Grants Manager

The Dream Program • Winooski, VT

1d • $55,000 - $72,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

DREAM seeks a strategic, detail-oriented, mission-driven Grant & Project Manager to advance the organization’s work to close the opportunity gap for children and teens through community collaboration and sustained mentoring relationships. The role combines grant management, development support, and project management to secure institutional funding, strengthen accountability, and coordinate development priorities. The position coordinates across regions and chapters to identify funding opportunities, establish targets based on market availability, and support organization-wide grant strategies. It partners across development, finance, programs, evaluation, and leadership, including teams in Vermont, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and other operating locations.

The role researches and pursues institutional funding; develops proposals, applications, and reports; manages grant pipelines and funder relationships; and supports development communications and fundraising initiatives. It oversees the full grant lifecycle, compliance, grant operations systems, and coordination with finance on restricted funding. It also leads grant- and development-related projects, coordinates cross-functional teams, tracks deliverables and risks, and communicates program outcomes and impact to funders and stakeholders.

This is a hybrid, full-time, salaried, exempt position averaging 35–45 hours per week, with relatively flexible weekday hours. The selected candidate must work in person at a designated DREAM office at least one day per week and travel regionally to program sites, partner meetings, and organizational events as needed. Travel is estimated at up to 25%; multi-day employee retreats and out-of-area travel are required, and occasional weekend events are part of the role.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• 2–7+ years of relevant experience in grant writing, development, nonprofit fundraising, project management, or a related field.
• Demonstrated success securing, managing, or supporting foundation, corporate, and/or government grants.
• Strong project management skills, including managing multiple deadlines, stakeholders, and concurrent workstreams with organization and accuracy.
• Excellent writing, editing, and communication skills.
• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and respectful community partnership.
• Ability to work in person at a designated DREAM office at least one day per week.
• Availability for regional travel, multi-day employee retreats, out-of-area travel, and occasional weekend events.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with federal grant programs and compliance requirements is strongly preferred.
• Experience with CRM systems, grants management tools, project management platforms such as Asana or Monday.com, and Microsoft Office is preferred.
• Experience in a nonprofit, youth-serving, multi-site, or geographically distributed environment is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Research and pursue foundation, corporate, government, and institutional funding opportunities aligned with DREAM’s mission and strategic priorities.
• Write, edit, and coordinate grant proposals, letters of inquiry, applications, and reports.
• Manage a pipeline of prospective and current grants to support annual revenue goals and long-term planning.
• Build and maintain relationships with prospective and current institutional funders, tracking relationship history and next engagement steps.
• Provide written content and coordination support for campaigns, donor communications, and fundraising initiatives as assigned.
• Manage all phases of the grant lifecycle, including pre-award planning, submission, post-award tracking, reporting, and closeout.
• Ensure compliance with applicable grant terms and conditions, including foundation, corporate, state, and federal requirements.
• Own and improve grant operations systems, calendars, templates, and submission protocols, and standardize pre- and post-award handoffs.
• Coordinate with finance to maintain visibility into restricted funding requirements, budgets, and spending status.
• Lead development and grant-related projects from initiation through completion, including timelines, workplans, and accountability tools.
• Coordinate teams across development, finance, programs, evaluation, and leadership; facilitate meetings, monitor action items, and support follow-through.
• Identify project risks, bottlenecks, and competing demands, and escalate issues as appropriate.
• Maintain professional funder relationships through timely communication, reporting, and stewardship.
• Partner with leadership on funder meetings, presentations, site visits, and briefing materials for leadership, committees, or board review.
• Translate program outcomes, stories, and data into clear narratives for funders and stakeholders.
• Track progress against grant deliverables, internal milestones, and reporting schedules.
• Identify trends, gaps, and opportunities to strengthen grant and development operations.

Benefits

• Employee medical insurance paid at 100%, with no probationary period.
• Five weeks (25 days) of paid time off, inclusive of vacation, sick, and personal days.
• Eight paid holidays, including winter break (Dec. 24–Jan. 1) and a November break.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Amazon Prime buying and streaming benefit.
• Professional development opportunities.
• 3% employer-match retirement plan.
• Dental and vision benefits with employee contribution.
• DREAM gear/uniforms.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level