Grants Manager (SG)

Sunlight Giving; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401K retirement

FSA/DCA

Job summary

Sunlight Giving, based in Palo Alto, CA, seeks a Grants Manager to oversee grantmaking for Acton Family Giving and Solidarity Giving. The role involves coordinating tasks, tracking budgets, preparing materials, and ensuring grant processes run smoothly. Strong writing and stakeholder skills are essential.

The Grants Manager works closely with grantees, staff, and board members within a dynamic team, with in-office duties required. Salary range reflects DOE and full-time hours.

Qualifications

• BA/BS or equivalent experience required.
• Demonstrated initiative and strong judgment.
• Excellent writing and editing skills with attention to detail.
• Strong customer service and stakeholder communication abilities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and database tools.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate grantmaking tasks among program staff, administrative staff, and vendors.
• Track grants budget including future scheduled payments.
• Maintain calendars and timelines for grantmaking cycles.
• Prepare and copy edit grant materials and memos for meetings.
• Provide technical support to applicants and collect grantee feedback.
• Maintain grant records in the database and monitor payments.
• Ensure policies and procedures are followed by staff and applicants.
• Support strategic planning and data requests for the team.

Skills

Administrative skills

Organizational skills

Customer service

Written communication

Attention to detail

Data entry/Database familiarity

Education

BA/BS or equivalent experience

Tools

Microsoft Office

Database software

Job description

Sunlight Giving is a private foundation that supports local and national organizations that provide basic services to low-income families with children ages 0-5. Sunlight Giving is part of a family of philanthropic entities collectively referred to as Wildcard Giving. In addition to Sunlight Giving, Wildcard Giving includes two "sister" donor advised funds, Acton Family Giving and Solidarity Giving . Together, they are committed to community through a common set of values, grantmaking practices, and staff. Wildcard Giving believes in an individual’s right to dignity, agency, justice, and self-determination and its giving works to further civic values, collective responsibility, and our common humanity.

This position will focus primarily on Acton Family Giving and Solidarity Giving. The two donor advised funds have a yearly grantmaking budget of $25M, which is distributed through approximately 300 grants. The Grants Manager is responsible for grant-related administration and management. They design, implement, and monitor workflow processes and procedures for grantmaking, including the application, review, grants meeting, and award activities for the entities. The Grants Manager is also involved in the initial screening of potential grantees and monitoring ongoing grants. The Grants Manager works closely with grantees, staff, board members, and outside vendors to ensure the smooth operation of the donor advised funds. As a critical member of the Wildcard Giving team, attendance in our office is an essential function of this job.

Grants Management

• Coordinate grantmaking tasks between program staff, administrative staff, and vendors so that grantmaking activities are smoothly implemented;
• With program staff, track grants budget including future scheduled payments;
• Maintain calendars and timeline for grantmaking cycles, including meeting schedules, application submission deadlines, and internal deadlines;
• Prepare and copy edit meeting materials in collaboration with program staff including grant-level summaries, budgets, memos, and/or other materials. Compile all grant materials in accordance with grantmaking policies and procedures and within deadlines set forth by the Senior Grants Manager;
• Provide technical support to applicants, collect grantee feedback, make recommendations and implement changes as needed to ensure a smooth and accessible application process;
• Maintain grant records in the database, including tracking applications and grantee payments;
• Ensure operations, grantmaking policies and procedures are followed by staff, grantees, and applicants;
• Support strategic planning activities which may include collating historical grants data, and responding to other data and/or information needs;
• Participate in Grants Management team meetings and professional development opportunities to stay up-to-date on developments in the field and compliance requirements;
• Participate in Wildcard Giving activities to build cohesive, collegial culture and encourage cross-organizational learning; and
• Undertake special projects as assigned or initiated.

Program Support

• Maintain a thorough knowledge of the priorities and grantee selection criteria for all assigned programs;
• Serve as primary point of contact for assigned grantees via phone or email request, escalating as needed to program staff;
• Serve as first point of contact in compiling, reviewing and responding to letters of inquiry and unsolicited grant requests. In partnership with program staff, request additional information from organizations, if necessary, to complete a review; and communicate decisions and decision rationale to grant seekers orally and/or in writing;
• Conduct due diligence (gathering background information, history, organizational data) on potential and prospective grantees to inform the review process and ensure the eligibility of prospective grantees in the early phase of consideration; and
• Remain abreast of current research, activities, and trends in philanthropy by reviewing professional publications, and attending related conferences, meetings, and other events and report findings back to team.

Administration

• Coordinate communication among grantees, program staff, and board members, including responding to mail, email and telephone inquiries;
• With program staff, coordinate meeting logistics for board meetings, off-sites and retreats, including materials, meals, and travel;
• Maintain assigned website information, including coordinating contractors and ensuring content is accurate, current and consistently updated (e.g., grants lists, end of year reporting, etc.);
• Provide administrative support to the Board President for other philanthropic volunteer work as needed; and
• Track and renew memberships and subscriptions to journals and other publications.

Location: This position is based in our Palo Alto, California office.

Reports to: Senior Grants Manager

Hours: Full time, Non-Exempt, 40 hrs/week. Company hours are 9am-5pm. Your schedule will be set with your supervisor.

Salary Range: $75,000 - $100,000 DOE

Benefits: Include medical, dental, vision, 401K retirement, FSA/DCA and more.

Qualifications

• BA/BS or equivalent experience;
• Minimum of three years’ substantive administrative and operational experience;
• Demonstrated initiative, sound judgment, and the tenacity to see tasks through to completion in an accurate and thoughtful manner;
• Proven ability to prioritize and work with a variety of internal and external stakeholders and deadlines;
• Ability to juggle multiple projects and work independently, as well as with others, in a collaborative, often fast-paced, team environment;
• Ability to objectively analyze a situation and evaluate pros and cons of any course of action;
• Ability to think and act decisively about program and operational issues;
• Highly organized and detail-oriented with a commitment to accuracy;
• Excellent customer service skills with emphasis on respectful and tactful communications;
• Excellent writing and editing skills, including proofreading and copy editing;
• Strong information technology skills, including proven advanced experience with Microsoft Office and/or database programs;
• Demonstrated commitment to Wildcard Giving’s values and beliefs; and
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility and discretion about confidential matters.

Sunlight Giving is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants for employment and our company policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, national origin, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, citizenship, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, military service, legally protected medical condition or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state or local laws.

All final candidates must provide three relevant employment references, and be able to verify the right to work in the United States