Application Guide

How to Apply for Senior Grants Manager

at Texas Civil Rights Project

🏢 About Texas Civil Rights Project

The Texas Civil Rights Project is a unique community lawyering organization that works both in and out of the courts to advance equality and justice in Texas. Unlike traditional legal nonprofits, TCRP boldly serves the movement for justice, making it an ideal workplace for someone passionate about systemic change and community-centered advocacy.

About This Role

As Senior Grants Manager, you'll oversee all grant deliverables for TCRP's entities and collaborative fundraising efforts while managing a portfolio of institutional funders contributing $100,000+ annually. This role is impactful because you'll directly secure resources that fuel TCRP's mission to create a Texas where all communities can thrive with dignity and justice.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve reviewing grant deliverables for multiple TCRP entities, strategizing with the Grants Manager about their portfolio of funders under $100,000, and drafting a compelling proposal for a major institutional funder that connects TCRP's legal work to community impact. You'd likely collaborate remotely with program staff to ensure grant materials accurately reflect their Texas-focused advocacy work.

🚀 Application Tools

Generate Cover Letter

AI-powered, tailored for Texas Civil Rights Project

Interview Prep

Practice questions for this role

🎯 Who Texas Civil Rights Project Is Looking For

  • Has 5+ years of grant writing/management experience in a nonprofit with multi-million dollar revenue, specifically in civil rights, social justice, or legal advocacy organizations
  • Demonstrates patent grant-writing abilities with a portfolio showing compelling, structured proposals and reports for institutional funders
  • Possesses demonstrable managerial experience, including supervising staff and constructively managing team performance
  • Understands the unique challenges of fundraising for movement-based legal organizations and can articulate TCRP's community lawyering approach to funders

📝 Tips for Applying to Texas Civil Rights Project

1

Quantify your grant management impact: specify dollar amounts managed, success rates, and how your work supported multi-million dollar organizational revenue

2

Highlight any experience with collaborative fundraising efforts between multiple entities, as TCRP mentions this specifically in the job description

3

Demonstrate understanding of TCRP's 'community lawyering' model by referencing specific campaigns or cases from their website in your application materials

4

Showcase both your individual grant-writing skills AND your supervisory experience with concrete examples of managing a grants portfolio and team

5

Tailor your materials to show how your grant management experience aligns with civil rights/social justice funding landscapes, not just general nonprofit fundraising

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

["Your experience managing institutional funders at the $100,000+ level and how you've maintained those relationships", "Specific examples of compelling grant deliverables you've developed that align with TCRP's mission of advancing equality and justice", 'Your approach to supervising and constructively managing team members in a grants department', "Why TCRP's community lawyering model and Texas-focused work resonates with your professional values and experience"]

Generate Cover Letter →

🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → TCRP's current campaigns and priority areas (voting rights, criminal justice reform, etc.) to understand their funding needs
  • → Their major institutional funders and recent grant-funded initiatives mentioned in annual reports or news articles
  • → The 'community lawyering' model and how it differs from traditional legal advocacy
  • → Texas-specific civil rights issues and how TCRP addresses them through movement-based approaches
Visit Texas Civil Rights Project's Website →

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 How would you approach managing grant deliverables for TCRP's multiple entities and collaborative fundraising efforts?
2 Describe your experience prospecting for new institutional funders in the civil rights/social justice space
3 How do you ensure grant proposals authentically represent community-centered work to institutional funders?
4 What strategies have you used to constructively manage and develop a Grants Manager's portfolio and performance?
5 How would you adapt your grant management approach for a remote organization focused on Texas communities?
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Generic grant-writing experience without specific examples from civil rights, social justice, or legal advocacy contexts
  • Focusing only on individual grant-writing skills without demonstrating supervisory experience and portfolio management
  • Applying with a generic nonprofit fundraising approach that doesn't acknowledge TCRP's unique community lawyering model and movement orientation

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Texas Civil Rights Project!

← Back to Job Listing Apply Now →