Grant Manager-30039

Rush University Medical Center; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 47,000 - 79,000; Full time

Job summary

Equal Hope, a Chicago-based nonprofit, seeks a senior grant writer to lead strategy, development, and management of a $3.5M grants portfolio within its Breast Cancer Taskforce and broader mission. You will translate health equity concepts into compelling funder narratives and coordinate cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality proposals.

The role emphasizes pre- and post-award activities, strong collaboration with finance, and proactive funder stewardship to sustain and grow funding across

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in public health, health policy, social sciences, English, journalism, or a closely related field; master’s degree strongly preferred.
• Minimum 8 years of professional experience in grant writing and grants management, development, or closely related roles, with a significant portion in healthcare, health equity, or public health environments.
• Demonstrated track record of securing and managing six- and seven-figure grants from government agencies, health systems, foundations, and/or large institutional funders.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills; ability to synthesize complex data, research, and program models into clear, compelling narratives for diverse audiences.
• Strong understanding of healthcare policy and systems (e.g., Medicaid, health insurance, safety net providers, value-based care), community health programming, and social determinants of health.
• Proven experience managing the full grants lifecycle, including pre-award, compliance, reporting, and closeout.
• High level of comfort with budgets, financial reports, and collaborating closely with finance/operations teams.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and experience with grants management or CRM systems (e.g., Virtuous, foundation Connect, Fluxx, or similar).
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple complex projects and deadlines simultaneously and work both independently and collaboratively.

Responsibilities

• Grant Strategy, Calendar, and Portfolio Management (30%): Lead development and execution of Equal Hope’s annual grants strategy to sustain and grow a $3.5M portfolio.
• Grant Writing and Proposal Development (40%): Serve as lead writer and project manager for all major grant submissions, from concept through submission, including LOIs, full proposals, renewals, and multi-partner collaborations.
• Pre- and Post-Award Grants Management (20%): Ensure all grant awards are set up correctly with budgets, deliverables, reporting schedules, and compliance requirements.
• Funder Relations and External Positioning (5–10%): Cultivate relationships with current and prospective funders and prepare materials for meetings.
• Grant Research, Intelligence, and Internal Capacity Building (5–10%): Scan for new funding opportunities, maintain prospect lists, and coach staff on grant-friendly design.

Skills

Grant writing

Grants management

Healthcare policy

Storytelling/writing

Budgets

CRM systems

MS Office

Project management

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree (public health/health policy/English/journalism)

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Virtuous

Foundation Connect

Fluxx

Job description

Location: Chicago, Illinois
Business Unit: Rush Medical Center
Hospital: Rush University Medical Center
Department: Breast Cancer Taskforce
Work Type: Full Time (Total FTE between 0.9 and 1.0)
Shift: Shift 1
Work Schedule: 8 Hr (8:00:00 AM - 4:00:00 PM)
Rush offers exceptional rewards and benefits learn more at our Rush benefits page (https://www.rush.edu/rush-careers/employee-benefits).
Pay Range: $34.89 - $56.78 per hour
Rush salaries are determined by many factors including, but not limited to, education, job-related experience and skills, as well as internal equity and industry specific market data. The pay range for each role reflects Rush’s anticipated wage or salary reasonably expected to be offered for the position. Offers may vary depending on the circumstances of each case.

Summary

Equal Hope (formerly Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force) is a Chicago-based nonprofit healthcare organization dedicated to eliminating health disparities in Metropolitan Chicago, with a particular focus on cancer prevention, screening, and health equity. We work collaboratively to provide compassionate, culturally competent health services and navigation programs to underserved communities.

Required Job Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in public health, health policy, social sciences, English, journalism, or a closely related field; master’s degree in a relevant field strongly preferred.
• Minimum 8 years of professional experience in grant writing and grants management, development, or closely related roles, with a significant portion in healthcare, health equity, or public health environments.
• Demonstrated track record of securing and managing six- and seven-figure grants from government agencies, health systems, foundations, and/or large institutional funders.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills; ability to synthesize complex data, research, and program models into clear, compelling narratives for diverse audiences.
• Strong understanding of healthcare policy and systems (e.g., Medicaid, health insurance, safety net providers, value-based care), community health programming, and social determinants of health.
• Proven experience managing the full grants lifecycle, including pre-award, compliance, reporting, and closeout.
• High level of comfort with budgets, financial reports, and collaborating closely with finance/operations teams.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and experience with grants management or CRM systems (e.g., Virtuous, foundation Connect, Fluxx, or similar).
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple complex projects and deadlines simultaneously and work both independently and collaboratively.

Preferred Job Qualifications

• Experience working in or closely with health systems, academic medical centers, community health centers, or large community-based organizations.
• Familiarity with Chicago- and Illinois-based funders, public agencies, and health equity funding landscape.
• Experience contributing to or leading multi-organization collaborative proposals and complex government applications.

Physical Demands

N/A

Responsibilities

Grant Strategy, Calendar, and Portfolio Management (30%)

• Lead development and execution of Equal Hope’s annual grants strategy to sustain and grow a $3.5M portfolio in alignment with organizational priorities.
• Create, maintain, and own Equal Hope’s master grants calendar, including prospects, LOIs, proposals, reports, renewals, and key funder touchpoints.
• Monitor portfolio performance against revenue targets and pipeline goals; provide regular updates and recommendations to the Executive Director and leadership team.
• Proactively identify risks (e.g., underperformance, ending grants) and opportunities (renewals, expansions, new funders) and recommend mitigation and growth strategies.

Grant Writing and Proposal Development (40%)

• Serve as lead writer and project manager for all major grant submissions, from concept through submission, including LOIs, full proposals, renewals, and multi-partner collaborations.
• Translate complex health equity, health systems, and community program concepts into clear, persuasive narratives tailored to diverse funders (government, health systems, foundations, corporate, and managed care entities).
• Develop proposal components including needs statements, program design, workplans, logic models, outcomes/indicators, evaluation plans, and sustainability narratives.
• Coordinate budget development with the Business Operations & Finance Manager and finance team to ensure accuracy, alignment with funder requirements, and sustainability.
• Lead internal timelines, content reviews, and approvals to ensure all submissions are of the highest quality and on time.

Pre- and Post-Award Grants Management (20%)

• In partnership with the Business Operations & Finance Manager, ensure all grant awards are set up correctly, including budgets, deliverables, reporting schedules, and compliance requirements.
• Maintain meticulous records of grant agreements, budgets, amendments, and correspondence; ensure all requirements are documented and tracked.
• Monitor programmatic and financial performance against grant requirements; flag risks early and collaborate with program and finance staff to develop corrective action plans.
• Draft and coordinate submission of high-quality progress and final reports that clearly demonstrate impact, learning, and alignment with funder priorities.
• Support funder audits, site visits, and monitoring reviews in collaboration with finance and operations.

Funder Relations and External Positioning (5–10%)

• Cultivate, steward, and deepen relationships with current and prospective funders through regular communication, meetings, and updates on Equal Hope’s work and impact.
• Partner with the Executive Director, Development, and program leads to prepare talking points, briefings, and materials for funder meetings and convenings.
• Ensure timely and appropriate acknowledgment and visibility of funders via Equal Hope’s website, communications, and reports.

Grant Research, Intelligence, and Internal Capacity Building (5–10%)

• Continuously scan the landscape for new funding opportunities in healthcare, women’s health, health equity, health systems innovation, Medicaid/insurance, and community health initiatives.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of local, state, and federal funding priorities, health policy developments, and key funders relevant to Equal Hope’s mission.
• Build and maintain a robust prospect list and tracking system, including opportunity fit, deadlines, and strategic considerations.
• Provide internal training and coaching to program staff on grant-friendly project design, outcome measurement, and documentation practices that strengthen proposals and reporting.

Rush is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.