Grants Manager
Location: Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT (Hybrid Possible)
Status: Full-Time, Salaried
Starting Salary: $65,000
Benefits: Fully paid Health Insurance, employee sponsored Dental and Vision Insurance, Accrued CTO, Sick Time and Staff Meals
About Vermont Studio Center
Founded in 1984, Vermont Studio Center (VSC) is the largest international artist and writer residency program in the U.S. Located on a historic campus in Johnson, Vermont, VSC welcomes artists and writers from around the world to create, connect, and engage in a vibrant rural community dedicated to the arts.
Position Overview
VSC is seeking a Grants Manager to lead institutional fundraising efforts through strong writing, thoughtful strategy, and clear systems. This role manages the full lifecycle of grants from prospecting through award, reporting, and close-out. It also plays a key role in shaping a sustainable and forward-looking funding strategy.
This is a highly collaborative role, working closely with program, finance, leadership team, external contractors, etc. to translate VSC’s work into clear and persuasive narratives for funders.
Key Responsibilities
Proposal Development & Writing
- Write, edit, and submit grant proposals, letters of inquiry (LOIs), and concept papers to foundation, corporate, and government funders
- Tailor messaging to align with funder priorities while maintaining VSC’s voice and values
Grants Management
- Maintain a comprehensive grants calendar that tracks deadlines for proposals, reports, and renewals
- Maintain clear internal tracking systems and provide regular updates to the Development team on pipeline status and upcoming deadlines
- Ensure timely and accurate submissions across all funding sources
Grant Reporting
- Manage the timely effort to gather data, outcomes, and stories in collaboration with program and finance staff
- Prepare clear, concise, and compelling interim and final reports
Prospect Research
- Identify and evaluate new funding opportunities aligned with VSC’s mission and strategic priorities
- Maintain and grow a pipeline of prospective funders
Funder Relationship Management
- Support cultivation and stewardship of institutional funders in collaboration with colleagues
- Maintain accurate records and interactions in the organization’s CRM system
Compliance & Administration
- Ensure all grants meet funder requirements and compliance standards
- Manage internal processes from award through close-out
Strategy Development
- Lead the development and execution of a multi-year institutional funding strategy
- Contribute to revenue forecasting and long-term planning
Qualifications
- Writing: Exceptional writing and editing skills, with the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and persuasively. Each applicant is requested to submit 2 writing samples from successful applications they have previously authored.
- Experience: 3+ years in grant writing, grants management, or related nonprofit development work.
- Project Management: Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities
- Research: Experience identifying funding opportunities using tools such as Candid/ Foundation Directory Online, or similar platform
- Technical Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office. Experience with Salesforce strongly preferred and with Airtable would be ideal.
Working Conditions
- Hybrid possible role in Johnson, VT.
- Occasional evenings or weekends required during arrival days and events.
- Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.
To Apply:
Please submit a cover letter and resume to jobs@vermontstudiocenter.org with “Grants Manager” in the subject line. Applications will be accepted until April 30th, 2026.
In addition to supporting artists and writers by providing studio residencies in an inclusive international community, Vermont Studio Center has an internal DEIA Working Group; a proactive and responsive think tank, grounded in shared goals and reflective evaluation. Contributors help identify needs, elevate concerns, communicate progress, and acknowledge cultural shifts within and beyond the organization. Core principles include:
1. Safety: We commit to fostering a safe, respectful, and supportive environment for vulnerability, difference, and growth.
• We practice kindness, flexibility, and non-punitive accountability.
• Safety includes emotional, cultural, and intellectual space for all.
• We recognize the importance of naming harm without blame and that every situation is different. We respond with intention and care.
• Safety agreements are further defined by working group.
2. Responsiveness & Inclusion: We act with intention, prepare proactively, making room for emerging needs, and shifts in contexts.
• We prioritize inclusion that anticipates rather than reacts.
• We value non-binary and intersectional approaches to complexity.
• We acknowledge and respond to cultural shifts within and beyond the organization.
• We take responsibility for our affective impact on one another and the broader community.
3. Curiosity & Humility: We nurture a culture of ongoing learning, self-reflection, and openness to change.
• We remain curious and aware of our growing edges.
• We challenge binary thinking, especially in approaches to harm and repair.
• We embrace discomfort as part of the work and make space for uncertainty.
• We model listening, evolving language, and shared inquiry.
4. Framework & Systems: We build and maintain equitable systems that support shared accountability, decision-making, and follow-through.
• We track our work and revisit commitments annually with intention.
• We use flexible but transparent decision-making structures as context requires.
• We define and review our scope regularly to remain responsive and strategic.
• We share responsibility across the organization while naming our role as a think tank, advisor, and liaison.
• Working group contributors serve as liaisons between the DEIA group and the broader staff community. While the organization holds ultimate accountability, contributors help identify needs, elevate concerns, and communicate progress.
• Decision-making balances majority vote with the aspiration for consensus, which is required when stakes or impact call for full agreement.
• We document our efforts to create a shared organizational record of what was proposed, enacted, and learned.
5. Evaluation: We define success as our ongoing role in supporting the organization through reflective evaluation, thoughtful recommendations, and shared goals.
• Success is not a fixed endpoint, but a continuous process of making thoughtful recommendations, tracking outcomes, and adapting as needed.
• We prioritize organizational accountability for implementation, while maintaining a loop of responsibility through liaison roles and ongoing follow-up.
• Feedback and reflection are built into our workflow, with structured and informal opportunities for input.
• We regularly assess our scope and capacity, determining what can be taken on and when to pass action forward.
• Evaluation tools such as flow charts help us visualize and schedule progress reviews, helping the group track closure and evolution over time.
