Grants Manager

Center for Rural Affairs; Lyons (NE); On-site; USD 60,000 - 74,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement options

Paid holidays

Paid time off between Christmas Eve &

Fridays Summer Hours

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

The Center for Rural Affairs seeks a Grants Manager to oversee the grant lifecycle—from research to proposal to reporting—working with program staff to secure resources for mission-driven work. Based in Lyons, NE, you’ll lead budgets, deadlines, and compliance across multiple teams.

Reporting to the Senior Development Director, you’ll coordinate proposals, track grant progress in Salesforce, and foster strong relationships with funders and partners to advance rural community outcomes.

Qualifications

• Relationship-building: build trusted, collaborative networks across diverse stakeholders.
• Drive to achieve results: set high goals, anticipate hurdles, and implement practical solutions.
• Inclusive leadership: practice power-with decision-making and include lived experiences.
• Setting and managing priorities: handle multiple projects and deadlines effectively.
• Commitment to the Center’s Mission and Values: align work with mission, reflect, and learn.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with program staff to finalize grant proposals and ensure alignment with funder guidelines.
• Update Salesforce and other data systems with grant applications, awards, and deadlines.
• Review and monitor grant budgets with program directors to meet funder requirements.
• Research new grant opportunities to expand funding sources and impact.

Skills

Relationship-building

Drive to achieve results

Inclusive leadership

Setting priorities

Mission alignment

Job description

Do you have an appetite for making a difference through strategic funding? Join us as a Grants Manager and play a key role in driving meaningful change. In this dynamic position, you’ll collaborate with program staff to oversee the grant lifecycle - from research to proposal to reporting. You’ll be a leader on compliance, tracking progress in Salesforce, and aligning budgets with funder requirements. If you thrive in a collaborative environment and are passionate about securing resources for a cause, we invite you to apply and be part of our mission-driven team!

The Center for Rural Affairs is seeking a Grant Manager. The position will be based at least 2 days per week in Lyons, Nebraska.

Who we are

The Center for Rural Affairs is a dynamic, energetic non-profit organization working to build a better rural future for all. We’ve done this work for more than 50 years, and we do it from rural places with a flexible work environment. The Center focuses on capital access, community engagement, and policy advocacy strategies, with work in areas of food systems, community resources, small business support, and environment and resilience. The Center’s work is rooted in our mission-aligned values. We believe that a diversity of people and ideas strengthens our work, our workplace, and our communities. We take equal opportunity seriously, and we welcome applicants from a variety of backgrounds. Additional information can be found at www.cfra.org.

What you'll do

The Grants Manager will report to the Senior Development Director and will work closely with the development team and key Center staff. The Grants Manager is responsible for the following:

• Lead the grant application process by coordinating proposal planning, development, and submission in collaboration with program staff
• Conduct grant research, write compelling proposals, and support reporting processes to secure funding.
• Maintain and update all grant-related records and data in Salesforce and Google Drive, ensuring accurate tracking of applications and awards.
• Develop and manage grant budgets in partnership with program staff to align with funder requirements.
• Monitor and track grant deadlines, ensuring timely submission of applications and progress reports.
• Serve as a liaison between internal teams and granting agencies, fostering strong relationships.
• Stay up to date on grant policies, regulations, and best practices to enhance funding strategies.

Who you are and keys to success (the must-haves)

To be successful in this job, you will excel in five areas:

• Relationship-building: You know how to talk with people to learn what needs they have through conversation and inquiry. People trust you because you’re efficient with their time and have their best interests in mind. You’re able to build networks, as well as alliances, and find points of collaboration even when there are competing interests on your time. You develop and maintain strong, collaborative working relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders and work with allies and partners from marginalized communities, such as people of color, people with disabilities, low-income families, and immigrants.
• Drive to achieve results: You know how to work to your strengths to achieve your own ambitious goals, and you anticipate hurdles as merely a momentary inconvenience. You possess a competitive drive. You set a high bar and meet it because you think three (or 30) steps ahead to come up with pragmatic, yet innovative, solutions. You have financial acumen and an affinity for the details.
• Inclusive leadership and management: You approach leadership in your work with a mindset of "power with" rather than "power over" and regularly include others with lived experience in decision-making. You use resources wisely and can provide clear direction to clients, partners, and contractors to leverage time and resources for impact.
• Setting and managing priorities: You have experience managing multiple projects and keeping tasks from slipping through the cracks. You use resources wisely and can provide clear direction to staff, partners, consultants, and volunteers to leverage time and talent for impact.
• Commitment to the Center’s Mission and Values: You are aligned with and committed to the Center’s Mission and Values. You recognize how your own identities show up in the work, and welcome, reflect on, and act on feedback with an eye toward continuous learning about differences to overcome barriers. You recognize that investment in communities, people, and entrepreneurship are pathways to better outcomes.

If you were here right now, you would be:

• Collaborating with program staff to finalize a grant proposal, ensuring the narrative and budget align with funder guidelines and organizational goals.
• Updating Salesforce with the latest grant application details and tracking upcoming deadlines.
• Reviewing a grant budget with program directors to ensure alignment with funder requirements.
• Researching new grant opportunities to expand funding sources and drive organizational impact.

You have experience with the following:

• Coordinating the planning, writing, and managing proposals, including research, development, and submission.
• Collaborating with diverse teams to align project goals and client/funder requirements.
• Tracking and managing data and deadlines
• Developing and monitoring budgets to ensure compliance with funding guidelines.
• Managing multiple deadlines and prioritizing tasks.
• Communicating complex information effectively in both written and verbal formats.

What else you should know

This is a full-time non-exempt position based at least two (2) days per week in Lyons, Nebraska. This position will require occasional travel by car to meet with community partners and individuals and include both overnight and out-of-state travel on occasion.

Compensation and benefits:

This position has a salary range of $60,000 - $74,000 with top-notch benefits that have a cash value of $10,000 to $29,500, depending on family status and tenure with the Center. Benefits include 97% employer-paid family health insurance that includes a contribution to a Health Savings Account, retirement options, a fantastic Employee Assistance Program, 12 paid holidays plus paid time off between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day, Friday Summer Hours, and vacation and sick pay.

The Center for Rural Affairs is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in E-Verify, is committed to the full inclusion of all individuals, and takes steps to ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations.