Volunteer: Foundation Prospect Research and 90-Day Grant Pipeline Plan

This is a volunteer opportunity provided by Taproot Foundation, a nonprofit creating social change through pro bono connections.We are looking for a development professional with grant research experience to build a Foundation Prospect Research database and 90-day Grant Pipeline Plan that our Grants lead can execute against. The volunteer will deliver a vetted database of 40 to 60 foundation prospects (national, regional, family foundations, community foundations) with alignment scoring, grant cycle timing, contact info, and a prioritized pipeline plan ready for grant writing to begin. Scope of work includes the following: 1. Research foundations aligned with arts, film, education, youth, social justice, BIPOC, AAPI, and diaspora storytelling 2. Score each foundation on alignment, grant size range, deadline, and competitiveness 3. Document each foundation's giving history, focus areas, and application requirements 4. Build a prioritized 90-day pipeline (which to apply to first, in what sequence, and why) 5. Draft a foundation-targeted outreach template for pre-application inquiry letters 6. Document the research methodology so our Grants lead can extend the system The ideal volunteer has experience in grants research, prospect research, development consulting, or foundation relations, and is excited to set up a sustainable grant pipeline. This project should take 25 to 35 hours to complete. We are hopeful that our volunteer partner will share 2 to 5 hours of their time per week.Ineffable Films exists to make sure that the stories of emerging and underserved filmmakers actually travel. Foundation funding is what turns one good year into a five year program. It is the difference between hosting a single screening and running a sustained film series that touches a generation of young storytellers. Every foundation this volunteer adds to our pipeline is a potential multi-year partner. We are not chasing one-off grants. We are building the funding rails for Global Lens Film Series, Write Yourself In, Festival Wings, Open Hours, and our internship program to operate sustainably across 4 cities and growing internationally. A teen filmmaker in Boston does not just need this year's screening. They need the program to still exist next year, and the year after that, when their younger sibling is ready to participate. Your research is what makes that continuity possible. You are not just finding grants. You are designing the financial infrastructure that lets stories from underrepresented communities keep traveling for the next decade.We have completed materials ready for foundation conversations including our annual impact report, quarterly report covering our full history, Program Directory, and corporate sponsorship outreach kit (much of which adapts cleanly to foundation language). Our Grants lead, Dan Volfson, leads grant writing and will be the primary recipient of this volunteer's work. We have an Atlassian Social Impact License with Confluence for documentation. The volunteer will work directly with our Founder and CEO and our Grants lead, with weekly 30-minute check ins. Our Programs and Operations leads will provide context on programmatic alignment and budget needs. Once complete, the prospect database and pipeline plan become the operational foundation for our entire 2026 and 2027 grant strategy, directly enabling Dan to focus on writing winning applications instead of researching opportunities.Ineffable Films, Inc. Mission: Ineffable Films is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering young filmmakers from international lineages to tell the human journey of awakening in a world different from them, yet one they cannot abandon. We explore narratives that expose and celebrate the cultures, ethnicities, and communities of worlds both real and imagined. Our mission is to support these teenagers, especially those from BIPOC backgrounds, in telling their unique human journeys through the powerful medium of film. We operate primarily in the Greater Boston area, including Somerville, Cambridge, and Brookline, with aspirations to expand our reach and impact.