What does a grant manager do?
A grant manager is responsible for granting financial assistance and support to various sector programs, evaluating grant applications, and implementing policies from its conceptualization to utilization. Grant managers review the grant documents, ensuring its adherence to internal guidelines and state regulations. They coordinate with clients and project management team to inform them of requirements and processes for approval, including the implementation of strategies to identify grant opportunities and policies. A grant manager handles the grant team for efficient coordination to make sure the efficient execution and analysis of grant programs.
Grant manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real grant manager resumes:
- Provide administrative support to NIH program functions; as well as providing logistical support, and managing data.
- Organize and manage PowerPoint presentations used for business development and site visits.
- Serve as principal financial resource and contact for subcontractors to ensure fiscal compliance of GAAP and OMB circulars.
- Prepare monthly, quarterly, and yearly closeout financial reports per GAAP, state, and county guidelines.
- Prepare and maintain the annual budgets for NIH grants and contracts utilizing computer spreadsheets.
- Advise and assist NSF staff on the fiscal and managerial responsibility of institutions seeking NSF funding.
- Calculate year-end accruals, prepare assigned schedules, and assist in the preparation of annual audit.
- Ensure all grantees comply in accordance with general closeout principles and guidance provide in 44 CFR 13.50.
- Authore, monitor sub-recipients, and produce required reports and narratives for NSP and HUD discretionary grants.
- Conduct research on grants.gov and various reference books of annual grants to identify opportunities for existing and potential clientele.
- Conduct preliminary reviews of research submissions and prepare for submission to full IRB review or expedite review by IRB chairperson.
- Assist with preparing and processing research protocols submit for IRB approval and all relate correspondence, protocol amendments and updates.
- Prepare indirect costs, upload monthly county expenditures, accruals, oversee maintenance of effort and matching contributions for programs.
- Recommend or initiate appropriate action plans to protect USG government interests.
- Research grant opportunities and identify and pursue several grants suitable for the organization.
Grant manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Grant Managers are proficient in Grants Management, Financial Reports, and Oversight. They’re also known for soft skills such as Managerial skills, Time-management skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Grant Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Grants Management, 13%
Managed preparation of grants management regulations and/or assists program offices with the preparation of regulations that affect grants management activities.
- Financial Reports, 7%
Provided senior management with quarterly comprehensive program and financial reports including statistical data used to determine program continuation or completion.
- Oversight, 6%
Provided oversight and on-site/remote monitoring of statewide Community Services Block Grant and Weatherization Assistance Program contracts.
- Principal Investigators, 5%
Established the development of the new award process for principal investigators, resulting in increased grant management effectiveness.
- Payroll, 5%
Supervised timekeeping and payroll preparation, maintenance of confidential personnel files, and monitored scheduled personnel activities.
- Project Management, 4%
Skilled in administration, project management, information services, statistical analysis and outcome assessment, and policy/ procedural management.
Most grant managers use their skills in "grants management," "financial reports," and "oversight" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential grant manager responsibilities here:
Managerial skills. One of the key soft skills for a grant manager to have is managerial skills. You can see how this relates to what grant managers do because "social and community service managers spend much of their time administering budgets and responding to a variety of issues." Additionally, a grant manager resume shows how grant managers use managerial skills: "advised and assisted nsf staff on the fiscal and managerial responsibility of institutions seeking nsf funding. "
Time-management skills. Many grant manager duties rely on time-management skills. "social and community service managers must prioritize and handle numerous tasks, often in a short timeframe.," so a grant manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways grant manager responsibilities rely on time-management skills: "prepared, reviewed, and submitted accurate financial reports and deliverables within specified deadlines to sponsors. "
Problem-solving skills. grant managers are also known for problem-solving skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to grant manager responsibilities, because "social and community service managers must be able to address client, staff, and agency-related issues." A grant manager resume example shows how problem-solving skills is used in the workplace: "solved funding issues using delphi financial reports. "
Analytical skills. For certain grant manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "analytical skills." The day-to-day duties of a grant manager rely on this skill, as "social and community service managers need to understand and evaluate data in order to provide strategic guidance to their organization." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what grant managers do: "conducted annual agency-wide financial analysis to anticipate likely funding, identify funding gaps, and investigate prospective funding opportunities. "
Communication skills. Another common skill required for grant manager responsibilities is "communication skills." This skill comes up in the duties of grant managers all the time, as "social and community service managers must be able to speak and write clearly." An excerpt from a real grant manager resume shows how this skill is central to what a grant manager does: "responded to all levels of communication throughout the health system and external communication with government agencies and private organizations. "
The three companies that hire the most grant managers are:
- ICF149 grant managers jobs
- University of Pennsylvania29 grant managers jobs
- Columbia University in the City of New York19 grant managers jobs
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Compare different grant managers
Grant manager vs. Director of outreach
Directors of Outreach are responsible for leading the implementation of outreach initiatives for a community or organization. Their duties include developing partnership outreach strategies, supporting policy advocacy work improvements, facilitating the evaluation of CRM and the internal system, and developing a strategy on program material's production and dissemination. They work closely with the policy and program team in aligning the organization's objectives, manage resources, assist in setting targets, tracking staff performance, and training development.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, grant manager responsibilities require skills like "grants management," "financial reports," "principal investigators," and "payroll." Meanwhile a typical director of outreach has skills in areas such as "patients," "local community," "medicare," and "develop professional relationships." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Directors of outreach tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $71,001. In contrast, grant managers make the biggest average salary, $64,389, in the finance industry.On average, directors of outreach reach similar levels of education than grant managers. Directors of outreach are 3.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Grant manager vs. Community relations director
A community relations director is an individual who is responsible for managing positive relationships with community members, nonprofit organizations, and fellow employees surrounding an organization. Community relations directors must plan, organize, and manage activities to help the organization achieve its public relations goal. They need to interface with vital community groups so that they can ensure the organization is producing effective results. Community relations managers must also assist in preparing a variety of publicity materials such as speeches and media content.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that grant manager responsibilities requires skills like "grants management," "financial reports," "principal investigators," and "payroll." But a community relations director might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "community relations," "community events," "memory care," and "business development."
Community relations directors earn a higher average salary than grant managers. But community relations directors earn the highest pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $87,495. Additionally, grant managers earn the highest salaries in the finance with average pay of $64,389 annually.In general, community relations directors achieve lower levels of education than grant managers. They're 10.4% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Grant manager vs. Community development director
The job of a community development director is to manage and direct the management and planning initiatives for a community or city organization. Your duties will include collaborating with community partners in developing strategies to improve the community, architectural and economic initiatives, monitoring budgets for department initiatives, and participating in business development efforts. As a community development director, it is your responsibility to develop and maintain the community development department's short- and long-term developmental goals. It is also your duty to develop and coordinate marketing strategies for economic development.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a grant manager is likely to be skilled in "financial reports," "principal investigators," "payroll," and "research administration," while a typical community development director is skilled in "economic development," "community outreach," "web site," and "community relations."
Community development directors earn the highest salary when working in the manufacturing industry, where they receive an average salary of $92,043. Comparatively, grant managers have the highest earning potential in the finance industry, with an average salary of $64,389.community development directors typically earn similar educational levels compared to grant managers. Specifically, they're 3.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Grant manager vs. Youth leader
A youth leader is a young individual who is responsible for building a sense of community within the church youth that can provide an opportunity for both spiritual and social development. Youth Leaders organize regular social, educational, and spiritual oriented events with parents and volunteers to maintain a vibrant program. They establish support and appropriate relationships with their youth members and their families. Youth leaders also maintain social media and emails to provide information publicly to youth members about their organized events.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between grant managers and youth leaders, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a grant manager might have more use for skills like "grants management," "financial reports," "oversight," and "principal investigators." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of youth leaders require skills like "cpr," "fine arts," "academic enrichment," and "homework assistance. "
Youth leaders enjoy the best pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $29,561. For comparison, grant managers earn the highest salary in the finance industry.The average resume of youth leaders showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to grant managers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 17.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 1.3%.Types of grant manager
Updated January 8, 2025
