Job Description

Grant Manager Associate - Lyons, Ne

Do you have an appetite for making a difference through strategic funding? Join us as a Grant Manager Associate and play a key role in driving meaningful change! In this dynamic position, you’ll collaborate with program staff to research, develop, and manage grant applications that support impactful initiatives. You’ll oversee the grant lifecycle - from proposal to reporting - ensuring compliance, tracking progress in Salesforce, and aligning budgets with funder requirements. If you thrive in a collaborative environment, excel at organization and communication, and are passionate about securing resources for a greater cause, we invite you to apply and be part of our mission-driven team!

The Center for Rural Affairs is seeking a Grant Manager Associate. The positions will be based in Lyons, Nebraska.

Who We Are

The Center for Rural Affairs is a dynamic, energetic non-profit organization working to build a better rural future for all. We’ve done this work for 50 years and we do it from rural places with a flexible work environment. Our work creates opportunities for beginning farmers, new business owners, and first-time advocates. The Center’s work is rooted in principles of diversity and inclusion. We believe that a diversity of people and ideas strengthens our work, our workplace, and our communities. We celebrate this diversity and we are committed to advancing practices that create an equitable and inclusive workplace. We take equal opportunity seriously and we welcome applicants from historically underserved audiences. Additional information can be found at Check to see if our Mission and Values match yours, and read about our work demonstrating how awesome the Center is! 

What You’ll Do

The Grant Manager Associate will report to the Senior Development Director and will work closely with the development team and key Center staff. The Grant Manager Associate is responsible for the following:

• Lead the planning, preparation, and submission of grant proposals in collaboration with program staff.


• Conduct grant research, write compelling proposals, and support reporting processes to secure funding.


• Maintain and update all grant-related data in Salesforce and Google drive, ensuring accurate tracking of applications and awards.


• Develop and manage grant budgets in partnership with program staff to align with funder requirements.


• Monitor and track grant deadlines, ensuring timely submission of applications and progress reports.


• Serve as a liaison between internal teams and granting agencies, fostering strong relationships.


• Stay up to date on grant policies, regulations, and best practices to enhance funding strategies.


• Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles in internal processes and external grant activities.

Who You Are & Keys to Success (the must-haves)

To be successful in this job, you will excel in five areas:

• Relationship-building: You know how to talk with people to learn what needs they have through conversation and inquiry. People trust you because you’re efficient with their time and have their best interests in mind. You’re able to build sales networks, as well as alliances, and find points of collaboration even when there are competing interests on your time. You develop and maintain strong, collaborative working relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders and work with allies and partners from marginalized communities, such as people of color, people with disabilities, low-income families, and immigrants.


• Drive to achieve results: You know how to work to your strengths to achieve your own ambitious goals, and you anticipate hurdles as merely a momentary inconvenience. You possess a competitive drive and are creative when prospecting clients. You set a high bar and meet it because you think three (or 30) steps ahead to come up with pragmatic, yet innovative, solutions. You have financial acumen and an affinity for the details.


• Inclusive leadership and management: You approach leadership in your work with a mindset of “power with” rather than “power over” and regularly include others with lived experience in decision-making. You use resources wisely and can provide clear direction to clients, partners, and contractors to leverage time and resources for impact.


• Setting and managing priorities: You have experience managing multiple projects and keeping tasks from slipping through the cracks. You use resources wisely and can provide clear direction to staff, partners, consultants, and volunteers to leverage time and talent for impact.


• Commitment to racial equity and social justice: You recognize the role of race, income, age, immigration status, and other identities in addressing barriers to capital access. You recognize how your own identities show up in the work, and welcome, reflect on, and act on feedback with an eye toward continuous learning about difference to overcome barriers. You recognize that entrepreneurship is a pathway to better financial outcomes. You’re a leader (or willing to become a leader) in incorporating the Center's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion principles effectively into internal processes, external programming and communications, and work relationships, as well as identifying opportunities to build capacity in centering equity into your work.

If you were here right now, you would be:

• Collaborating with program staff to draft and submit a major grant proposal to support a new initiative.


• Updating Salesforce with the latest grant application details and tracking upcoming deadlines.


• Reviewing a grant budget with program directors to ensure alignment with funder requirements.


• Preparing a progress report for a funding agency, ensuring all compliance and reporting guidelines are met.


• Researching new grant opportunities to expand funding sources and drive organizational impact.

You have experience with the following:

• Writing and managing grant proposals, including research, development, and submission.


• Collaborating with diverse teams to align grant applications with program goals and funder requirements.


• Tracking and managing grant data using Salesforce or similar CRM systems.


• Developing and monitoring grant budgets to ensure compliance with funding guidelines.


• Managing deadlines, prioritizing tasks, and ensuring timely submission of grant applications and reports.


• Staying up to date with grant funding policies, regulations, and industry best practices.


• Communicating complex information effectively in both written and verbal formats.

What Else You Should Know

This is a full-time non exempt position based in Lyons, Ne. This position will require occasional travel by car to meet with community partners and individuals and include both overnight and out-of-state travel on occasion.

Compensation and benefits:

This position has a salary range of $48,000 - $62,000 with top-notch benefits that have a cash value of $10,000 to $29,500, depending on family status and tenure with the Center. Benefits include a 97% employer-paid family health insurance that includes a contribution to a Health Savings Account, retirement options, a fantastic Employee Assistance Program, 12 paid holidays plus paid time off between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day, Friday Summer Hours, and vacation and sick pay.

The Center for Rural Affairs is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in E-Verify, is committed to the full inclusion of all individuals, and takes steps to ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations.

How to Apply

If you would like to work for an organization that has a national reputation as one of the top organizations in the country working to make rural communities more vibrant, apply by sending your resume, cover letter, and three professional references by  clicking here . In the cover letter, please include how your personal and/or professional experiences have positioned you for success in this role and any Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion or Racial Equity-related work, skills, or expertise you want us to know about. Let us know how you heard about this position and why you want to work for the Center.

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Center For Rural Affairs

Job Tags

Holiday work, Full time, For contractors, Summer holiday, Flexible hours, Night shift,

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