What does a grants director do?
Grants director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real grants director resumes:
- Manage staff responsible for all aspects of solicitation, budget oversight, compliance, site visits and audit process.
- Lead the facility in implementing person-centered care/hospitality philosophy, electronic medical records, maximization of Medicare reimbursement, and alternative therapies.
- Serve on the hospital IRB.
- Conduct research for preparation of NIH grant.
- Prepare grant proposals, including all HRSA grants.
- Write and submit grants utilizing grants.gov and HRSA's EHB.
- Translate, and implement the regulations into operational policies of the OMB.
- Coordinate special projects in annual giving, alumni and special gifts campaigns.
- Conduct federal sub-recipient monitoring in accordance with OMB guidelines.
- Maintain CRM database and oversee additional support functions, including financial and performance reporting.
- Participate in audits, reporting, and provide financial administrative oversight for programs as necessary.
- Lead the facility in implementing person-centered care/hospitality philosophy, electronic medical records, maximization of Medicare reimbursement, and alternative therapies.
- Craft innovative plan for rebranding agency image; plan and implement new outreach focusing on culturally aware approaches.
Grants director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Grants Directors are proficient in Grants Management, Financial Reports, and Proposal Preparation. They’re also known for soft skills such as Speaking skills, Problem-solving skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Grants Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Grants Management, 16%
Completed certificate in Federal Grants Management.
- Financial Reports, 10%
Prepared and submitted financial reports as required by external sponsors.
- Proposal Preparation, 6%
Generate timeline for beginning and ending proposal preparation.
- Technical Assistance, 6%
Managed staff and developed technical assistance models for community nonprofits.
- Federal Guidelines, 5%
Instructed the grantees according to OMB circulars and federal guidelines.
- Program Development, 5%
Conducted comprehensive survey of federal funding opportunities as impetus for new program development.
Common skills that a grants director uses to do their job include "grants management," "financial reports," and "proposal preparation." You can find details on the most important grants director responsibilities below.
Speaking skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a grants director to have is speaking skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "public relations and fundraising managers regularly speak on behalf of their organization." Grants directors often use speaking skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "drafted print and online press releases, posted social media updates and spoke at public and private fundraising events. "
Problem-solving skills. Many grants director duties rely on problem-solving skills. "managers sometimes must explain how the company or client is handling sensitive issues," so a grants director will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways grants director responsibilities rely on problem-solving skills: "conduct day-to-day personnel management, problem resolution and financial management. "
Organizational skills. grants directors are also known for organizational skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to grants director responsibilities, because "public relations and fundraising managers are often in charge of running several events at the same time, requiring superior organizational skills." A grants director resume example shows how organizational skills is used in the workplace: "reconciled all grant appropriations and expenses for the organizational financial statements. "
Writing skills. For certain grants director responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "writing skills." The day-to-day duties of a grants director rely on this skill, as "managers must be able to write well-organized and clear press releases and speeches." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what grants directors do: "led proposal-writing team for $275 million capital campaign to construct new, state-of-the-art facility. "
Leadership skills. A commonly-found skill in grants director job descriptions, "leadership skills" is essential to what grants directors do. Grants director responsibilities rely on this skill because "public relations and fundraising managers often lead large teams of specialists or fundraisers and must be able to guide their activities." You can also see how grants director duties rely on leadership skills in this resume example: "maintained accurate fiscal management while providing leadership, training and supervision of staff. "
Communication skills. Another skill commonly found on grants director job descriptions is "communication skills." It can come up quite often in grants director duties, since "managers deal with the public regularly; therefore, they must be friendly enough to build a rapport with, and receive cooperation from, their media contacts and donors." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day grants director responsibilities: "established and maintained donor communications including financial reports, program and workshop updates, financial support, and letters of appreciation. "
The three companies that hire the most grants directors are:
- Glaxosmithkline3 grants directors jobs
- UnityPoint Health2 grants directors jobs
- New Opportunities
2 grants directors jobs
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Compare different grants directors
Grants director vs. Public relations manager
A public relations manager is responsible for monitoring the public relations department to boost its brand image and attract potential clients through press releases and media coverage. They work closely with the marketing team, developing marketing campaigns and promotional strategies for creating brand awareness. Public relations managers maintain the company's presence on various social media platforms, responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns regarding the company's goods and services. A public relations manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially in identifying business opportunities to increase revenues and profitability.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, grants director responsibilities require skills like "grants management," "financial reports," "provide technical assistance," and "proposal preparation." Meanwhile a typical public relations manager has skills in areas such as "web content," "pr campaigns," "marketing campaigns," and "digital marketing." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Public relations managers tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $114,540. In contrast, grants directors make the biggest average salary, $117,470, in the health care industry.On average, public relations managers reach lower levels of education than grants directors. Public relations managers are 12.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 4.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Grants director vs. Campaign manager
Campaign managers are responsible for developing, executing, and managing marketing campaigns for events, products, and services targeting consumers or organizations. These professionals typically collaborate with external agencies in the preparation and execution of campaigns. They perform other duties that may include managing the measurement and tracking of marketing campaigns, writing, proofreading, and editing copy for promotional materials, and maintaining regular measurement of the campaigns' ROI. Campaign managers are also expected to evaluate existing marketing campaigns and be up-to-date on the latest marketing trends.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, grants director responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "grants management," "financial reports," "provide technical assistance," and "proposal preparation." Meanwhile, a campaign manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "digital marketing," "email marketing," "email campaigns," and "event planning." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Campaign managers earn a lower average salary than grants directors. But campaign managers earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $86,390. Additionally, grants directors earn the highest salaries in the health care with average pay of $117,470 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Campaign managers tend to reach lower levels of education than grants directors. In fact, they're 14.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 4.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Grants director vs. Manager of special events
A manager of special events is responsible for organizing events and programs for a company and various organizations. Managers of special events monitor the event procedures from conceptualization to the actual execution. They analyze the event purpose, manage participants' list, coordinate with suppliers for resources, allocate budget accurately, and ensure that the program outlines and agendas are polished on time. A manager of special events must have excellent communication and organizational skills to deliver a successful event and resolve complications as they arise.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, grants directors are more likely to have skills like "grants management," "provide technical assistance," "proposal preparation," and "technical assistance." But a manager of special events is more likely to have skills like "customer service," "event planning," "event management," and "event logistics."
Managers of special events earn the best pay in the non profits industry, where they command an average salary of $60,955. Grants directors earn the highest pay from the health care industry, with an average salary of $117,470.Most managers of special events achieve a lower degree level compared to grants directors. For example, they're 15.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 4.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Grants director vs. Communications officer
A communications officer is responsible for maintaining the brand image of an organization through monitoring marketing campaigns and public relations techniques. Communications officers handle press releases, social media management, media outreach, reviewing digital contents, and disseminating public communications within the company's premises and appropriate audience. They often coordinate with the senior management to develop strategic procedures to improve brand awareness, attracting potential partnerships that would generate more revenues and increase the company's profitability. A communications officer must have excellent leadership skills to monitor the performance of the communications staff and ensure maximum productivity.
Types of grants director
Updated January 8, 2025
