Grants Specialist

Grants Specialist

Girl Scouts create the world they want to live in and strive to make it better every single day. They explore their strengths, take on new challenges, and can always be themselves, regardless of background or ability.

Supported by adult volunteers and mentors right here in our community, as well as millions of alums around the globe, Girl Scouts lead the way as they discover who they are and how they can make the future a brighter place.

Position Title: Grants Specialist

Department: Fund Development

Immediate Supervisor: Director of Revenue

Summary: The Grants Specialist is responsible for managing the complete grant administration lifecycle for Girl Scouts of Hawai'i, including both pre-award and post-award administration of federal, state, county, foundation, and corporate grants. This position oversees the coordination, organization, tracking, and compliance of all grant activities from funding opportunity identification through grant closeout.

The Grants Specialist serves as the central coordinator for grant administration by working collaboratively with leadership, program staff, finance, and external partners to ensure competitive grant submissions, compliance with funder requirements, timely reporting, and effective stewardship of grant funding. This position manages multiple deadlines, maintains grant management systems, coordinates proposal development, and ensures all grant documentation is complete, accurate, and audit-ready.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Pre-Award Grant Administration

· Manage the pre-award administration process for all grant opportunities, including government, foundation, corporate, and community grants.

· Research and monitor grant opportunities that align with Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi's strategic priorities and funding needs.

· Maintain an annual grants calendar that tracks application deadlines, reporting requirements, award notifications, and renewal opportunities.

· Coordinate proposal development by establishing timelines, assigning responsibilities, and ensuring all application components are completed on schedule.

· Collaborate with executive leadership, program staff, and finance to develop project narratives, work plans, budgets, evaluation plans, and supporting documentation.

· Prepare, compile, review, and submit grant applications, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and compliance with funder guidelines.

· Maintain current organizational documents required for grant submissions, including IRS determination letters, audits, financial statements, board lists, organizational budgets, compliance certificates, insurance certificates, and policies.

· Coordinate required internal approvals prior to proposal submission.

· Maintain a library of organizational narratives, demographic data, program descriptions, outcome measures, and supporting materials to streamline proposal development.

· Track submitted proposals and maintain communication with funders throughout the review process.

· Coordinate award acceptance and execution of grant agreements following funding approval.

Post-Award Grant Administration

· Manage all awarded grants from acceptance through closeout.

· Review grant agreements to ensure compliance with all programmatic, financial, and reporting requirements.

· Develop grant implementation timelines and reporting schedules.

· Maintain comprehensive grant files containing award documents, contracts, budgets, amendments, correspondence, reports, and supporting documentation.

· Monitor grant deliverables and communicate upcoming deadlines to appropriate staff.

· Coordinate grant modifications, amendments, and budget revisions when necessary.

Grant Reporting and Compliance

· Prepare and submit interim, annual, and final grant reports.

· Coordinate collection of programmatic and financial data from departments across the organization.

· Follow up with program staff to obtain missing information, performance metrics, participant data, success stories, and supporting documentation.

· Compile accurate narrative and financial reports demonstrating program accomplishments and outcomes.

· Ensure all reporting deadlines are met.

· Monitor compliance with grant requirements, including performance measures, allowable expenditures, procurement requirements, and documentation standards.

· Maintain audit-ready grant files and supporting documentation.

· Coordinate responses to funder requests, monitoring visits, and compliance reviews.

Financial Coordination

· Assist with financial reporting and grant reconciliations.

· Coordinate grant closeout documentation.

Internal Coordination

· Serve as the organization's central point of contact for grant administration.

· Coordinate communication among Development, Finance, Program, Membership, and Executive Leadership.

· Schedule internal grant planning and reporting meetings.

· Develop systems that improve communication and accountability across departments.

· Provide technical assistance regarding grant requirements and reporting expectations.

Grant Management Systems

· Maintain grant management databases and electronic filing systems.

· Develop and improve grant administration processes and standard operating procedures.

· Generate reports for executive leadership and the Board of Directors regarding grant activity, funding status, and compliance.

· Monitor organizational grant performance and funding trends.

Other Responsibilities

· Support organizational strategic funding initiatives.

· Assist with grant audits and organizational compliance reviews.

· Represent Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi with funding agencies and community partners as appropriate.

· Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Nonprofit Management, Communications, or a related field required.
• Grant Professional Certification (GPC) or Grant Management Certificate preferred.

Experience

• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in grant administration or nonprofit grant management.
• Demonstrated experience managing both pre-award and post-award grant administration.
• Experience administering federal, state, county, foundation, and corporate grants.
• Experience coordinating multi-department grant processes.
• Experience with grant compliance, reporting, and financial monitoring.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

· Comprehensive knowledge of grant lifecycle management, including proposal development, award administration, compliance, reporting, and closeout.

· Strong project management and organizational skills.

· Excellent written and verbal communication abilities.

· Ability to manage multiple complex projects and deadlines simultaneously.

· Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.

· Ability to collaborate effectively across departments.

· High level of accuracy and attention to detail.

· Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and grant management software.

· Knowledge of nonprofit financial management and grant budgeting.

· Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment.