Grant Manager

PAWS Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 80,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

PAWS Chicago is seeking a Grants Manager to oversee grant writing, funder relationships, and programmatic funding strategy. You will translate PAWS programs into funder-ready proposals and manage a portfolio across private, corporate, and government funders.

You’ll collaborate with the Development & Community Engagement team and work closely with operations, finance, data, and marketing to secure and report on grants that advance PAWS Chicago’s mission.

Qualifications

• Proven grant-writing experience across private, corporate, and government funders.
• Ability to translate program goals into funder-ready proposals.
• Experience in a matrix organization and cross-department collaboration.
• Strong storytelling, editing, and verbal/written communication.
• Detail-oriented with ability to manage multiple deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Write, proof, edit, and submit grant inquiries and proposals to funders.
• Develop knowledge of PAWS Chicago to align proposals with needs.
• Spend time at Medical Center and Adoption Center to build program staff relationships.
• Build cross-department collaboration to support the grants program.
• Capture program nuances to tell PAWS‘ story in compelling narratives.
• Maintain annual grant calendar of opportunities, submissions, and reports.
• Lead monthly grant meetings with operations, finance, marketing, and data teams.
• Coordinate budgets with Operations and Finance teams.
• Support the individual giving team with proposals and reporting.
• Adhere to LOI/guidelines and track grant metrics.

Skills

Grant writing

Storytelling

Written communication

Project management

Budget analysis

Compliance knowledge

Research skills

Salesforce

Raiser’s Edge

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Tools

Grant databases

Salesforce

Raiser’s Edge

Job description

THE ORGANIZATION: PAWS Chicago is one of the largest comprehensive No Kill animal welfare organizations in the nation, building programs to end the killing of homeless pets. More than 27,000 homeless and at-risk cats and dogs pass through PAWS Chicago’s Medical Center each year. PAWS is known for healing and rehabilitating 5,000 sick, injured, and homeless cats and dogs annually, and finding them loving families through its adoption program. PAWS Chicago also operates the city’s only high-volume spay/neuter clinic, providing more than 21,000 low-or no‑cost spay/neuter surgeries last year, reducing pet overpopulation at its source. Since its founding in 1997, when more than 42,000 pets were killed in Chicago, PAWS Chicago has led the reduction in homeless pet euthanasia in Chicago by 88.8%. PAWS Chicago has earned the highest 4-star ranking by Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest independent evaluator, since 2003. For more information, visit www.pawschicago.org and follow PAWS Chicago on Facebook, X, and Instagram

JOB DESCRIPTION: PAWS Chicago seeks a Grants Manager with experience writing and securing grants, managing a portfolio, annual calendar of deadlines, funder relationships and prospecting, who is passionate about animal welfare and supporting PAWS Chicago’s mission.

This role requires:

• Deep understanding of programs: develop a strong working knowledge of program goals, outcomes, populations served, operational needs and future priorities.
• Translate programs into funding solutions: identify how programmatic needs can align with foundation priorities, corporate partnerships, government funding and other grant opportunities.
• Connect funding to strategy: proactively identify funding gaps and opportunities rather than simply responding to available grants.
• Exceptional writing and storytelling ability: a strong command of language, style, and grammar
• Sharp attention to detail
• A self-starter: adept at proactively managing projects to meet multiple deadlines.
• Financial Budgeting: Analyzing financial reports as it relates to grants, and fixing budget shortfalls or adjusting project goals when needs change
• Compliance: Knowing federal, state, or private foundation rules and legal requirements.
• Research: Finding new funding sources and matching them with organizational needs.
• Software Literacy: Using grant databases and tracking tools, as well as using Salesforce to track internal grant management
• Work in a highly matrix organization: Manage the operational components of grantmaking while working as part of a larger team

They will report to the Vice President of Development & Community Engagement and work closely with the development, marketing, data, finance and operations teams.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES: The crucial role of Grants Manager will support PAWS mission and help us reach our fundraising goals by strategically managing institutional relationships, researching new funding opportunities, and developing compelling proposals and reports for private and corporate funders whose focus areas align with PAWS mission and organizational needs. Special projects and tasks as expected include, but are not limited to:

Grant Writing & Management

• Responsible for writing, proofing, editing, and submitting well‑written letters of inquiry and proposals to private and corporate funders; able to connect the dots to answer grant application questions strategically and craft messages uniquely tailored to that audience
• Acquire and maintain sound knowledge and understanding of PAWS Chicago to ensure grant proposals are aligned with organizational needs
• Spend dedicated, recurring time at our Medical Center, Adoption Center and Hawthorn Woods building relationships with frontline staff and program managers
• Build relationships with staff in each department to positively influence collaboration efforts that benefit the grants program.
• Ability to capture nuance of our programming and tell the PAWS story in compelling narratives
• Manage detailed annual calendar of grant opportunities, submissions, and reports; ensure all deadlines are met
• Lead monthly grant meetings with operations, finance, marketing and data teams on strategy, approach, and reporting
• Coordinate with Operations and Finance teams in creation of corresponding budgets
• Support the individual giving team in their major gift proposals and reporting as needed
• Adhere to LOI and grant application guidelines and industry best practices
• Responsible for tracking grant metrics and key performance indicators

Funder Management

• Manage portfolio of funders
• maintain donor records in Salesforce (currently in Raiser’s Edge) database, track proposals, stewardship touchpoints, and follow‑up actions
• Plan stewardship for portfolio of grant funders and ensure the execution is completed
• Work with VP of Development & Community Engagement in overseeing all communications with grantors and working with leadership to strategically manage relationships through appropriate thanking, stewardship and cultivation
• Coordinate with Database Team and Finance Team to ensure all grant pledges are entered into donor database and fulfilled

Research & Reporting

• Responsible