Grants officers assess applications for grants and funding from charitable trusts, government or public bodies. They may decide themselves whether to award funding, or they may put the application through to a senior grants officer, programme director or a committee for a final decision.

The work involves:

• checking that applications are suitable for their organisation to fund
• advising people how to apply and helping to them improve their application
• assessing applications against a strict set of rules
• giving information and recommendations to the decision-making panel
• keeping people informed about the progress of their application
• administering grant payments
• supporting a caseload of grant holders and monitoring their progress
• keeping accurate records of applications and grant payments
• giving presentations to publicise award schemes.

Grants officers may assess applications from individual people, charities, community groups or university research departments, depending on the type of organisation they work for.

Hours and Environment

As a grants officer you will usually work 35 to 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday. Flexitime and part-time work may be available.

You will be office-based, but may also spend some of your time travelling to meet applicants and consultants, visiting projects and giving presentations. 

Skills and Interests

To be a grants officer you need:

• excellent written and spoken communication skills
• the ability to analyse complex written and numerical information
• fair and objective decision making skills
• a willingness to work to strict guidelines
• good organisational and planning skills
• good computer and administration skills
• the ability to work well both alone and as part of a team
• tact and empathy
• the confidence to give presentations.

For some jobs, you will also need specialist knowledge, for example in heritage or the arts.

Entry

The entry requirements for becoming a grants officer can vary depending on the employer and the type of projects they fund. For example, some organisations ask for experience in community work, conservation or the arts, while awarders of scientific research grants may prefer you to have a science degree. You should check with each employer.

Whatever your background, you may find it useful to have experience in relevant skills such as:

• basic accounting and budget management
• database administration
• project management
• information gathering.

You will also usually need to show an understanding of the voluntary and community sector, so you will find it helpful to have paid or unpaid work experience in these areas.

If you want to gain experience in the voluntary sector, you can find out about local opportunities from Volunteering England, Volunteer Scotland, Volunteering Wales or Volunteer Development Agency (for Northern Ireland). You could also contact Working for a Charity about their short courses and work placement scheme (see Further Information below for details).

Training

You will usually learn on the job, working with experienced grants officers and trustees. Your employer may also arrange for you to take part in short courses and seminars such as the Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF) professional development programme. See the ACF website for details.

You may find it useful to work towards a relevant postgraduate qualification such as the part-time Postgraduate Diploma/MSc in Grantmaking Management, run by City University in London.

Several other universities offer postgraduate courses in charity management, fundraising and voluntary sector management, which you may find useful as your career progresses. Courses are usually part-time or distance learning.

Opportunities

As a grants officer you could work for:

• large and small grant-making trusts
• local and national government
• large high-profile organisations like the Big Lottery Fund
• charities
• health authorities
• arts councils
• academic research foundations
• large public companies.

Competition for jobs can be strong because only a small proportion of the largest grant-making trusts employ paid staff.

Jobs may be advertised in the local and national press, employers’ own websites (see the ACF website for a list of charitable trusts) and some specialist charity recruitment agencies and websites (see Working for a Charity for links). There is a lot of competition for advertised vacancies.

With experience you could progress to senior grants officer, become a freelance grants consultant, or move into charity management.

Annual Income

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Grants officers usually earn around £20,000 to £25,000 a year.
Senior grants officers can earn up to £35,000 a year.

Further information

Central House
14 Upper Woburn Place
London
WC1H 0AE
Tel: 020 7255 4499
NCVO
Regent's Wharf
8 All Saints Street
London
N1 9RL
Tel: 020 7520 2512