Grants Manager

The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound is to create and support 1-to-1 mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. It is our vision that every kid graduates with a plan for their future and a mentor whose impact lasts a lifetime.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound is the oldest and largest mentoring organization in the State serving approximately 2,000 youth and mentors each year in King, Pierce, Kitsap, Snohomish, and Island Counties. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound partners with volunteer mentors, families, and the community so youth in our programs—particularly young people furthest from opportunity—can achieve higher aspirations, greater confidence, better relationships, positive behavior choices, improved mental health, and educational success.

We accomplish our mission through programs held in schools, workplaces, and the community.

Each employee in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound helps to extend the mission of the agency in particular ways as outlined in the Job Summary and Responsibilities.

The Grants Manager leads the process of grant seeking from public and private funding sources (including public sector funders, private foundations, and corporate foundation sources). The individual in this role both initiates grant work and receives assigned funding opportunities; in both cases, they are responsible for vetting, preparing, and writing Letters of Intent or Letters of Interest ( LOIs) and proposals as well as impact reports.

The Grants Manager records all grant reporting deliverables and serves as the primary external point of contact for grant-funders.

The Grants Manager partners with the executive leadership team to align grant requests with the agency’s strategic plan and mission. This role requires staying current on agency programs, upcoming initiatives, and organizational priorities.

The Grants Manager is part of the Community Philanthropy Team, with colleagues dedicated to individual giving, corporate partnerships, events, gift processing, and data analysis. The Grants Manager reports to the Chief Development Officer and works collaboratively across philanthropy, programs, finance, and marketing to achieve fundraising goals. Contract grant writing may be used to support additional work as needed.

The nature of Community Philanthropy work requires flexibility and availability on some nights and weekends to meet deadlines, help with special events, and to support the overall work of the organization.

• Manage and track all steps of grants process including research, inquiry, application, stewardship and reporting
• Research and identify potential private, corporate, city, state and federal funding sources
• Work closely with the CDO, CEO, the Director of Corporate Partnerships, and additional members of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound team to identify, develop, and submit grant applications aligned with agency priorities and budget
• Ensure that funding applications and deliverables are commensurate with agency capacity
• Write and submit proposals based on grant guidelines and submission deadlines
• Maintain accurate record keeping in CRM system to track applications, awards, and reporting requirements
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with funders through relationship‑building activities, site visits, meetings, phones calls and professional networking opportunities
• Upon award notification, coordinate timelines, deliverables, and other grant requirements with leadership team and program, marketing, and finance staff for implementation and administration
• Oversee grant award process including completion/signing of contracts, issuing acknowledgments, writing and submitting reports, and coordinating with programs and finance teams regarding proposal and programmatic budgets
• Maintain accurate electronic grant files in SharePoint and CRM (Bloomerang), including creation of digital versions of physical files
• Collect and maintain organizational documentation for external use, such as board lists, program outcomes, budgets, etc.
• Maintain agency accounts including…