How to apply for Grants Project Manager (United States)

About Climate Finance Solutions

Climate Finance Solutions is a consultancy that helps climate technology companies secure large-scale grant funding. The firm has secured over $1.6 billion in non-dilutive funding for clients across the US, Europe, Canada, Australia, and emerging markets. It is a fully remote, fast-paced team with a stated commitment to equitable access to climate funding and developing climate finance leaders.

About the role

This contract role owns federal and state grant applications end-to-end. You lead writing teams, manage multi-stakeholder timelines, and act as the strategic interface between CFS and clients from kickoff through submission. The work directly affects whether climate technology companies win the funding they need to develop and scale solutions.

A typical day

A typical day may include a client kickoff or status call, updating a project timeline with milestones and go/no-go points, assigning tasks to writers, and reviewing draft sections for compliance with solicitation requirements. You would also send weekly status updates to clients and partners and track pending items against the submission deadline. The role is fully remote, so most coordination happens through video calls and shared project management tools.

Who Climate Finance Solutions is looking for

• Has direct experience managing federal and/or state grant applications, including compliance with solicitation requirements and deadlines.
• Can build project timelines, milestones, and go/no-go decision points, then assign tasks to the right team members.
• Is comfortable serving as the primary point of contact for clients and partners, including weekly status updates.
• Works well in a fast-paced, fully remote environment and can lead writing teams without in-person oversight.

Tips for this application

• Name specific federal or state grant programs you have managed (for example, DOE, EPA, or state energy offices) and the dollar values involved.
• Describe your role in multi-stakeholder proposals: how many writers, partners, and client contacts you coordinated, and how you handled deadlines.
• Show familiarity with climate technology sectors, since CFS clients are climate tech companies seeking non-dilutive funding.
• Explain how you have used project management tools or systems to track tasks, milestones, and go/no-go decisions across a submission timeline.
• Address the remote and contract nature of the role directly. State your availability and confirm you can operate as a contractor in the United States.

What to cover in your cover letter

Your cover letter should focus on: (1) a specific federal or state grant application you managed end-to-end, including the outcome; (2) your experience leading writing teams and coordinating multiple stakeholders under a fixed submission deadline; (3) your ability to serve as the client-facing point of contact with weekly status reporting; (4) your interest in climate technology and non-dilutive funding specifically, not grants in general.

Research before applying

• Review CFS's website and any public case studies to understand the types of grants and clients it works with.
• Look up the federal and state grant programs most relevant to climate technology, such as DOE and EPA funding opportunities.
• Check the LinkedIn profiles of current CFS team members to understand the backgrounds of people in similar roles.
• Research the difference between non-dilutive funding and venture capital, since CFS positions its work around non-dilutive grants.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Walk through a federal or state grant application you managed from kickoff to submission. What was your process for compliance and deadlines?
• How do you build a project timeline with go/no-go decision points when a solicitation has complex requirements?
• Describe a time you led a writing team where a team member missed a deadline or delivered poor quality. What did you do?
• How do you handle a client who wants to submit before the proposal is competitive?
• What do you know about CFS's work and the climate technologies its clients develop?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Applying without demonstrating specific federal or state grant experience. General project management experience alone is not enough for this role.
• Writing a cover letter that focuses on climate passion but omits concrete examples of managing grant applications, timelines, and writing teams.
• Ignoring the contract nature of the role or failing to confirm you can work as a US-based contractor.