Grants Management Director
The position of district grants manager is an exciting job for a person with good writing and organizational skills. Within each school system grants may be obtained from the local, state, or federal level. The person in charge of applying for and managing these grants is the district’s grants manager. It’s the manager’s responsibility to know the district’s mission, vision, and strategic goals and then to research potential funding sources and initiate grant applications to be submitted by the school district. When grants are awarded the district grants manager insures that people are hired and programs are implemented consistent with the requirements of the grant. Grants managers work as liaisons between the granting agency and the school district to make sure that potential funding for the school district is identified and secured.
By investigating every opportunity, and reviewing the grant funding sources available, as well as keeping educated about policies, procedures, and government agencies, the manager can help match the school district with a grant funding source that funds a service or program desired in the school district. Collaborating with the staff within the district is crucial to identifying, applying for, obtaining funding, and implementing desired programs with the grant funding.
Grants managers usually have at least a bachelor’s degree in a field such as communications, marketing, or English. Depending on the size of the district, some districts will look for the Grants manager to have a master’s degree as well. Once selected, on-going staff development training may also take place for the manager such as grant writing training or management techniques for organizing and managing program
Implementation.
Being able to communicate well with others, as well as enjoying research and data-gathering are essential skills for a successful grants manager.
A grants manager usually works a standard forty-hour week with a certain degree of flexibility determined by the deadlines of a grant funding source.
Grants managers can be under a certain degree of pressure and expectation from the district to make sure that they are identifying grants that needed to provide desired programs and services.
If a person is interested in becoming a grants manager and is organized and a good communicator, who also likes doing research and gathering data, this could be a great profession. As school districts deal with funding reductions and challenges of accountability and the need for intervention and remediation programs, the role of the grants manager will continue to be a valued member of the administrative team.
Please choose your state or find a variety of Administration online degree programs