What Does a Grant Writer Do?
Grant writers prepare grant proposals on behalf of individuals, organizations, or institutions seeking funding for specific projects. Non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and government agencies typically hire grant writers, but they may also work as freelancers.
Grant writers prepare grant proposals on behalf of individuals, organizations, or institutions seeking funding for specific projects. Non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and government agencies typically hire grant writers, but they may also work as freelancers.
A grant writer may also report on progress, manage budgets, and communicate with funders once their grants are awarded, in addition to writing grant proposals. In general, grant writers play a crucial role in helping organizations obtain funding to advance their missions.
Are you a job seeker?
Browse zengig’s
comprehensive list
of job openings
and apply online
National Average Salary
Grant writer salaries vary by experience, industry, organization size, and geography. To explore salary ranges by local market, please visit our sister site zengig.com.
The average U.S. salary for a Grant Writer is:
$75,070
Grant Writer Job Descriptions
Example 1
Responsibilities
The Grant Writer will research, write, format, and submit compelling, high-quality grant proposals to funding agencies (federal, state, and private foundations) while applying knowledge of fundraising methods and plans to reach goals. This role is responsible for proactively researching and analyzing grant opportunities and making recommendations on their feasibility. Position will collaborate with leaders and team members to develop relationships with key stakeholders and develop supporting documents and maintain donor database and records.
Required qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree required in related field; RN and Master’s degree is a plus
- At least five years of grant writing experience
- Familiarity with health care and hospital fundraising strategies
- Strong research, communication, and publication writing skills
- Experience writing for web, presentations, and executive communications; Able to translate complex scientific information into practical communications
- Critical thinking skills; must be autonomous and self-driven; must be able to work well independently and with others
Example 2
Primary purpose of position:
The Grant Writer will participate in the strategic planning, budgeting, development for grants, and fundraising. This position is responsible for all phases of grants development, evaluation, and compliance, including research, pre-award grant writing, the coordination of grant applications, post award support for grant-funded projects, managing the grant reporting process, and successfully closing out grant projects with final budget and report outcomes to stakeholders.
The Grant Writer will actively research and pursue prospective public and private funding sources, while developing relationships with potential funders. This position will coordinate with fund personnel, and other stakeholders as necessary.
Duties and responsibilities:
- Performs internal reviews of institutional needs, collects and gathers program data, and assesses the feasibility of obtaining external funding for project and program proposals
- Investigates local, state, federal, private, foundation, and corporate sources of funds. This includes reviewing materials, listservs, meetings, telephone contacts, and correspondence
- Develops and maintains an internal grant application process
- Develops and maintains a grant management system for funded grants that includes report due dates, budget adherence, and any other grant requirements
- Develops and maintains a library of information on funding sources, grant writing, and community and state data relevant to the foundation’s programs and services
- Collaborates with fund personnel to gather input for all projects and comply with requests for data and other information
- Coordinates, develops, and processes grant applications from conceptual to submission stage while working closely with staff throughout all phases
- Manages multiple projects and priorities including searching for funding sources, writing proposals, managing existing grants, reporting to stakeholders, and working on special projects
- Cultivates a network of dedicated donors and volunteers, and form strong relationships with external stakeholders
- Plan fundraising initiatives to help the organization meet financial goals
Qualifications
The items below are representative of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience required or preferred. This position requires the ability to effectively establish and maintain cooperative working relationships within a diverse multicultural environment.
Skills and abilities:
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Excellent time management and critical thinking skills
- Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills
- Knowledgeable of funding sources, compliance issues, and legal and fiscal policies of funding sources and appropriate government agencies
- Implement the use of technology to assist with grants development and management
- High degree of initiative to find solutions and meet deadlines
- Read, comprehend, interpret, and apply governmental regulations and proposal guidelines
- Work independently, be computer literate, and possess the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
Example 3
Essential qualities
This opportunity is only for those looking for a fast-paced startup environment. Let’s start with the essential qualities and values we are looking for in a candidate:
- Self-motivated, fast-learner who is ready to hit the ground running
- Organized and detail oriented
- Problem solver with an elevated level of curiosity and who is an independent thinker
- Good listener and maintains accountability for their actions
- Ability to work independently and under tight timelines
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Active team member with the foundational elements of a good leader: humble, collaborative, can-do attitude, etc.
ABC Company is seeking a Medical Writer to assist in creating grants for submission for funding, under the direction of the Chief Medical Officer. The role will involve collaboration with internal team members to manage grant creation and submissions.
Responsibilities include
- Write multiple focused needs assessments/grants weekly (~3-4 per week) creating supportive literature reviews and suggesting and/or refining themes, learning objectives, and agendas
- Coordinate and review and finalize, grant submission sections according to supporter’s grant portal requirements, including grant summaries, letters of request, etc.
- Assist in preparation of grant template documents for upcoming grant development needs
- Adapt grant documents to meet requirements of different supporter needs and portals
- Identify Request for Proposals (RFPs) or Call for Grant Applications (CGAs) within the dermatology space
- Maintain supporter and grant status reports
- Assist in completing CME accreditation documents
- Collaborate with CME accrediting bodies though relevant stages of the process
- Analyze activity outcomes data to identify educational uptake and unmet educational needs and gaps
Qualifications and skills
The ideal candidate will be highly motivated to work independently as well as part of a team and must be comfortable working in a deadline-driven environment. The candidate also must demonstrate the following:
- 4-year degree from an accredited institution
- 1+ years of work experience in continuing medical education
- Knowledge of the rules and regulations overseeing medical education and familiarity with current trends in the industry
- Ability to become familiar with new diseases/conditions quickly
- Expertise researching, compiling, and analyzing clinical and scientific evidence quickly
- Comfort working in a fast-paced, constantly evolving work environment while maintaining attention to detail and quality
- Comprehensive understanding of AMA Style Guide
- Strong proficiency Microsoft Office Suite required (Word, Excel, and Power Point)
Sample Interview Questions
- Do you have any previous experience writing grants or lobbying for funding a specific project or nonprofit?
- How do you research grants and decide which is the ideal grant to apply to, and which grants to avoid?
- What skills do you have that would best apply to the grant writer position?
- If there was an error in a grant, how would you communicate and rectify the issue?
- Have you successfully gained any grants in the past? How did you go about successfully gaining a specific grant?
- How would you describe your work style, and why is it good for the position?
- Can you describe a time you had to work with other teams to get information for a proposal?
- Describe your technical writing experience.
- How many grants do you apply for on average before getting funding?
- How do you ensure that there aren’t any mistakes in a grant before submitting it?