Grant Coordinator Vs. Grant Writer
Governments, corporations and private foundations award millions of dollars in grants to causes, individuals and organizations. Winning a grant is a competition among dozens and even hundreds of hopeful recipients. The key to winning is submitting a well-prepared grant application. These portfolios are prepared by "grant writers" and with support from "grant coordinators." There is a difference between the two in skills, education, tasks, responsibilities and income.
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Grant Writers
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Grant writers are skilled, independent writers compiling required information and creating a grant application. O Net Online says as of 2009 that more than 95 percent of the professionals had college degrees. Grant writers search for grantors with missions fitting the writers' organization's programs. Responsibilities are essentially project management functions: defining scope, assessing risks, delineating outcomes, selecting resources, preparing budgets and establishing a schedule. Grant writers might also organize a presentation to the awarding organization.
Grant Coordinators
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Grant coordinators are typically project coordinators. The coordinator works at both ends of the grant process. During the application preparation, the coordinator works with the grant writer assisting with information compilation. Depending on skills, the coordinator may also write portions of the application. After a grant has been won, the coordinator is responsible for tracking funding received, grant-related spending and oversees the required audit at project conclusion. College is not as crucial; the website Career One Stop reports that similar occupations, such as social and community service managers, less than 70 percent of coordinators have degrees.
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Difference in Earnings
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Grant writers earn $10,000 to $20,000 more than grant coordinators. In 2009, Career One Stop said that technical writers earned a median income of $62,730. For grant coordinators, Pay Scale pegs the median range topping out at just under $48,000.
The Right Career Choice
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The major difference between the two grant positions is creativity and convention. Grant writers employ creativity preparing the case statements and portfolio to submit with the applications. The grant writer pulls all the technical information together and creates a presentation ensuring the organization stands out when compared with competing submissions. Grant coordinators need strength following convention and grant implementation. The coordinator role requires attention to detail, strength with numbers and an ability to compile data for auditors.
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