Grants Manager

PRIMARY FUNCTION:

The Grants Manager is a key member of the Development team, responsible for identifying, researching, cultivating, and managing institutional fundraising opportunities from foundations, corporations, and government agencies. This role places strong emphasis on proposal writing, as well as prospect research, reporting, and tracking success against fundraising goals. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker with strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and the ability to transform data and insights into compelling grant narratives that drive revenue growth.

Proposal Writing, Reporting & Relationship Management (45%)

• Write clear, persuasive, and tailored letters of inquiry (LOIs), grant proposals, and renewal requests that align with funder interests and organization needs.
• Collaborate with program and finance teams to gather relevant content, data, budgets, and outcomes for proposals and reports.
• Ensure timely submission of high-quality reports, proposals, and correspondence in compliance with funder requirements.
• Maintain ongoing communication with grantors, including acknowledgments, updates, and stewardship touchpoints.
• Prepare materials for funder meetings and site visits, and attend as needed to support relationship development.
• Prepare competitive proposals for city, county, and other government grant opportunities, including complex narrative and budget components. Work closely with finance staff to develop, revise, and align grant budgets with organizational financial systems and funder requirements.
• Stay current on trends in institutional philanthropy and adapt strategies accordingly.

Prospect Research & Pipeline Development (25%)

• Conduct proactive, strategic research to identify and evaluate prospective funders aligned with the organization’s mission and funding priorities.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive prospect pipeline and grants calendar, including submission timelines, renewal dates, and reporting deadlines.
• Analyze funder priorities, historical giving patterns, and geographic focus to determine the best opportunities for pursuit.
• Produce research profiles and briefings to support funder cultivation by executive and program staff.

Tracking & Goal Management (20%)

• Monitor and track progress toward annual institutional funding goals; analyze win/loss rates and adjust strategies accordingly.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of grant activities, deadlines, communications, and results.
• Generate regular reports and dashboards to evaluate grant performance and pipeline health.
• Support development leadership with revenue forecasting and strategic planning using grant data and trends.

Collaboration & Strategy (10%)

• Partner with leadership, program, and finance teams to align funding strategy with organizational priorities and capacity.
• Contribute to the development of an annual grants plan and long-term institutional fundraising strategy.
• Serve as a thought partner on funding needs and storytelling, translating programmatic work into funder-aligned language.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, communications, or a related field.
• , grants management, and prospect research in a nonprofit setting with direct experience writing successful city, county and/or government grants.
• Demonstrated success securing and renewing foundation, corporate, and government grants (including six-figure proposals).
• Strong budgeting skills and experience working with finance teams to build, revise, and align grant budgets—including restricted-use and government-funded proposals.
• Strong research and analytical skills using tools like Foundation Directory Online, Instrumentl, Grants.gov, and others.
• Excellent writing and editing skills; ability to craft compelling narratives from data and program details.
• Strong organizational and project management abilities with keen attention to detail and deadlines.
• Must be an independent thinker

Preferred Skills:

• Experience using donor CRM systems (e.g., Raiser’s Edge).
• Familiarity with logic models, program outcomes, and evaluation frameworks.
• Knowledge of institutional funders and philanthropic trends in youth development and education.

ENVIRONMENT & WORKING CONDITIONS: Normal internal office environment with occasional need to travel to club locations as well as special events within the Collin County area.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Please evaluate and describe any physical skills, abilities or working conditions that are required to perform the essential duties of this position, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

DISCLAIMER:

The information presented indicates the general nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain, nor to be interpreted as, a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications and objectives required of employees assigned to this job.