Volunteer Grant Writer

Please note: this is an unpaid volunteer role with a community not-for-profit, not a paid position. We do not offer commission or a percentage of grants won.
About MARRA
MARRA Community Hub Inc. is an early-stage, not-for-profit community organisation in Caulfield South (City of Glen Eira, Melbourne). We're an ACNC-registered charity, we run a volunteer IT program, and workshop events in Glen Eira. We're building openly and honestly, without pretending to be bigger than we are — right now we're a small volunteer team with real programs and almost no funding.
That last part is the problem you'd help us solve.
The role:You'd be MARRA's first Grant Writer — the person who finds the funding we're actually eligible for, and writes the applications that win it.
What you'll do:- Research and shortlist grants we can genuinely apply for — local council, Victorian and federal government, philanthropic trusts, and corporate community funds- Keep a simple pipeline of opportunities, eligibility notes and deadlines that the committee can see at a glance- Draft applications against selection criteria: what we do, who it helps, what the money buys, and how we'll show it worked- Build a reusable evidence pack so we're not rewriting the same paragraphs every time — organisation description, ABN and ACNC details, governance, insurance, policies, budget templates- Handle reporting and acquittals after a grant is won, so we stay fundable- Work with our committee to make sure what we promise a funder is something we can actually deliver
An honest heads-up on timing: most of the big local rounds for this financial year have already closed — Glen Eira's main community grants and the state multicultural program both shut in April, and reopen around March 2027. So your first few months are less about racing deadlines and more about getting us genuinely ready for them: the evidence pack, the eligibility work, the small always-open grants, and building a case that a funder will believe. If you want to walk into an organisation and immediately fire off applications, this isn't that. If you'd rather set one up properly from scratch, it is.
An honest heads-up on eligibility: MARRA is a registered charity but does not currently hold DGR status. That rules out a slice of philanthropic funding, so a real part of this job is knowing what we can and can't apply for, and telling us plainly when the answer is no. If working out the eligibility puzzle sounds interesting rather than annoying, you'll like this role.
What we're looking for
- Clear, plain-English writing — you can answer a selection criterion directly, with evidence, without padding- Comfort with a simple budget: costing a program and explaining the numbers in words- Genuinely good with deadlines and detail, because grant rounds don't move- A researcher's instinct for finding funders nobody else has spotted- Nice to have, not required: previous grant writing in the Australian not-for-profit sector, familiarity with SmartyGrants, or experience on the assessing side
You do not need to be a professional grant writer. If you've written well-argued documents for a living, or you're studying public policy, social work, communications, non-profit management or similar and you want real applications in your portfolio, please apply.
Happy to hear from you if only half the role appeals — some people love the research and hate the writing, or the other way around. Tell us which half and we'll work with it.
Commitment
Around 4–8 hours a week, flexible, typically for 6 months. The work is bursty by nature: quiet weeks while you research, busier weeks in the fortnight before a round closes. Fully remote — you're welcome at our Glen Eira workshops but never required to be there.
Pay and benefits
This is an unpaid volunteer position — there is no salary, and no cost to participate. What you do get:
- Real applications with your name on the work, for an Australian registered charity- Your writing goes to actual funders and gets an actual result, which is hard to get as a portfolio piece- A written reference and a volunteer certificate on completing the program- Mentoring and structured feedback on your drafts- A genuine say in what a new organisation chooses to fund and build
How applying works
1. Apply here, or email hello@marrahub.com.au with a short note about yourself and your CV or profile links.2. Send a writing sample if you have one — a past grant application, a report, an essay, anything that shows how you argue a case. If you don't have one, answer the screening question instead.3. We'll invite you to an informal chat — no formal interview, no tests.4. If we're a good fit, we'll walk you through our volunteer agreement and get you started.
We do our best to respond to every applicant.
Applicant privacy
We handle your application in line with the Australian Privacy Principles. Your details are used only to assess your application for this volunteer role, are seen only by the people involved in volunteer recruitment, and are never sold or shared with third parties. We'll delete your information on request — just email hello@marrahub.com.au.
MARRA welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities.