Foundation and Grants Manager in Illinois City, Illinois at EPILEPSY FOUNDATION

The Foundation and Grants Manager is responsible for identifying, cultivating, and securing funding opportunities from private and family foundations in support of the Epilepsy Foundation’s mission and strategic priorities.

This position manages the full grant lifecycle, including prospect research, opportunity qualification, proposal development, submission, grant tracking, reporting, stewardship, and renewal. The Foundation and Grants Manager develops compelling and competitive proposals that effectively communicate the Foundation’s impact, programs, priorities, and unique role within the epilepsy and patient advocacy community.

Working collaboratively across the organization, the Foundation and Grants Manager partners with program teams, subject matter experts, Finance, Development, and senior leadership to gather and synthesize information required for complex proposals, reports, and other funder communications.

The Foundation and Grants Manager conducts research and analyzes prospective funders, including historical giving, funding priorities, grantmaking patterns, and trends, to identify high-potential opportunities and determine the strongest approach for engagement. This position also maintains the Foundation’s grant calendar and establishes effective project management and quality review processes to ensure proposals and reports are accurate, compelling, compliant, and submitted on time.

As a key member of the Development team, the Foundation and Grants Manager serves as an internal subject matter expert on foundation fundraising and grant development and contributes to strategies designed to achieve annual fundraising and revenue goals.

• Conduct comprehensive prospect research to identify private and family foundations whose funding priorities align with the Epilepsy Foundation’s mission, programs, and strategic initiatives.

• Analyze prospective funders’ historical giving, grantmaking priorities, funding patterns, eligibility requirements, and trends to assess fit and likelihood of success.

• Identify, qualify, and prioritize high-potential grant opportunities.

• Provide recommendations to Development leadership and internal partners regarding prospective funding opportunities and engagement strategies.

• Research and recommend tools, resources, and platforms that strengthen foundation prospecting and grant research capabilities.

• Lead the planning, development, writing, editing, and submission of compelling grant proposals, letters of inquiry, applications, and other funding requests to private and family foundations.

• Partner with program teams, subject matter experts, Finance, Development, and senior leadership to gather programmatic, financial, and organizational information required for grant submissions.

• Translate complex programmatic and organizational information into clear and persuasive narratives tailored to funder interests and requirements.

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive grants calendar to manage proposal deadlines, reporting requirements, renewals, and other key milestones.

• Establish and maintain quality-control processes to ensure proposals are accurate, complete, compelling, and compliant with funder requirements.

• Take ownership of the final submission process, ensuring all required materials are completed accurately and submitted on time.

• Manage post-award requirements for secured grants, including deliverables, reporting deadlines, program outcomes, and stewardship activities.

• Partner with Finance and program teams to monitor grant budgets, expenditures, and compliance with funding requirements.

• Prepare timely and accurate interim and final reports, stewardship communications, and other funder updates.

• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with foundation representatives and other grantmaking decision-makers.

• Identify renewal and continued funding opportunities and develop strategies to strengthen long-term funder relationships.

• Maintain accurate and timely foundation and grant records within Salesforce CRM.

• Track prospect activity, proposals, awards, reporting requirements, deadlines, funder communications, and other relevant grant activity.

• Develop and continuously improve grant tracking, project management, and reporting processes.

• Maintain accurate documentation to support institutional knowledge, grant compliance, and fundraising strategy.

• Utilize data and performance metrics to evaluate grant activity, pipeline health, and progress toward fundraising goals.

• Bachelor’s degree required.

• Minimum of 2–3 years of professional grant writing and grant management experience, preferably within a nonprofit, human health, healthcare, or patient advocacy organization.

• Minimum of two years of demonstrated experience identifying, researching, and qualifying foundation funding opportunities.

• Demonstrated experience developing and submitting competitive proposals to private and/or family foundations.

• Experience managing multiple grants through the full grant lifecycle, including proposal development, award management, reporting, stewardship, and renewal.

• Experience with grant prospecting, research, and tracking tools.

• Experience using Salesforce or a comparable CRM/donor management platform preferred.

• Experience collaborating with programmatic and finance teams on grant budgets, outcomes, and reporting.

• Demonstrated understanding of nonprofit fundraising principles, grantmaking practices, and foundation relations.

• Exceptional grant writing, editing, research, and storytelling skills.

• Strong ability to translate complex programmatic information, data, and outcomes into clear and compelling funder communications.

• High level of attention to detail and commitment to accuracy and quality.

• Strong research and analytical skills, including the ability to assess funder alignment and funding potential.

• Excellent organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple proposals, deadlines, and competing priorities simultaneously.

• Ability to independently manage projects from initial research through final submission and reporting.

• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.

• Excellent written, verbal, and cross-functional communication skills.

• Ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues, subject matter experts, senior leadership, and external partners.

• Strong time management, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

• Demonstrated initiative, accountability, and ownership of assigned responsibilities.

• Ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain strict confidentiality.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and the ability to quickly learn new technology platforms.

• Knowledge of basic nonprofit budgeting and financial principles related to grant management.

This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities.

• This is a full-time position working 35 hours per week.

• Occasional evening or weekend work may be required based on organizational needs, meetings, events, or grant deadlines.

• This position is expected to participate in Foundation meetings, trainings, and other organizational activities as required.

• This position requires travel to mandatory Foundation events and meetings, as well as additional travel as needed to support business and organizational priorities

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the position. Responsibilities may be modified or assigned based on the needs of the organization.