
Work Location: Remote
