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Staff writer vs grant writer

The differences between staff writers and grant writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a staff writer and a grant writer. Additionally, a grant writer has an average salary of $52,719, which is higher than the $44,844 average annual salary of a staff writer.

The top three skills for a staff writer include feature stories, news stories and event coverage. The most important skills for a grant writer are grants management, financial reports, and proposal development.

Staff writer vs grant writer overview

Staff WriterGrant Writer
Yearly salary$44,844$52,719
Hourly rate$21.56$25.35
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs80,54716,708
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 82%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4646
Years of experience22

What does a staff writer do?

A staff writer is an individual who works in the television (TV) or entertainment industry to provide standard content such as news reports, reviews, and features. Since writing content is important, staff writers must be able to collaborate and brainstorm ideas with other staff members in the production process. They must attend conferences, events, or seminars to meet other people in the industry. Staff writers must also possess knowledge in scriptwriting and an in-depth understanding of the entertainment industry.

What does a grant writer do?

Often working for a non-profit organization, a grant writer specializes in writing application letters for financial grants to foundations, government agencies, and companies. Their responsibilities revolve around maintaining records of data and documentation, finding grant opportunities, participating in devising strategies that benefit the company's growth, crafting correspondence, gathering requirements, and submitting and monitoring grant proposals. Furthermore, a grant writer must have in-depth knowledge and understanding of the organization they work for, including its history, vision, mission, policies, and regulations.

Staff writer vs grant writer salary

Staff writers and grant writers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Staff WriterGrant Writer
Average salary$44,844$52,719
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $68,000Between $38,000 And $73,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCWashington, DC
Highest paying stateNew JerseyCalifornia
Best paying companyThe New York Times CompanyApple
Best paying industryNon ProfitsGovernment

Differences between staff writer and grant writer education

There are a few differences between a staff writer and a grant writer in terms of educational background:

Staff WriterGrant Writer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 82%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorJournalismBusiness
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyNorthwestern University

Staff writer vs grant writer demographics

Here are the differences between staff writers' and grant writers' demographics:

Staff WriterGrant Writer
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 49.2% Female, 50.8%Male, 29.4% Female, 70.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between staff writer and grant writer duties and responsibilities

Staff writer example responsibilities.

  • Manage magazine's transition to a new CMS system.
  • Manage website by uploading and scheduling articles, fixing errors, proofreading, optimizing for SEO, and polishing content.
  • Manage arts and entertainment editorial calendar, assign stories to multiple freelancers and plan daily coverage.
  • Assist with copywriting, magazine and advertisement layout.
  • Research, verify facts and edit all contributor submissions.
  • Create unique columns commentating on the social state of hockey and the NHL.
  • Show more

Grant writer example responsibilities.

  • Manage accounting of fix assets, perform monthly bank and account reconciliations, and manage the annual and grant-cycle budget processes.
  • Organize and manage PowerPoint presentations used for business development and site visits.
  • Manage SharePoint file organization system and wiki cooperation sites to facilitate cooperation among internal and external proposal response participants.
  • Monitor recipients for compliance with the FCMP, CFR and OMB guidelines.
  • Monitor grants that need additional attention or follow up when an institution is not in compliance with the NIH GPS.
  • Prepare and proofread work for publication.
  • Show more

Staff writer vs grant writer skills

Common staff writer skills
  • Feature Stories, 9%
  • News Stories, 8%
  • Event Coverage, 7%
  • News Articles, 7%
  • SEO, 6%
  • Photography, 6%
Common grant writer skills
  • Grants Management, 14%
  • Financial Reports, 7%
  • Proposal Development, 6%
  • PI, 6%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • Project Management, 5%

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