Legal Services of Eastern Michigan is a nonprofit civil law firm which has been providing legal assistance to disadvantaged community members for over 50 years. It serves 14 mid-Michigan counties from offices in Flint and Saginaw. The agency’s mission is to use advocacy to address the causes and effects of poverty. We envision communities where individuals have affordable access to resources to meet their justice needs and can pursue their legal rights through effective advocacy.
Essential Functions & Responsibilities
This role is responsible for collaborating with the administrative and management teams to plan and ensure funding development, and to confirm that advocacy program and project deliverables align with funding commitments and expectations. The Grants Manager is an essential member of the Administrative Team and serves as a liaison between the agency and its funding stakeholders. The Grants Manager researches, prepares, submits, and manages grant proposals and reports that support agency goals and meet funder guidelines and criteria. This role serves as the primary grant writer, manages funder relationships, and prepares timely compliance reports. The position requires strong writing, data analysis, and project management skills, with an emphasis on outcome measurement.
Key Responsibilities:
Leading grant proposal development and submission—preparing and organizing materials for proposals, and submitting and monitoring grant applications, including:
- Researching new funding opportunities on a local, state, and federal level
- Maintaining and building relationships with funders on a local, state, and national level
- Drafting proposals/letters of interest and grant application narratives and collaborate to finalize with program staff, finance, and the Executive Director
- Submitting grant applications and supporting documentation via a range of online portals
- Meeting with funders and staff to explore funding opportunities and to fulfill site visit, auditing, and monitoring requirements
- Maintaining master calendar of grants and prospects and all associated files and correspondence
- Maintaining library of grant support documents including resumes, IRS and Insurance forms, Board/staff lists,
- Prepare and distribute acknowledgment letters and coordinate the execution of grant contracts and agreements
- Ensuring acknowledgment of funders via press releases, website, e-newsletter, and social media
Monitor grant compliance and reporting, including outcome measurement, and take responsibility for meeting high standards of effectiveness, timeliness, and completeness, including:
- Monitoring and maintaining funder and investor reporting schedules and requirements
- Tracking progress toward organizational and programmatic outcomes and goals
- Drafting compelling progress reports and targeted program updates to funders that fully capture programmatic success
- Assemble all necessary supporting materials and documents, including outcome measurements and success stories, and submit timely reports to funders and investors
Researching statistics, trends and data for grant proposals and community advocacy, including:
- Performing research and data-gathering—both from external sources and internal Salesforce based case management system data
- Assisting in development of presentations for various stakeholders
Other duties as assigned
Qualifications
- BA, MBA, or JD degree required, along with relevant experience in grant-funded, public interest, or nonprofit management settings
- Must be a highly energetic professional with a proven track record of building relationships at both individual and organizational levels
- Possess professional and discreet interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of personalities using assertiveness and diplomacy
- Demonstrate a broad understanding of the civil legal needs of low-income individuals, including the unique barriers faced by specific populations, and effective methods for addressing those needs
- Proven ability to monitor program performance through appropriate measures to ensure compliance with regulatory standards and funder requirements
Knowledge, Abilities and Skills
- Self-motivated to regularly set and achieve individual and departmental goals
- Collaborative and highly organized professional who contributes effectively to team success
- Detail-oriented with excellent oral and written communication skills and strong proofreading skills
- Ability to work under pressure, prioritize multiple projects and adjust work accordingly, often against tight deadlines
- Excellent judgment and positive attitude
- Effective working knowledge of MS Office products, Google Suite, and the ability to adapt to various internal and external case and grant management platforms
Salary
Salary is commensurate with qualifications and is complemented by excellent fringe benefits, including a hybrid working environment; paid holidays; paid sick, vacation, and personal days; medical, life, short-term, and long-term disability insurance; a retirement plan with matched employer contribution; a student loan repayment plan; a professional development allowance; and an annual employer contribution to a flexible spending account.
Application
Interested applicants should email a resume, references, and cover letter to: humanresources@lsem-mi.org
LSEM is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage all potentially qualified applicants to apply.