Grants Manager

Job Title: Grants Manager

Reports To: Sr. Director of Development

Status: Full-time, Non-Exempt

Annual Salary: $70,000 – 75,000

Organization

Heading Home's mission is to prevent and end homelessness. Through personalized support and shelter, as well as larger advocacy and affordable housing work, we provide stability and foster the independence every family and individual needs to thrive.

Founded in 1974, Heading Home is a leading provider of housing and support services for low and extremely low-income individuals and families currently or formerly experiencing homelessness in Eastern Massachusetts. For over 50 years, we have successfully helped thousands of people end their homelessness.

As an agency, our services are diverse; we provide emergency, transitional, permanent and affordable housing, and support services, to low-income individuals and families.

We are proud to share that for 17 years running, 90%+ of Heading Home's clients retained permanent housing. Last year, 97% of Heading Home clients remained housed after one year .

Overview

The Grants Manager is a key member of Heading Home’s Development team, responsible for growing and managing a strong portfolio of corporate and foundation funders and prospects. This role is ideal for an experienced fundraising professional who combines exceptional writing and research skills with a strategic, relationship-driven approach to institutional giving.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Development and working closely with the development, program, finance, and leadership teams, the Grants Manager will develop a deep understanding of Heading Home’s programs, impact, funding priorities, and the experiences of the families and individuals we serve. The Grants Manager will translate this work into compelling proposals, reports, and funder communications that demonstrate impact and inspire investment.

The Grants Manager will own the corporate and foundation grants pipeline, from prospect research and cultivation through proposal development, stewardship, reporting, and renewal, and will play an active role in building relationships that expand and diversify Heading Home’s philanthropic support.

This is an exciting opportunity for a strong writer and strategic fundraiser to take ownership of a growing institutional giving program while working as part of a collaborative and ambitious Development team.

Key Responsibilities

Grant Strategy and Development Pipeline

• Develop and manage a comprehensive corporate and foundation fundraising strategy aligned with Heading Home's organizational priorities and revenue goals.
• Research, identify, and quality new corporate and foundation prospects, building a strong and sustainable pipeline of funding opportunities.
• Manage the institutional giving portfolio and pipeline in Raiser's Edge NXT, ensuring accurate tracking of prospects, relationships, opportunities, deadlines, and activity.
• Develop and maintain an annual grants calendar that includes proposals, reports, renewals, cultivation opportunities, and other key funder deadlines.
• Partner with Development leadership to prioritize prospects and develop strategies for cultivation, solicitation, renewal, and increased investment.

Proposal Development and Grant Management

• Write compelling, customized letters of inquiry, grant proposals, applications, reports, and other funder communications.
• Collaborate with program, finance, data, and leadership teams to gather program information, outcomes, budgets, client stories, and other materials needed to develop strong proposals and reports.
• Manage the full grant lifecycle from initial research and submission through award, reporting, renewal, and stewardship.
• Ensure all grant requirements, deadlines, deliverables, and reporting obligations are met.
• Maintain accurate and complete grant records, documentation, correspondence, and funder activity in Raiser’s Edge NXT.
• Partner with Finance and program teams on grant budgets, expenditure tracking, reporting, and reconciliation as needed.

Funder Cultivation and Stewardship

• Build and maintain strong relationships with current and prospective corporate and foundation partners.
• Work with the Senior Director of Development, CEO, and other organizational leaders to develop and execute funder cultivation and stewardship strategies.
• Coordinate funder meetings, site visits, presentations, and other engagement opportunities.
• Identify opportunities to deepen existing funder relationships, increase giving, and secure multi-year support.
• Develop meaningful stewardship communications, including impact updates, success stories, program highlights, and other materials that demonstrate the impact of funder investment.

Internal Collaboration

• Serve as a knowledgeable internal resource on institutional funding opportunities, priorities, requirements, and trends.
• Work cross-functionally with Development, Programs, Finance, Data, and other teams to ensure proposals and reports accurately reflect Heading Home’s work and impact.
• Participate in Development team planning and strategy and contribute to broader fundraising campaigns, events, and donor engagement efforts as needed.

Experience and Skills Required

Heading Home is seeking a motivated and collaborative development professional who brings strong writing skills, fundraising experience, and the initiative to grow our corporate and foundation giving program.

The ideal candidate will have:

• A strong commitment to Heading Home’s mission to prevent and end homelessness.
• 3–5 years of grant writing, institutional giving, or related fundraising experience, preferably within a human services, housing, homelessness, or other mission-driven nonprofit organization.
• Demonstrated success securing funding from private foundations and corporations.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills, with the ability to translate complex programs, data, and outcomes into clear and compelling funder narratives.
• Strong prospect research skills and the ability to identify and evaluate new funding opportunities.
• Experience managing multiple proposals, reports, relationships, and deadlines simultaneously.
• Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills, with the confidence to engage both internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience using a fundraising CRM; experience with Raiser’s Edge NXT is strongly preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and comfort working with budgets, data, and performance metrics.
• Excellent organizational, project management, and time-management skills.
• Sound judgment and the ability to handle confidential and sensitive information appropriately.
• A proactive, solutions-oriented approach and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• The ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, manage changing priorities, take initiative, and follow projects through to completion.

EEO Statement/ Affirmative Action

Heading Home, Inc is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicant. Applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic data, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or other legally protected status, or any other classification protected by federal, state or local law.