Corporate Grants Manager presso United Way Chicago

POSITION:        Corporate Grants Manager

DEPARTMENT: Resource Development

REPORTS TO:  Associate Vice President, Corporate Relations

FLSA:                Full-Time, Exempt

PAY GRADE:    6

SALARY RANGE: $70,000-$75,000

PRIMARY PURPOSE

The Corporate Grants Manager is responsible for securing and growing $5.2 million in corporate philanthropic support through strategic prospecting, high-quality grant writing, and effective project management. This role oversees the full lifecycle of corporate grant opportunities from identifying and researching prospects to developing compelling proposals and ensuring timely reporting while stewarding corporate funder relationships. The Corporate Grants Manager collaborates closely with resource development, community impact, finance, and communications teams to coordinate deadlines, align messaging with organizational priorities, and deliver accurate, data-informed content. This position is ideal for a detail-oriented, deadline-driven professional who thrives at the intersection of strategy, storytelling, and execution.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Manage the full lifecycle of the corporate grants portfolio – prospecting and proposal development through reporting. 
• Write compelling, tailored proposals, letters of inquiry, and reports for corporate grants.
• Build and maintain a robust pipeline of prospective corporate funders; identify alignment with organizational priorities, keeping abreast of key corporate giving trends, industry news, and opportunities.
• Provide support to the AVP of Corporate Relations, Chief Development Officer, CEO and board members in maintaining and growing United Way’s relationships with the corporate community. 
• Oversee grant reporting process for corporate funders, ensuring compliance with deliverables and effective communication of program outcomes.
• Maintain a master calendar of submission and reporting deadlines, ensuring timely delivery. Track and share deadlines, submissions, and deliverables through CRM.  
• Collaborate with community impact, finance, and communications teams on data collection, program content, project budgets and more. 
• Partner with and support the Foundation Relations Officer on internal grant processes, and content alignment.
• Communicate proactively with Resource Development team members to align workplace giving strategies and other key messaging. 
• Produce internal dashboards and progress reports for leadership and board reporting.
• Stay current on best practices in corporate social responsibility and institutional fundraising.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in grant writing, corporate relations, or institutional giving in the nonprofit sector.
• Familiarity with CRM database best practices.
• Exceptional written communication and storytelling skills.
• Demonstrated success project managing grant proposals and reporting workflows involving multiple stakeholders and timelines.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively across departments.
• Highly organized, meticulous attention to detail, ability to multi-task, prioritize, delegate and execute concurrent projects and day to day tasks. 
• Ability to be discreet and maintain highly confidential information required. 
• Possess a collaborative and entrepreneurial spirit, self-motivated, innovative, resourceful, flexible; consistently delivers a high level of service to the team and organization.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• Guided by a clear set of Core Values and Behaviors – Equity Minded, Passionate About the Work, A Good Teammate and Curious, you will join an impressive group of individuals and contribute your diverse set of experiences, skills and characteristics to the organization.  
• Accepts guidance and responds well to feedback.
• Displays maturity, good judgment, enthusiasm and personal motivation.
• Strong interpersonal skills including the ability to anticipate workload and effectively cultivate. and leverage relationships with colleagues to meet deadlines.
• Collaborative entrepreneurial spirit, ability to multi-task and prioritize concurrent projects and day-to-day tasks within a high production and fast-paced environment.

 BENEFITS OFFERED

TO APPLY: Candidates must officially apply through our website with a cover letter and resume along with two grant writing samples that best demonstrate their recent work. 

The responsibilities listed above are intended to describe the general nature and scope of work required in the role. The above is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required. The incumbent may be asked to perform other duties as assigned. We believe the term “diversity” incorporates all the characteristics that make us both alike and unique: our backgrounds, cultures, nationalities, lifestyles, identities, gender, points of view, approaches to solving problems, ways of working, and views of personal and career success. It is the intent of United Way to follow both the letter and the spirit of local, state, and federal laws governing Equal Opportunity Employment as those laws exist today and as they may change in the future