Grants Manager Metro Caring works with our community to meet people's immediate need for nutritious, culturally relevant food while building a movement to end hunger at its root. Our innovative programming spans Healthy Food Access, Nutrition Education, Community Connections, and Organizing. We know that hunger is not caused by a lack of food—but by poverty, unaffordable housing, systemic racism, and inequities baked into our food systems. That's why we focus on bold, community-driven solutions that promote food justice and economic equity. The Grants Manager serves as the organization's lead grant writer and primary steward of the grants pipeline, overseeing all phases of grant development, submission, tracking, reporting, and funder engagement. This position is responsible for managing a high-volume portfolio of grant opportunities while ensuring timely, accurate, and compelling proposals that advance organizational funding goals. This role requires exceptional organizational and project management skills, and the ability to efficiently manage multiple priorities and strict deadlines within a fast-paced environment. The Grants Manager works collaboratively across departments to gather information, develop persuasive unrestricted and restricted funding requests, coordinate site visits, steward funder relationships, and ensure full compliance with grant reporting requirements. Using a thoughtful, strategic, and systematic approach, the Grants Manager maintains a robust funding pipeline, tracks progress through each stage of the grant's life cycle, identifies and cultivates prospective funders, and ensures high-quality execution from prospect research through proposal submission, award management, reporting, and stewardship. This position does not supervise staff and is accountable for achieving grant revenue and submission goals while strengthening the organization's overall grants infrastructure and funding sustainability. Success Measures Number of grant proposals submitted monthly, quarterly, and annually in collaboration with teams to ensure impactful and compelling requests. Prepare, revise and implement grants calendar. Annual grant revenue secured. Accuracy and completeness of grant records. Positive funder engagement and relationship outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
Grant Writing and Submission Management:
Efficiently develop, write, edit, and submit effective grant proposals, letters of inquiry, applications, and supporting documentation.
Manage a high-volume grant portfolio.
Ensure timely and accurate submission of all grant applications and required materials.
Coordinate with programs, finance, and leadership to gather information needed for proposals.
Translate organizational programs, outcomes, and impact into persuasive funding narratives in collaboration with teams.
Maintain proposal templates, standard organizational language, budgets, and supporting grant materials.
Ensure all submissions comply with funder requirements and organizational standards.
Monitor upcoming deadlines and proactively manage proposal workflows.
Collaborate with the Finance team to review and maintain grant-funded personnel budgets, including salary and allocations.
Grant Reporting & Compliance:
Prepare and submit all interim, final, and annual grant reports.
Collaborate with teams to collect internal programmatic and financial data needed for reporting requirements.
Maintain compliance with grant restrictions, deliverables, and reporting schedules.
Track grant outcomes and performance metrics.
Coordinate with finance staff to reconcile grant expenses and reporting requirements.
Ensure grant documentation is complete, accurate, and audit ready.
Grants Pipeline and Research:
Conduct ongoing prospect research to identify foundation, corporate, faith partner, and government funding opportunities.
Evaluate opportunities for alignment with Metro Caring's mission, programs, and funding priorities.
Maintain an active pipeline of prospective funders sufficient to achieve annual grant submission and revenue goals.
Track proposal outcomes and analyze funding trends to inform future submissions.
Database and Tracking:
Maintain complete and accurate grant records in Salesforce and related tracking systems.
Manage the master grants calendar and deadline tracking process.
Track submissions, awards, declines, pending requests, and reporting deadlines.
Develop and maintain monthly, quarterly, and annual performance reports.
Monitor progress toward established submission and revenue goals.
Provide weekly updates to the Development Director regarding grant pipeline activity and outcomes.
Foundation Relations and Funder Engagement:
Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned grantmaking partners, maintaining strong professional relationships that support retention and renewed funding.
Coordinate with the Fundraising and Communications Managers to support stewardship activities, including regular updates, impact communications, and acknowledgments.
Schedule and coordinate funder meetings, site visits, presentations, and program briefings in collaboration with the Development Director, Leadership Team, and program staff.
Collaborate with the Communications team to prepare briefing materials and talking points for funder meetings and site visits.
Maintain regular communication with current and prospective funders regarding proposal status, reporting requirements, program outcomes, and opportunities.
Identify opportunities to deepen funder engagement and support grant renewals and multi-year funding commitments.
Confidential Records and Financial Administration:- Support the coordination and maintenance of confidential documentation related to organizational restructuring efforts, strategic initiatives, and new program development.
- Handle sensitive organizational financial documentation required for grant applications, reporting, audits, and funder communications.
- Maintain confidential personnel, financial, fundraising, and strategic planning records.
- Ensure the secure storage, management, and transmission of confidential organizational and financial information.
- Exercise discretion and sound judgment when handling sensitive organizational information.
- Performance Expectations
- Annual grant submission quotas
- Annual grant revenue targets
- Active prospect pipeline goals 100% on-time submission of required grant reports
- Timely maintenance of grant records and tracking systems
- Consistent adherence to grant deadlines and compliance requirements
- Required Qualifications / Skills / Abilities
- Minimum of 3-5 years of grant writing experience and portfolio management with nonprofit organizations.
- Demonstrated success in securing foundation, corporate, and government grants.
- Persuasive writing skills.
- Exceptional project management and organizational skills.
- Ability to manage multiple deadlines simultaneously.
- Experience preparing grant reports and maintaining compliance requirements.
- Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office Suite, including Copilot and AI productivity tools.
- Experience working with Salesforce or comparable donor/grants management software.
- Demonstrated proficiency using project management software and solutions.
- Ability to analyze budgets and financial information for grant applications and reports.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
- Ability to work independently and manage a high-volume workload.
- Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
- Commitment to equity, inclusion, and ongoing learning around issues of race, class, language access, and systemic barriers.
- Experience and commitment to nurturing spaces for thoughtful, specific feedback—and openness to receiving and integrating feedback as part of continuous growth and performance management.
Preferred Qualifications / Skills / Abilities:
Experience in hunger relief, human services, community development, or nonprofit organizations.
Experience with government grants and contracts.
Knowledge of nonprofit financial management and restricted funding.
Familiarity with outcomes measurement and program evaluation metrics.
Culture of Engagement:
Engages consistently in supervision and team meetings by preparing updates, sharing relevant information, and following through on agreed-upon next steps.
Demonstrates alignment with Metro Caring's mission, values, and equity commitments through daily decisions, communication, and work practices.
Build effective cross-departmental partnerships by communicating clearly, coordinating shared work, and contributing to organization-wide goals.
Contributes to a positive, mission-driven team culture by practicing accountability, collaboration, respect, and solution-oriented engagement.
Work Environment & Physical Demands:
Ability to work in a hybrid office environment and spend extended periods of time at
