A grant coordinator is an integral employee for a number of different types of nonprofit or community organizations that rely on grant funding for at least a portion of their operating funds. It is the job of the grant coordinator to see all the grant applications through from start to finish; this would begin with simply researching the different types of grants available and the qualifications that applicants must meet. The next step is to discuss the application with any other employees who requires the information, to gather all the requested data, and then to actually write the grant application and submit it. It is necessary to be very organized, and understand the grant writing process thoroughly in order to succeed in this position.
Some of the most important aspects of being a grant coordinator are to actually research the grants in the first place. This might involve long hours going through various grant databases that are applicable, and for which the organization or nonprofit is a qualified applicant. The grant coordinator will then select the grant or grants that he or she will write the application for, and begin gathering the required information.
Many grant applications will require very specific information from the applicants, such as the type of work they do, the specific project for which the funds will be used, or the amount of volunteer hours they log every week or month. The pay scales for certain employees might be required as well, in addition to any other information specific to the actual grant and the nature of the organization. Some grant applications can be quite long, so it is important for the grant coordinator to be very organized and meticulous when filling out the applications to be sure that all the requested information is provided. It may often require meeting with other employees to discuss the application and what they can contribute.
The next step in working as a grant coordinator is to actually write the grant and submit it by the due date. Grant writing requires some specific knowledge in how to most effectively phrase certain things, or knowing what topics to discuss to make it more likely that the grant will be awarded. Some larger organizations will have one grant coordinator to oversee this process, and a number of junior grant writers participating in the ongoing research and writing tasks, as there is certainly enough work in the process to make it a full-time job.