Trusts Officer

Job title: Trusts Officer
Location: Hybrid/remote – we welcome remote applications across the UK, Cornwall-based applicants may be at an advantage
Salary: £28,000 – £32,000 FTE
Working pattern: Part-time, 22.5 hours per week across 3 days
Contract type: Permanent
Closing date: 28th August 2025 – we reserve the right to close sooner if we receive enough applications

About Cool Earth

We back people to protect the rainforest and fight the climate crisis.

We’re a climate charity that partners with Indigenous and local communities across the Amazon, Congo, and Papua New Guinea rainforests. By working in collaboration with these communities we help support their livelihoods, improve health, sanitation and education and provide tech to help monitor their rainforest. Our main programme involves giving direct unconditional cash to rainforest communities so that they can decide how best to use it in order to improve their quality of life. Rainforest communities can only defend their land from illegal loggers and greedy land grabbers when they themselves are resilient and strong. We help them get to that point.

About the role

As Trusts Officer at Cool Earth, you will play a pivotal role in accelerating income and engagement from trusts and foundations to help secure our ambitious long-term goals. Reporting to the Head of Fundraising and Development, you will be instrumental in building and nurturing relationships with funders who share our vision for climate action. This is an exciting opportunity to make a tangible impact, develop your fundraising expertise, and grow with a forward-thinking charity committed to innovation and bold change.

What you’ll do

Fundraising & Proposal Development

Proactively research and identify new trusts and foundations that align with Cool Earth’s mission and support our innovative programmes.
Develop and help manage a pipeline of funding opportunities.
Prepare high-quality, persuasive proposals, grant applications, and expressions of interest that inspire support.
Adapt our case for support and other materials to each funder, making sure our messaging is always clear, compelling, and aligned.

Relationship Building & Stewardship

Cultivate meaningful relationships with existing and potential funders, acting as a trusted point of contact.
Coordinate timely, tailored reports that showcase the impact of funders’ support, both through stories and data (qualitative and quantitative).
Ensure funders feel valued and appreciated, with appropriate recognition and thanks.
Represent Cool Earth as needed in funder meetings, calls, or events.

Reporting, Grant Management & Internal Collaboration

Support the monitoring and management of grants, keeping accurate records of communications and deadlines using Salesforce.
Collaborate closely with colleagues across programmes, finance, and comms to gather insights, data and stories for reports and applications.
Assist in tracking income targets and reporting against key metrics.
Stay informed about sector trends, funding policy changes, and legal compliance in fundraising and trust giving.

Who you are

You bring at least 2 years’ experience in Trusts and Foundations fundraising, with a track record of securing five-figure grants.
You’re a strong relationship-builder with excellent interpersonal skills and a knack for building trust and rapport.
You’re a confident, persuasive writer who knows how to craft compelling grant applications and reports.
You’re a natural storyteller, able to bring projects to life and tailor narratives for different funder audiences.
You’ve got experience in prospect research and developing a funding pipeline that supports long-term growth.
You can manage multiple deadlines and moving parts without ease.
You’re comfortable working with budgets and can translate them clearly in proposals and reports.
You’ve used a CRM (ideally Salesforce) and understand the importance of keeping accurate records.
You’re fluent in spoken and written English, and highly competent with Google and Microsoft Office tools.
You have a genuine interest in and commitment to the humanitarian and environmental principles of Cool Earth.
You’re aligned with our values: “smart”, “driven”, “open”, and “locally-led”.