Are you looking to hire a grant writer for your organization? If so, you want to be sure you’re creating a grant writer job description that attracts amazing candidates and accurately represents what you really need. 

In this article, we’ll walk through the role of a grant writer, what to include in a job description, what to leave out, and how to evaluate potential candidates. We’ll also share tips on finding experienced, vetted grant writers. 

What Does a Grant Writer Do?

A grant writer is an individual who prepares and submits proposals to raise grant funds for an organization. Grant writers can specialize in working with nonprofits or businesses, as well as applying for grants from private foundations, state and government funding, corporations, and even individuals or investors. 

The job description of a grant writer, however, is much broader than simply writing grants. 

After being a grant writer for more than two decades and training more than 1,000 grant writers, I believe grant writers are better described as writers and strategists. 

This is because a good grant writer also:

• Finds and evaluates grant opportunities
• Ensures programs submitted for funding are strategic for the organization and aligned with funders’ goals
• Crafts competitive, research-backed grant proposals
• Aligns grant budgets with program descriptions
• Guides organizations on grants management before and after a grant award
• And more…

This is why, inside our Freelance Grant Writer Academy, we like to call a grant writer a grant strategist. 

What to Include in a Grant Writer Job Description

If you are preparing a grant writer job description, you should consider including the following responsibilities when describing the role:

• Conduct grant prospecting and vet grant opportunities to ensure alignment with the organization’s mission.
• Track and manage grant deadlines to ensure timely submission and follow-up. 
• Collaborate closely with program staff and/or leadership to develop program descriptions, goals, and proposal narratives that accurately reflect the organization’s work. 
• Prepare all elements of grant applications following individual funder specifications. For example: organizational background, well-researched need statements, proposal narratives, goals and outcomes, timelines, evaluation plans, logic models, sustainability plans, and grant budgets and budget narratives. 
• Organize and coordinate all necessary grant application attachments, such as letters of support, letters of commitment, Memorandum of Understanding, Board Resolutions, etc. 
• Ensure all grant applications submitted are of high quality and meet all funder requirements (such as word counts, font size, etc.).
• Prepare and submit grant reports that accurately reflect the organization’s work and accomplishments during the grant period. 
• Communicate with current and potential funders regarding grant applications, reporting requirements, and programmatic updates. 
• Submit completed grant applications and reports using each funder’s preferred method, including using online application portals. 

In addition to these activities, your grant writer job description should include: 

• Who the position reports to. 
• The proposed salary or salary range. 
• Information about whether the grant writer will be part of a team and, if so, other roles that are part of the team already. For example, a grant writer running all grant fundraising for a small organization will have a different set of responsibilities than a grant writer who is part of a large team that includes a development director, grants manager, and other grant writers. 
• Whether the grant writer will also be expected to prepare non-grant materials, such as funder newsletters, annual reports, etc. 
• Any AI policies you have about grant writing. Do you want your grant writer using AI? If so, do they use your account so you keep all the data? Or do you NOT want the grant writer to use AI? Is that explicit?

Skills and Qualifications to Include in a Grant Writer Job Description

One of the most common things I hear from grant writers in our training programs is that they “fell into grant writing.” Some of the best grant writers come from unexpected backgrounds: creative writers, teachers, dedicated volunteers, or former corporate roles. 

That’s why I recommend keeping the skills and qualifications list in your grant writer job description somewhat flexible. You should seek out candidates who: 

• Have a strong background in writing
• Have a willingness to learn and continually improve
• Have experience managing complex projects and working to deadlines
• Enjoy doing research and paying attention to details
• Have people and communication skills to ensure they can collaborate with others in your organization
• Have excellent computer skills so they can learn to navigate grant prospect databases, CRM systems, and online funder applications

What to leave out of a grant writer job description

There are three things I strongly advise leaving out of a grant writer job description: 

Do not include the term “All Other Duties as Necessary.” 

Grant writers are expected to help get grants awarded. But if your grant writer is busy doing”All Other Duties as Necessary,” they may miss a deadline, get pulled in too many directions, or rush through the actual work of writing a competitive proposal. 

There are so many flaws with including “All Other Duties” in a grant writer job description, yet I see it all the time among grant writers in my programs. I have even experienced it myself working within nonprofits. 

All Other Duties is often shorthand for: 

• Spending countless hours in unproductive meetings
• Constant interruptions by coworkers
• Getting pulled into any and all non-grant activities, like social media posts, writing press releases, running press conferences, or even taking notes at meetings

None of these activities help a grant writer get more grants awarded, and should thus be left out of job descriptions. 

Do not ask “What was your last salary?” 

When you ask a grant writer applicant about their last salary, you are pegging their value to their past roles, NOT to the value they offer your organization. 

More than 80% of grant writers are women, which means they were likely underpaid in their previous role. 

In fact, research shows that: “Talented women are more likely to shy away from applying for job opportunities, particularly more advanced, higher-paying positions, because they’re concerned they aren’t qualified enough.” In contrast, men are more likely apply for higher-level jobs even if they don’t meet all the qualifications.

This is why I tell organizations to set the salary for the role in advance and stick to it. Do not try to get a grant writer at a discount, as they will be more likely to leave when a better, fairer-paying opportunity comes their way. 

Additionally, if your next grant writer IS a volunteer, be sure to provide training for them. Otherwise, they won’t succeed and you will be frustrated. 

Many nonprofits actually sponsor a volunteer inside the Freelance Grant Writer Academy by paying for the cost. In this way, the volunteer gets training, unlimited grant reviews, and is surrounded by 200+ grant writers. Organizations that do this keep volunteers, who are more skilled and capable, for a much longer period, and the volunteers feel empowered and valued.

Do not evaluate a grant writer based only on a pre-set skills or qualifications list.

Skilled grant writers come from all types of unexpected backgrounds. For example, grant writers inside our Freelance Grant Writer Academy include: 

• A stay-at-home mom who was a nonprofit staffer before starting her own grant writing business.
• A woman who worked for HBO and then decided to change careers. She volunteered for a board of directors and noticed they needed grant writing support. She started writing grants and within a year fully retired from her corporate job. 
• A student focusing on her Master’s degree in Fine Arts who decided to write grants on the side to earn money while in school.
• A full-time teacher who decided to start writing grants, and eventually quit her teaching job (within a few months!). 
• Someone who stayed inside a nonprofit job, but got a raise because she learned how to write grants.

Because grant writers are so diverse, we recommend keeping your skills and qualifications requirements more open, rather than restrictive. For example, an incredible writer with experience in your sector can be trained to use your CRM. An amazing program strategist who wants to apply her skills to grant writing can join training programs like our Academy. 

Note: If any of these sound familiar, and you’re interested in pursuing grant writing as a career, check out our full guide: How to Become a Grant Writer. 

How to customize a grant writer job description for your organization

When customizing a grant writer job description for your organization, I recommend that you: 

• Identify what is must-have vs nice-to-have when it comes to skills as well as job activities. For example, if you have a big communications team, don’t ask your grant writer to craft newsletters. You want them finding, submitting, and winning grants, not doing work other people on your staff are already qualified for. 
• Make clear the role the grant writer will play within the organization. Will they be a one-person grant fundraising department or part of a larger team? 
• Be clear on your goals for the position. Will this position be tasked with growing your organization’s grant funding or just maintaining an existing portfolio? 
• Pay fairly. If you expect a grant writer to take your organization from $500,000 in grant funding to $1 million in grant funding, be sure you’re supporting and compensating them appropriately. 
• Specify any sector-specific knowledge that could help a person succeed in the role. For example, are you an advocacy organization looking for someone who understands policy change or a think tank seeking a grant writer with an aptitude for economic policy?

The biggest advice I give organizations seeking to hire a grant writer is to be clear and specific. Don’t expect someone to do “some of everything.” Understand what you want to achieve and how this role will help, and then communicate that clearly to applicants! 

How to Find a Grant Writer for Your Organization 

One of the most important decisions you’ll make when hiring a grant writer has nothing to do with the job description. 

You first need to decide if you want a full-time staff member or are open to hiring a freelance grant writer. 

Freelance grant writers can bring incredible value to organizations, while also saving you money. 

Freelance grant writers are often more experienced, working with clients and funders across the sector, and able to guide organizations to be as strategic as possible when selecting and submitting grant applications. 

Freelance grant writers save nonprofits on payroll, benefits, and other costs that can make hiring a full-time staffer out of budget. 

And you don’t have to manage freelance grant writers. 

If you’re on the fence between hiring a staffer or freelancer, I recommend checking out our Professional Grant Writer Directory. Every single grant writer listed has been trained and mentored by our team, meaning we’ve rigorously vetted them so you don’t have to.