Grants Manager (FJS)

Foundation for a Just Society; New York (NY); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid vacation

401(k) plan

Life insurance

Parental leave

Educational support

Job summary

Foundation for a Just Society in New York seeks a Grants Manager who will report to the CFO and be embedded within the program team. The role covers all grants management functions, compliance with IRS and OFAC rules, and the implementation of new grants software to improve processing and transparency.

You will supervise a grants associate as the team grows, handle domestic and international awards, coordinate payments, and help develop strategies to optimize grants administration while ensuring

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of international grantmaking experience, including expenditure responsibility, equivalency determination, and OFAC compliance.
• Solid understanding of IRS rules and regulations governing private foundations.
• Experience managing a grants management database.
• Experience developing and implementing policies and procedures.
• Eligibility to work in the United States.

Responsibilities

• Oversee grants management from application to closeout.
• Ensure payments are processed and tracked with finance staff.
• Maintain and upgrade GIFTS Online and related systems.
• Ensure compliance with IRS rules, OFAC, and donor requirements.
• Provide training and guidance to program and grants staff.
• Represent the foundation at conferences and meetings.

Skills

International grantmaking

OFAC compliance

Expenditure responsibility

Grant management database

IRS rules knowledge

Job description

Foundation for a Just Society (FJS) envisions a world where all people are equally valued and lead self-determined lives. It advances the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQI people and promotes gender and racial justice by ensuring those most affected by injustice have the resources they need to cultivate the leadership and solutions that transform our world.

FJS makes grants to local, national, regional, and global organizations and networks with an emphasis on Francophone West Africa, Mesoamerica, South and Southeast Asia, and the US Southeast. The foundation supports efforts that advance long-term, structural change and meet immediate needs that enable women, girls, and LGBTQI people most affected by injustice to be leaders, strategists, and agents of change.

POSITION SUMMARY

The grants manager will report to the chief financial officer and will be structurally integrated within the program team. This deliberate cross-functional structure is designed to allow the grants manager to have a general understanding of the programmatic direction, be aware of priorities, be alerted to developing plans that might be complex from a grants management perspective, and build relationships with Foundation staff and grantee partners, all while implementing best practices in grants management and compliance.

The grants manager is responsible for all grants management functions and all daily grants activities, including: inviting and processing incoming applications; working closely with the finance staff to ensure payments are processed and tracked accurately; supporting the launch of new grantmaking initiatives; and driving development of strategies to optimize the grants administration process. The grants manager is required to have an understanding of OFAC regulations, the ability to structure expenditure responsibility grants with grantee partners based outside of the US, and the expertise to evaluate domestic grants that require sensitivity to US Treasury rules concerning lobbying and maintenance of strict non-partisanship in civic engagement activities. The grants manager is responsible for maintaining the current grants management database, GIFTS Online, and will be responsible for researching and implementing a new grants management system in 2020. The grants manager will be supported by the grants associate within a growing grants management team. With growth of team, the grants manager may be responsible for supervision of a grants associate/assistant.

Some domestic and international travel.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES + RESPONSIBILITIES

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Grants Administration:

• Assure the smooth flow of proposal processing throughout the grant cycle, from application to closeout.
• Provide technical assistance to grantee partners and applicants regarding compliance and the foundation’s online grants process.
• Prepare all correspondence including award letters, decline letters, renewal awards, and annual and pledged gift agreements.
• Maintain clean and accurate information in the grants database, including scanning and uploading documents to the database.
• Recommend logical evolutions in grant coding structure, field definitions, and authorizations.
• Recommend policies and procedures for ensuring the integrity of the grants database, including data validation checks, maintenance of coding consistency, periodic analyses to verify the completeness of data, and the establishment of protocols for identifying and editing missing or inaccurate data.
• Identify and develop strategies to optimize the grants administration process according to the operational and financial needs of the organization.
• Represent the foundation at the PEAK Grantmaking conference and in other meetings and forums.

Compliance:

• Conduct legal compliance review, interact with program officers and grantee partners, to ensure that all grantee reports and supporting documentation are accurate, adequate, and consistent with IRS regulations and foundation policies. Facilitate requests for equivalency determination via NGO Source for qualified international grantee partners.
• Communicate with program officers when there are questions regarding grant materials, including missing application items, budget issues, etc.
• Coordinate award letters processing, grant report reviews, and grant modifications with program officers.
• Develop and update workflows, compliance checklists, and the grants management manual.
• Stay abreast of funding trends and compliance issues, attend relevant professional meetings and activities, and incorporate as appropriate into the foundation’s grants management process.

Systems and Training:

• Manage and maintain the GIFTS Online grants management database that follows the foundation’s work processes, while balancing the needs of program and finance staff and regulatory compliance; assure integrity of data.
• Work directly with program team to design and create applications and reporting templates that support a values-aligned grantmaking process.
• Provide ongoing guidance for program and grants management staff to improve and streamline the foundation’s grantmaking processes, and lead the development and enhancement of GIFTS Online (and a new database).
• Recommend changes in the grants management process and technology to improve efficiency, transparency, compliance, and applicant experience. 3
• Lead the development, implementation, and staff training of policies and procedures related to grants document management, due diligence requirements, risk management, grants management best practices, and database coding. Set in place systems to assure these policies and procedures are documented and followed.
• Identify grantmaking professional development and training opportunities for staff and self.
• Enter grant payments into JP Morgan Chase Access and coordinate with the CEO, director of programs, and CFO to release wire payments.
• Lead the 2020 project on research, selection and implementation of the new grants management database for the foundation.

Other Related Duties:

• Assist the program team in the preparation of docket materials for Board and committee meetings.
• Accompany program officers on site visits, as needed, to provide technical assistance to grantee partners and assess their stated use of grant funds.
• Provide support to the finance team with the annual audit and Form 990PF preparation.
• Provide leadership on special projects for the grants management team and in collaboration with program and operations teams, as needed.
• Support the annual budget process for the program team and co-create/coordinate the grants management team budget within the grants management team.
• Provide detailed progress reports to the CEO and Board of Directors on the organization's grantmaking.
• Assign grants management-related tasks to the grants associate.

Perform any other duties or tasks as assigned or required.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of experience with international grantmaking, including expenditure responsibility, equivalency determination, and OFAC compliance.
• Solid understanding of IRS rules and regulations governing private foundations and all related activity.
• Experience working in a public or private foundation.
• Experience managing a grants management database.
• Experience developing and implementing policies and procedures.

Related Skills & Other Requirements:

• Demonstrated commitment to women’s, girls’ and LGBTQI rights, and alignment with the foundation’s values.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Excellent speaking, writing and research skills; ability to define objectives and consistently meet deadlines.
• Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Strong project management skills. Ability to work independently and collaboratively, and spearhead initiatives.
• Ability to create and refine systems to ensure good grantmaking.
• Solid judgment and critical thinking skills.
• Positive attitude, sense of humor and a commitment to being a part of an energetic, demanding work environment.
• Fluency in Spanish and/or French preferred.
• Eligibility to work in the United States.

COMPENSATION AND CULTURE

Salary Range: $80,000 - $120,000, depending on experience.

FJS offers a benefits package that includes:

• 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for all eligible employees and their spouses, domestic partners, and eligible dependents.
• Paid vacation days, and closed Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day.
• 401(k) retirement plan (with employer match).
• 100% employer-paid life insurance, supplemental short-term disability, and long-term disability.
• Generous parental leave with full salary continuation.
• Educational support benefits.

FJS is committed to cultivating an organizational culture where everyone is able to bring their full, authentic selves to work. The foundation believes a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace is one where all employees, no matter their gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, education, or disability, are valued and respected.