Grants Manager

Grants Manager

Job Description

Reports to: Development Director

Direct reports: None

Location: Burbank, CA

Travel: None

Mission Statement

Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation ensures more students can participate in music education and experience the lifelong joy, confidence, and creativity that help them succeed in life. We prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion at the center of our work.

General Summary

The Grants Manager is a key member of Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation’s Development team, responsible for the organization’s institutional fundraising portfolio. This position reports to and collaborates closely with the Development Director, functioning as a capacity builder for the development team through grant seeking, writing, and reporting.

The Grants Manager supports the Development Director’s institutional giving strategy and manages the complete grant lifecycle — from prospect research through submission, compliance, reporting, and renewal.

The ideal candidate is a versatile writer and disciplined project manager who thrives in an autonomous environment, follows every grant through from research to renewal, and brings a strategic mindset to institutional fundraising — not just strong proposals, but sound judgment about where to invest the team’s time and how funder relationships build over time.

Success will be seen as a healthy and growing institutional pipeline, high-quality submissions, strong renewal/retention, excellent deadline and compliance management, and effective identification of new opportunities.

Primary Responsibilities

Proposal and Report Development 

• Research, write, and edit all grant proposals and reports, ensuring each submission is tailored to the funder's priorities, represents the organization's voice, and accurately reflects the Foundation's programmatic work and impact
• Recommend ask amounts and program framing for each proposal, for Development Director approval
• Write narrative content for donor-facing materials and internal and external presentations, ensuring grant-funded outcomes are reflected consistently in the Foundation's broader storytelling

Grant Operations and Compliance 

• Manage the grants calendar, tracking all deadlines, reporting requirements, award terms, and renewal windows
• Prepare and submit applications and reports, including portal submissions and required attachments
• Maintain grant records in eTapestry
• Monitor compliance with award terms

Portfolio Research and Pipeline 

• Draft and maintain the annual institutional giving plan for foundation and corporate funders, for Development Director approval, in line with revenue goals set with the Director
• Identify and research prospects, and recommend go/no-go on funding opportunities
• Advise the Development Director on portfolio health, pipeline, and emerging funding opportunities
• Provide grant pipeline data, revenue projections, and prospective funder analysis for the Director's budgeting, forecasting, and organizational reporting

Funder Relationships and Stewardship )

• Build and maintain working relationships with funders, serving as the primary point of contact for grant-related correspondence, with the Development Director and CEO leading on key funder relationships
• Cultivate funders from first contact through renewal, and coordinate reporting and award terms with funders at the Director’s direction

Cross-Team Coordination 

• Assign and review the Development Assistant’s grant-related tasks (grants calendar upkeep, data gathering, attachment preparation) within the time allocation and priorities set by the Development Director, who supervises the Assistant
• Coordinate the development and synthesis of impact data, budgets, and supporting materials across Program and Finance
• Work with the Program team to surface and shape impact, testimonials, and school-level outcomes that bring the Foundation's work to life for funders
• Participate in team planning meetings, brainstorming sessions, and cross-departmental collaborations

Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Passionate about the mission of Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Communications, Arts Administration, Nonprofit Management)
• Minimum of 4 years of nonprofit development experience, with a strong track record in grant writing
• Demonstrated success in securing significant revenue from grants
• Excellent writer and strategic thinker — able to translate programmatic work into a compelling case for funders
• Excellent interpersonal, relationship-building and project management skills
• Excellent communication and organizational abilities
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, Adobe Acrobat and Blackbaud/eTapestry or a comparable donor CRM
• Organized and self-directed, with the ability to manage a complex, deadline-driven workload independently
• Experience using AI tools for research and drafting, with the editorial judgment to verify accuracy and keep proposals in the Foundation's voice
• Experience with arts education or youth-serving organizations a plus

Hours and Benefits

• Hours: Full time, nonexempt, 40 hours/week
• Excellent benefits: Full-time employees are eligible for paid time off, sick leave, and paid holidays. Medical, dental, and vision insurance is offered with 80% of the insurance premium covered by employer. Employee bonus policy is in place.
• New employees are eligible to participate in a 403(b) plan immediately, with employer matching effective from the date of hire
• Salary: $70k–$75k (approximately $33.65–$36.06/hour)