Manager, Grant Development

The Manager, Grant Development plays an integral role in College Now’s Development Department, responsible for writing and editing competitive grant proposals and reports and for administering grant-related processes and submission calendar. This position prepares applications to local, regional, and national funders, including foundations, corporations, other organizations, and government agencies. For federal opportunities, the role takes the lead on organizing and managing the technical submission process and contributes key section writing, editing, and application preparation. The role is primarily internally facing, with limited direct funder relationship management.

Responsibilities

• Administer College Now’s grant-related processes and maintain the grants submission calendar for proposals and reports.
• Support and conduct grant prospect research to identify opportunities aligned with organizational priorities.
• Develop compelling and innovative messaging that effectively communicates College Now’s programs, services, and mission to funders and stakeholders.
• Develop, maintain, and update documented grant-related processes, procedures, and workflows in the department procedures manual.
• Serve as project lead for federal grant submissions, coordinating the effort end-to-end, including assigning and tracking tasks, keeping contributors on timeline, assembling components, and managing the technical submission process.
• Write and edit competitive grant proposals, letters of inquiry, concept papers, and reports, translating program activities, outcomes, and community need into compelling narratives aligned with funder guidelines.
• Contribute key section writing, editing, and application preparation for federal grant applications, ensuring adherence to RFP guidelines.
• Leverage emerging technologies and productivity tools to support grant research, proposal development, editing, and information management.
• Collaborate with finance, program, and evaluation departments to gather and update narrative content and supporting documentation for proposals and reports.
• Ensure all proposals and reports are accurate, complete, and submitted on or ahead of deadline.
• Manage grant-related documents in the donor database (Raiser’s Edge), SharePoint, and other systems, ensuring accuracy and completeness of all data.
• Maintain information management and communication systems to track grant deadlines, deliverables, reporting requirements, and awards.
• Utilize non-federal and federal funder application and reporting systems to prepare, submit, and track applications, and manage login credentials.
• Collaborate with finance and program departments to compile and maintain accurate program and project budgets and supporting financial documentation for proposals and reports.
• Partner with finance, program, and leadership staff to align grant opportunities with broader fundraising and organizational strategies.
• Provide limited support for stewardship communications with institutional funders as directed.
• Lead grant writing and reporting activities, setting direction and quality standards and guiding contributors to produce well-aligned, funder-ready submissions.
• Manage grant-related processes and serve as a resource to staff who contribute to proposals and reports, sharing best practices.
• Research data and trends from multiple sources to establish and maintain a compendium of key community statistics and information that demonstrate need for support.
• Gather and organize program and services outcomes and impact data to strengthen future proposals and reports.
• Monitor reporting deadlines, compliance requirements, and grant deliverables to ensure timely submissions and adherence to funder guidelines.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Strong analytical and creative problem-solving skills, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to contextualize, synthesize, and manage complex information.
• Exceptional written and oral communication, editing, and storytelling skills.
• Exceptional attention to detail and superior organizational and project management skills.
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple competing deadlines and to work independently, proactively, and strategically.
• Ability to contribute as part of a team and collaborate with finance, program, and leadership staff.
• Experience using emerging technology and tools to support writing, research, and productivity.
• Skilled with Microsoft 365, including Teams and SharePoint.
• Raiser’s Edge or comparable donor/grants management database experience required.
• Minimum of three years of nonprofit grant writing and grants management experience preferred.
• Experience writing and managing federal grants, including compliance, reporting, and award management strongly preferred (e.g., U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Labor, Corporation for National and Community Service programs).
• Demonstrated success preparing competitive grant proposals, including research, proposal development, editing, and submission.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; degree in English, communications, journalism, nonprofit management, public administration, or a related field preferred.
• Membership in a professional grants association (such as the Grant Professionals Association) and/or a grant credential (such as the Grant Professional Certified, or GPC, designation) a plus.

Pay

Starting salary between $54,000 - $62,000, commensurate with relevant experience.

Schedule

Full-time, non-exempt. Standard hours: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Hybrid schedule: 3 days in office, 2 days remote.