Grant Specialist

Position Title: Grant Specialist ($55,000 - $62,000) Department: Resource Development Report To: Director of Strategic Initiatives Date Created: September 2026 FLSA Status: Exempt Why Work for United Way: Do you want to leave work every day knowing that you have made an impact? At United Way of South Hampton Roads (UWSHR), you’ll work in a fun and supportive environment where every day is a new opportunity to make a difference. If you talk to our employees, the single trait we all have in common is passion. We work hard because we love what we do and we know how much our community needs us. Plus, we offer excellent benefits and opportunities for advancement. If you want to be great while doing good, join the United Way team. Objectives & Expectations: The Grant Specialist manages United Way of South Hampton Roads' grant portfolio across the full grant lifecycle, including prospect research, proposal development and submission, grant management, reporting, compliance, and funder stewardship. Working across departments, the Grant Specialist identifies and evaluates funding opportunities, develops compelling proposals, manages grant requirements and deadlines, and ensures accurate, timely reporting and compliance. The successful candidate will be a strong writer, researcher, and project manager who can build effective relationships across teams and develop a deep understanding of UWSHR’s programs, priorities, and community needs. Commitment to Equity, Diversity & Inclusion: We take the broadest possible view of diversity. We value the visible and invisible qualities that make you who you are. We welcome that every person brings a unique perspective and experience to advance our mission and progress our fight for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in every community. We believe that each United Way community member, donor, volunteer, advocate, and employee must have equal access to solving community problems. We strive to include diversity, equity, and inclusion practices at the center of our daily work. We commit to using these practices for our business and our communities. Cultural Competence: The Grant Specialist applies a lens of cultural competence that conveys empathy, support, and an understanding of the people and communities they work with, both internally and externally. This competency helps build trust and effective engagement, strengthen relationships, expand

UWSHR’s reach, and ensure that data, investments, processes, and partnerships are approached in a respectful and equitable manner. Core Competencies are characteristics that all employees are expected to exhibit as a member of the UWSHR team. These include:

• Mission Focused: The top priority is creating real social change that leads to better lives and healthier communities.

• Relationship Oriented: Understands that people come before process and is astute in cultivating and managing relationships toward a common goal.

• Collaborator: Understands the roles and contributions of all sectors of the community and can mobilize resources (financial and human) through meaningful engagement.

• Results Driven: Dedicated to shared and measurable goals for the common good; creating, resourcing, scaling and leveraging strategies and innovations for broad investment and impact.

• Brand Steward: Understands his/her role in growing and protecting the reputation and results of the organization, and thus, the greater network.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Grant Prospecting & Research

• Research and monitor foundation, corporate, government, and other funding opportunities aligned with UWSHR priorities and programs.

• Evaluate prospective opportunities for funder alignment, eligibility, competitiveness, requirements, and organizational fit; provide recommendations on opportunities to pursue.

• Maintain the grant pipeline and track recurring opportunities and application cycles to support proactive planning.

Grant Writing & Proposal Development

• Coordinate grant applications from planning through submission, managing requirements, timelines, contributors, approvals, and grant portals.

• Draft and edit compelling proposals, letters of inquiry, narratives, and other funder communications that accurately represent UWSHR’s programs, priorities, and impact.

• Research and incorporate relevant community data, program outcomes, and evidence into proposals.

• Collaborate with Programs, Finance, Resource Development, and Leadership to develop aligned narratives, budgets, outcomes, and supporting materials.

• Maintain current organizational information, program descriptions, data, and standard grant materials.

Grant Management, Compliance & Reporting
• Maintain grant calendars and files, tracking award periods, deliverables, reporting

deadlines, payment schedules, recognition requirements, and other milestones.
• Review grant agreements and communicate requirements, responsibilities, budgets, and

deadlines to appropriate staff.

• Monitor grant deliverables, outcomes, expenditures, and compliance in partnership with Programs and Finance staff; proactively identify and elevate concerns.

• Coordinate grant modifications, extensions, budget revisions, closeout, and other funder requirements.

• Prepare and coordinate timely narrative and financial reports, gathering program outcomes, stories, financial information, and supporting documentation from appropriate staff.

Funder Stewardship & Relationship Support

• Support cultivation and stewardship of current and prospective funders, maintaining accurate records of relationships, communications, applications, awards, and reports.

• Coordinate acknowledgments, recognition, impact communications, funder meetings, site visits, and other stewardship activities.

• Prepare funder research and briefing materials and identify opportunities to strengthen relationships.

Cross-Functional Grant Coordination

• Serve as a central point of coordination among Resource Development, Programs, Finance, and other departments throughout the grant lifecycle.

• Maintain effective internal grant processes, shared resources, and accurate information about the grant pipeline, awards, deadlines, and funding needs.

• Identify opportunities to improve grant systems, processes, and cross-departmental communication.

• Independently manage an assigned portfolio of grants and funder relationships, coordinating internal and external stakeholders throughout the grant lifecycle.

Competencies:

• Project Management & Organization: Effectively manages multiple grants, applications, stakeholders, and competing deadlines; anticipates upcoming needs, establishes clear timelines and responsibilities, follows up proactively, and ensures commitments are completed accurately and on time

• Mission-Focused: Catalyzes others’ commitment to mission to create real social change that leads to better lives and healthier communities

• Relationship-Oriented: Is astute in cultivating and managing relationships toward a common goal

• Collaborator: Understands the roles and contributions of all sectors of the community and can mobilize resources (financial and human) through meaningful engagement

• Results-Driven: Dedicated to shared and measurable goals for the common good; creating, resourcing, scaling, and leveraging strategies and innovations for broad investment and impact

• Strength of Character: Demonstrates integrity, sound judgment, accountability, and the ability to build productive relationships across roles and departments.

• Technologically skilled: Uses technology effectively to organize information, manage deadlines, conduct research, develop proposals, maintain grant records, and improve productivity. Demonstrates the ability to learn new grant portals, databases, CRM systems, and other technology.

• Brand Steward: Steward of the brand and understands his/her role in growing and protecting the reputation and results of the greater network

• Visionary: Confronts the complex realities of the environment and simultaneously maintains faith in a different and better future, providing purpose, direction and motivation

• Team-Builder: First ensures that the right people are in the right roles at the right times; fostering commitment, trust, and collaboration among multi-cultural leaders and stakeholders

• Outward Turning: Understands the dynamics of local, regional, and national environments, and works on an agenda rooted in the community’s own perception of its needs and aspirations

• Business Acumen: Possesses a high-level of broad business and management skills and is effective at using financial resources wisely and for the greatest impact

• Network-Oriented: Values the power of networks; striving to leverage United Way’s breadth of community presence, relationships and strategy

Core Values:

• We are responsive to each other and to the community. We do our best to anticipate challenges and needs so we can proactively address them. We do NOT react, we respond – promptly, appropriately and thoughtfully.

• We build trust by being transparent, authentic and vulnerable. We communicate openly and listen with respect and empathy. We do NOT shy away from tough conversations or backtrack on our commitments.

• We are determined and steadfast in our commitment to our goals. We are persistent and tenacious and seek creative solutions to overcome obstacles. We do NOT let failure keep us down – we brush it off and try again with renewed dedication the next day.

• We are team players, always seeking opportunities to go above and beyond our job description to help our colleagues and partners. We aim to create a positive, fun environment where we are proud to be ourselves. We do NOT work in silos but instead play to each other’s strengths and cover each other’s blind spots.

• We care about community because to us, this work is personal. It’s for our families, our neighbors, our children, our friends. We are all here because we want our work to matter – to have some higher purpose – and we want to surround ourselves with others who desire the same. It’s NOT just a paycheck, it’s a purpose.

Key Skill Requirements:

• Proficient in developing competitive grant proposals, letters of inquiry, and narrative responses aligned with funder priorities and programmatic goals.

• Demonstrated ability to conduct prospect research using grant databases, philanthropic directories, and federal funding portals to identify aligned funding opportunities.

• Skilled in logic model development, theory of change articulation, and integration of evidence-based practices into funding applications.

• Experience coordinating cross-departmental input to produce cohesive proposals, including collaboration with program, finance, data, and leadership teams.

• Ability to synthesize large volumes of quantitative and qualitative data to support needs assessments, outcomes reporting, and funder-required performance metrics.

• Strong command of grants compliance, funder-specific requirements, and post-award reporting obligations.

• Adept at developing and reviewing proposal budgets, budget narratives, and cost allocation plans in coordination with finance staff.

• Familiarity with CRM and grants management systems such as Andar or similar platforms for tracking submissions, deadlines, and deliverables.

• Capacity to manage concurrent funding applications under tight deadlines with attention to accuracy, formatting, and technical requirements.

• Working knowledge of philanthropic and public sector funding trends, including federal, state, foundation, and corporate giving priorities.

Qualifications Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years’ grant writing experience in a nonprofit or public sector setting.
• Proven success in securing foundation, corporate, or government funding.
• Strong writing and editing skills with the ability to craft persuasive, outcomes-focused

proposals.
• Experience developing budgets and collaborating with finance and program teams.
• Familiarity with grant management or CRM platforms
• Knowledge of federal grant guidelines, including OMB Uniform Guidance.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.

• 5+ years of grant writing experience, ideally in a multi-program nonprofit.
• Knowledge of logic models, evaluation frameworks, or Results-Based Accountability.
• Experience using Grants.gov, SAM.gov, or other government portals.
• Familiarity with United Way priorities or similar community impact initiatives.
• Membership in GPA, AFP, or completion of grant writing certification.

Working Environment: Typical office environment with some time spent in outside meetings. Nights and weekends may be required for special events or meetings. Physical Requirements:

• This job may require exerting up to 25 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects

• Worker must frequently talk, hear and use typical office equipment
• Walking, standing or sitting for extended periods of time
• Ability to provide personal transportation

• Ability to operate a computer for extended periods United Way of South Hampton Roads is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In order to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals, employment decisions at UWSHR will be based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. UWSHR does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status or genetics. Please Note: Requirements, skills, and abilities described above are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position with or without reasonable accommodation. In no instance, however, should the duties, responsibilities, and requirements be interpreted as all-inclusive.

• Required Qualifications
• Preferred Qualifications