A grant administrator is responsible for allocating grants within a company or organization. The administrator oversees the processing of paperwork and applications, as well as the distribution of grants and ensuring that the funds are spent according to the terms of the agreement. He or she will frequently deal with five or more clients at once, keeping track of details and allocating funds as needed. The majority of grant administrators’ budgets for each client range from two to five million dollars.
Although a bachelor’s degree is required, there are no specific courses to take to work in this field. It is suggested that you study a research-related field because that is where the majority of grant requests come from. Obtain a grant management certification after earning a bachelor’s degree. Seminars are offered organizations like the National Grants Management Association (NGMA), and grant administrators can choose from three different grant management tracks: federal, pass-through, or recipient.
A grant administrator in the federal track usually works for the government, and he or she is in charge of government grants. The pass-through track is a type of grant administration in which the administrator works closely with the grant recipient, instructing and educating them on the grant application process and responsibilities. Grant administrator jobs in the recipient track help people who are in need of grants apply for them. A job in grant administration may be obtained once the certification is completed. Once the administrator begins to practice, it is strongly recommended that he or she attend 16 days of training classes per year to keep up with changes in the field and new grant administration processes and procedures.
Grant administrators’ primary responsibility is to process and prepare grant applications. This includes reviewing clients’ budgets, providing grant guidance, obtaining necessary documents and clearances before the grant can be issued, entering data into the organization’s system to track grants distributed, and assembling all completed and signed documents and transmitting them to the appropriate personnel. Project administration is a second responsibility. This includes explaining the grant’s terms, ensuring that follow-up procedures are followed correctly, keeping track of important dates and payments, creating and managing purchase orders, and keeping track of payments. The grant administrator obtains the necessary financial reports from the client, verifies payment records, studies financial reports, reviews invoices, and records receipts during the final step, payment.