Trusts & Foundations Specialist

We are a youth movement that empowers people with refugee backgrounds to build community, become leaders, and flourish into adulthood in the place that they call home.

There are thousands of young refugees and migrants arriving in the UK every year. We believe in the unbounded potential of these individuals and are driven to help them thrive. Our residentials and youth clubs are at the start of this journey, allowing us to create a space where we can build a community, teach leadership skills and spark ideas. With the right support, our ambition is to ensure that displaced youth have the agency to take control of their own lives.

The Trusts & Foundations Specialist will play a key role in identifying and securing grants from trusts and foundations. You will lead on researching new opportunities, crafting compelling applications, and stewarding relationships with grantmakers. We’re looking for a diligent and thoughtful writer with a sharp eye for detail and a deep interest in our work, who is also keen to contribute to the wider life of the organisation.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Grant Prospecting & Pipeline Development

• Research and maintain a pipeline of trusts and foundations aligned with OSH’s mission and growth priorities.

• Work closely with OSH leadership to align fundraising priorities with programme plans and organisational growth.

• Maintain up-to-date records on potential and active funders in OSH’s CRM.
   

Bid Writing & Submission

• Write and submit high-quality, tailored applications that articulate OSH’s impact, values and plans.

• Ensure applications are accurate, persuasive, and meet deadlines and funder requirements.

• Collaborate with the team to gather supporting information, budgets, and case studies.
   

Reporting & Stewardship

• Prepare timely and engaging reports for successful grants, ensuring compliance with funder requirements and strong stewardship.

• Maintain excellent records and monitor deadlines for reporting and renewals.
   

Cross-Organisational Contribution

• Coordinate annual impact reporting, including data analysis, case studies, and visual storytelling.

• Build strong internal relationships and stay connected to OSH’s work by attending occasional programmes, events and residentials.

• Contribute ideas and support the fundraising team’s broader work (e.g. campaigns, supporter communications).

• Engage with programme staff to gather stories and data that demonstrate OSH’s impact.

• Other duties as may be required from time to time

ABOUT YOU

• Demonstrated experience writing successful funding applications to trusts and foundations.

• Excellent writing and editing skills — clear, concise, persuasive and adaptable to different audiences.

• Highly organised, diligent and able to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.

• Ability to analyse funder criteria and align proposals strategically.

• Strong team player, willing to engage with programme staff, volunteers and young people to understand and communicate OSH’s work.

• Strong relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage funders and supporters with warmth and professionalism.

• Commitment to ethical fundraising practices and compliance with UK fundraising regulations.

• Familiarity with fundraising CRMs, in particular Beacon.

• Experience preparing budgets and financial reports for funders.

• Personal or professional understanding of issues affecting people from refugee backgrounds.

• Passion for OSH’s mission and commitment to centering people with refugee backgrounds.

• Ability to speak in other languages relevant to our community, including Arabic, Pashto, Farsi, Tigrinya, Amharic, Oromo, and Spanish.

We believe that diversity simply makes for a stronger team. We aim to create a workplace that is welcoming for all, inclusive of ethnicity, disability, age, religious belief, marital status, pregnancy, sexuality or gender. In order to reflect the ethnic diversity of our participants, we are particularly encouraging applications from applicants who come from global majority backgrounds, or applicants who have lived experience of seeking asylum.