Grant Manager

Position Overview

• Position Title: Grant Manager
• Reports To: President of the Board of Directors
• Term: 6 months (with potential for extension)
• Hours: Part-time, estimated 10–15 hours per week (flexible schedule)
• Compensation: $28 – $35 per hour, commensurate with experience

Organization Summary

Interchange Food Pantry (IFP) has been a source of nourishment and care for Milwaukee area residents for over 50 years, combating the ongoing problem of food insecurity that is too common in our community. Started in 1971 as a small neighborhood pantry, IFP has seen tremendous growth, particularly over the past decade, when we transformed into a city-wide pantry with two locations, serving individuals and families from all Milwaukee zip codes.

Today, IFP provides healthy, high-quality food to over 60,000 people each year who come to us from throughout Greater Milwaukee, 48% of them children. We emphasize fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains—healthy, whole foods that we’d want to feed to our own families. Another of our key goals is to treat everyone with dignity, kindness, and respect, and our pantry guests often comment on the warm and friendly atmosphere at our pantry. Behind every interaction and program at IFP is a driving mission to improve the health and well-being of our guests through nutritious food and compassion.

As we navigate a planned leadership transition with our retiring Executive Director, we are seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Grant Manager to maintain continuity in our institutional giving portfolio, seek new funding prospects, and lay a solid foundation of storytelling and documentation that will help with the eventual on-boarding of a new Executive Director.

During the Grant Manager’s tenure, the Board will conduct a search for a new Executive Director.

Role Summary

As Grant Manager, you will manage a current grant portfolio of approximately $120,000 and actively prospect for new funding partners. In this role, reporting directly to the Board President, you will document existing programs and organizational data, craft compelling narratives, and collaborate closely with staff and Board leadership to ensure that all materials accurately reflect IFP’s mission and operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Portfolio Management & Stewardship:
  • Maintain and manage the existing institutional grant portfolio (~$120,000), ensuring all reporting requirements, deadlines, and deliverables are met on time.
• Prospect Research:
  • Research, identify, and cultivate new foundation, corporate, and government grant partners aligned with our anti-hunger mission.
• Data & Program Documentation:
  • Document existing food pantry programs, operational workflows, and impact metrics to build a centralized, accessible repository for grant applications.
• Compelling Storytelling:
  • Write clear, persuasive grant proposals, letters of inquiry, and impact reports that highlight the community need and the measurable success of our pantry programs.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
  • Partner with staff and Board members to ensure grant materials accurately align with daily pantry programming and strategic goals.
• Process Advising:
  • Provide expert guidance to staff on improving internal data collection, tracking, and grant-related workflows during the leadership transition.

Qualifications & Skills

• Experience: 2+ years of professional or academic grant writing experience (this may include comprehensive grant writing experience gained during graduate research activities, fellowship applications, or institutional funding projects).
• Communication: Exceptional written, verbal, and storytelling skills with the ability to translate data and community need into compelling narratives.
• Organizational Skills: Strong project management abilities with meticulous attention to detail.
• Collaboration: Ability to work independently while maintaining strong, communicative relationships with Board members and operations staff.
• Technical Literacy: Proficiency with grant management software, spreadsheets, and collaborative tools (e.g., Microsoft Office, Google Workspace).