How Strategic Grant Management Helped a Workforce Development Nonprofit Regain Momentum
When leadership transitions happen in a nonprofit, the impact can ripple across every aspect of the organization—including funding stability. Without clear grant management processes, teams often struggle to keep up with reporting deadlines, funding applications, and long-term sustainability planning.
That’s exactly what happened to a workforce development organization supporting women in the workforce when they lost both their fund development director and executive director at the same time. Before hiring a new executive director, their program director had to take on all grant management and writing responsibilities, creating an unsustainable workload. Once the new executive director came on board, she faced an uphill battle:
Understanding the organization’s grant landscape—what grants were in place, what reports were due, and what future funding opportunities existed.
Balancing immediate funding needs with long-term sustainability before bringing in a new fund development director.
Ensuring compliance and stewardship of existing grants while identifying opportunities for multi-year funding.
How Momentum for Impact Helped
Our team at Momentum for Impact stepped in to bring clarity and structure to their grant management process. Here’s how we helped:
Uncovered all current and past grants to create a full picture of the organization’s funding history.
Developed a reporting calendar to track deadlines and ensure compliance with funders.
Created a comprehensive grant management system that allowed for better internal communication and long-term sustainability.
Worked with them to finalize a federal appropriations application before the end of 2024.
The result? The organization gained complete visibility into its grant strategy, ensuring that reporting requirements were met and positioning them for larger grants and multi-year funding opportunities.
Their Reaction: Relief, Clarity, and a Clear Path Forward
The team was overjoyed to finally have a structured system in place for managing grants. With a clear understanding of all existing funding sources and a roadmap for future opportunities, they could move forward as a team with confidence.
Advice for Nonprofits Facing Similar Challenges
If your organization is struggling with grant management due to leadership changes or workload challenges, here are some key takeaways:
Set up sustainable systems now. Align tracking tools and reporting processes so grant knowledge isn’t lost during transitions.
Ensure institutional knowledge is documented. If a team member leaves, clear records of grant obligations and deadlines are essential for continuity.
Use team launch meetings for every new grant. This ensures that everyone is aligned on expectations, deliverables, and reporting timelines.
Hold a close-out meeting at the end of each grant. This helps confirm that all requirements are met, that key takeaways are recorded for future applications, and more then one person carries all institutional knowledge.
Need Support Managing Your Grants? Start building your momentum
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Why This Checklist?
This actionable resource helps nonprofits:
Stay on track with deadlines and reporting requirements.
Strategically plan multiple grant submissions.
Build capacity to secure and sustain multi-year funding.
How It Works
Fill out the form below to download this essential tool for free. Together, we’ll help you organize your grants and maximize your impact.