What are the main differences between grant administration and grant writing?

A large part of grant management is figuring out how best to implement the grant goals within the guidelines of the granting organization while sustainably addressing local need. For example; what methods should be utilized in implementation to ensure the intended benefit? You must walk a line between knowing the intentions of the granting organization and meeting the needs of those who benefit from the grant and its administration. This requires knowledge of, or having a reliable consultant, about the community the grant will serve.

Another important aspect of grant administration is forecasting, which predicts the balances of sponsored projects based on current spending rates. When based on personnel salaries and other regular expenses such as laboratory supplies or equipment, these forecasts can be quite accurate, and allow for the greatest use of sponsored funds in line with the project aims and goals.

Grant writing skills also translate to the activities listed above in grant management, including contract review and communications among stakeholders. Composing project reports and synopses may also fall under the purview of a grant administrator, along with, depending on the size of the organization, web copy and other written materials.

My perspective as a former research grants admin and a current nonprofit grant writer is that these two areas have far more in common than not. Both roles require collaboration with project/program staff; I'm not sure why that point is being presented as a feature of grant writing and not grant administration.

My experience at community level non-profits is that while administration and writing may hold differing responsibilities in reality most organizations do not separate these in execution. Generally, the same individual(s) are responsible for both and those working in grants should have the capacity for both in order for execution on the whole to be successful. When these responsibilities are siloed, there is often miscommunication and inconsistency across the project or program being administered.

I have had the privilege of being a Grant Writer for small non-profits and I am currently a Pre-award Grants Administrator for the University of Washington. If you are a freelance Grant Writer then this article is spot-on, but if you are a Grant Writer working for a non-profit, you are, more likely than not, a Grant Writer and Administrator. In my experience, I worked on multiple grants at a variety of stages from beginning to end or maintenance of. I have the privilege at the UW to be able to focus on just one aspect of Grants Admin, Pre-award, which is everything in preparation for submission to award, EXCEPT writing the grant. My work is focused on the rules, regulations, budgets, and submission details and deadlines.

This seems to be a question with very clear difference. Grant writing is a pre-award process wherein an applicant (could be a faculty member/staff/etc.) prepares a proposal and submits to the funders for consideration. In case the proposal fructifies, the research administration office manages the awarded project till its completion. Needless to say, grant administration applies to both pre- and post- grant processes.