Specialist - Outreach-Fixed Term

Position Summary

The Michigan State University (MSU) Center for Regional Food Systems (CRFS) within the Department of Community Sustainability is seeking a full-time, fixed-term Grants Support Specialist for the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center (GLM-RFBC). This position is classified as Academic Specialist – Outreach.

The Grants Support Specialist will assist farmers, producers, and food business entrepreneurs across IL, IN, MI, and WI with grant writing and building skills with finding and applying for relevant grant opportunities. The GLM-RFBC is a large, 5-year federally funded project with regional partners that will offer assistance and a grant program for farmers, producers, and food business entrepreneurs, prioritizing those who have been historically marginalized.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Outreach to, and educating, farmers, producers, and food business entrepreneurs about relevant grant opportunities from various funding sources, including federal grants;
• Developing and implementing training and other capacity building opportunities (virtual and in-person, etc.) to increase grant writing skills, knowledge and experience among farmers, producers, and food business entrepreneurs;
• Supporting individuals or groups in the region to find, prepare, and apply for grant opportunities for their respective farm and food businesses, including the GLM-RFBC’s Business Builder grant program;
• Prioritizing and following up on requests for grant writing support and/or making referrals for assistance for available grant opportunities;
• Supporting network building and connections between business owners and actively developing, managing, and nurturing working relationships with internal and external interested groups, including funders;
• Consulting on all phases of the Business Builder Grant Program implementation and administration, including to improve and refine it in future phases based on experiences and feedback from farmers, producers, and food business entrepreneurs;
• Regularly meeting with the Business Builder Grant Program Manager and participating in project meetings, including to communicate and advocate for the needs of farmers, producers, and food business entrepreneurs;
• Developing and tracking metrics on outcomes of funding received by businesses, including through Salesforce;
• Supporting project evaluation activities led by the Evaluation Specialist;
• Contributing to project reports, work plans, and other deliverables;
• Regularly communicating activities with GLM-RFBC partners, the CRFS leadership team and staff, and ensuring activities accurately reflect project partnerships, goals, and values; and
• Performing other duties related to this role not explicitly stated above.

Expectations for CRFS Academic Specialists

• Contribute to relationship-building and regularly convene and/or collaborate with CRFS staff and state, regional, and national partners virtually and in person;
• Engage with relevant networks led by CRFS and/or partners and appropriate professional organizations;
• Provide leadership for outreach, training, technical assistance, research, data collection and/or analysis, including through web-based platforms, electronic surveys, etc., and share results;
• Develop papers, resources, and other creative forms of scholarship in a timely fashion for diverse audiences, including practitioners, stakeholders, the general public, and academics. Publication examples include reports, fact sheets, guides, videos, webinars, and journal articles;
• Present on outreach, research and/or education projects and findings at conferences, meetings, and other venues, which may include scholarly, government, association, and community audiences;
• Document and share project work and accomplishments; maintain regular internal and external communication about project activities; and develop and report on an annual plan of work;
• Actively participate in CRFS staff and strategic meetings and stay current on CRFS projects, activities, resources, and publications as relevant to this work;
• Represent projects and CRFS in a professional manner in all forms of engagement and communication; and
• Help to foster, facilitate, and maintain the CRFS culture of anti-racism, trust, support, and accountability.

Status

 This is a full-time, annual year (12-month), fixed-term position. Initial appointment will be for one year with annual reappointment throughout this 5-year project (ending 6/30/2028) contingent upon funding and performance.

Current MSU Benefit Highlights

Compensation for this academic specialist position