About Us

We are looking for a Grants Manager (GM) to work with the Board of Directors to carry out our mission, which is to fund US-based non-profit organizations who partner with poor communities in the developing world to improve their health, education, and incomes, while strengthening local capacity to sustain our benefits. Focus areas for grants include agriculture, health, environment, and education, and projects funded must be based in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and South or Southeast Asia.

Position Summary

The Grants Manager is responsible for providing overall guidance and coordination of grants. The GM will work together with the Board of Directors and is responsible for engaging with potential grantees, other funders, and philanthropic platforms to attract top quality non-profit organizations and provide guidance on grant making. They will also ensure that the website and grant platform is up to date with proper instructions and forms for grantees.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

General

• • Facilitate grant due diligence and management of grantmaking process.
  • Participate in ongoing efforts to improve and streamline grantmaking policies, workflows, and procedures by eliciting and integrating feedback from grantees, the Board, etc.
  • Maintain top-line knowledge of best practices in the field of grants management as well as regulatory developments.
  • Develop and implement an annual plan and budget for grants management.
  • Organize and facilitate efficient Grants Committee meetings to review and approve grants. Prepare notes on committee decisions and take action on each grant as directed by the committee.
  • Produce regular and ad hoc reports to support management and decision-making.
  • Problem-solve and provide analysis to Grants Committee and Board as needed for a streamlined and efficient grant making process.

Grant Administration

• Review eligibility quizzes to ensure only fully eligible grantees proceed to the next step.
• Review letters of intent (LOIs) for responsiveness and compliance with regulatory policies, before uploading to grants management system for review by the Grants Committee.
• Support the Grants Committee in reviewing and prioritizing LOIs. Organize and attend Grants Committee meeting to review and approve LOIs.
• Review full grant applications for responsiveness and compliance issues, provide summary data, information, and recommendations for each grant to the Grants Committee, and ensure grants move expeditiously through the review and approval process.
• Maintain communication with applicants and grantees through the approval and grant implementation processes.
• Work with finance and compliance administrator to process grant payments and produce reports for financial statement audits and schedules for tax filings.
• Ensure grantees submit any required reports and documentation and are in compliance with all grant terms and conditions.

External Communications and Information-Sharing

• • Manage grants communications and outreach including other funders/foundations, philanthropic platforms the pool funding, platforms the consolidated foundation information, website, etc., to attract top quality non-profit organizations and provide guidance on the grant making process.
  • Develop and maintain resources about policies and practices to post on the website for prospective applicants and current grantees.
  • Ensure quality and timeliness of grant-related information flows to the website and other sites.
  • Produce reports on grantmaking for external partners and networks.

Grants Management System

• Liaise with the administrator of grants management software. Troubleshoot issues, consult, and solve problems, and make sure all grant information is uploaded for easy access and decision making by the Grants Committee.
• Triage issues with grants management system in support of grantees and to ensure an optimal user experience. Keep Board appraised of any issues with the system and recommend changes as needed.
• Produce and share training and documentation about the grants management system with the Board.
• Maintain a grants database, including basic information on all grants approved and awarded, as well as dashboards, forms, templates, reports, and data.
• Produces internal data summaries, reports, statistics, and custom analysis as needed for the Board and Grants Committee.
• Process grants through their lifecycle, including creating, maintaining, and updating electronic records.
• Provide technical assistance to applicants and grantees regarding the grantmaking system; facilitate grantees' understanding of grant, reporting, and audit requirements.
• Institutional Support
  • Obtain and provide the Board with grants management perspective about other foundation's processes, projects, and outreach and communications strategies, and provide recommendations for ways to continually approve and meet its mission.
  • Serve as a champion of grantee experience and engagement.
  • Provide grants management orientation and basic training in the grants system to new Grants Committee members.
  • Provide data and recommendations for continuous grantmaking performance improvement at least quarterly at Board meetings

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Qualifications
  • Familiarity with rules governing private foundations, with emphasis on due diligence processes, industry terminology, and grantmaking standards and requirements for U.S. recipients.
  • Proficiency using grants management platforms/systems.
  • Excellent project management and communication skills.
  • Eligibility to work in the United States is required.
• Competencies and Behaviors
  • Ability to set and manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
  • A detail-oriented mindset and advanced organizational skills necessary to work with a variable workload.
  • Effective writing and speaking skills for a range of audiences.
  • Self-starter able to manage work and obtain results with a high level of independence.
  • Willingness to work independently and in teams.
  • A proactive approach to communicate with colleagues about emerging challenges.
  • Commitment to continued learning and improvement based on challenges and successes.
  • Commitment to and interest in the mission.
  • Unimpeachable personal integrity.

Education & Experience

• Undergraduate degree, with a minimum of five years of professional work history with a preference for substantive experience in the philanthropic sector.