Grants Management Associate

Department/Fund Summary: Groundswell Fund’s Grantmaking Department supports over 200 organizations across the United States in 49 states, as well as Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington D.C. In 2021, Groundswell’s Grantmaking Department, in partnership with our Capacity Building Department, moved over $13M in grants to support grassroots movements. Our grantmaking focuses on bolstering and scaling organizations that are led by BIPOC communities seeking to change the material conditions harming our communities and advancing systemic change through various strategies including: base building, campaign development, policy and advocacy, uplifting innovative models addressing inequity in birth outcomes, and transformational organizing that centers community care and healing justice work. Groundswell Fund has a strong track record of supporting impressive grassroots base building organizations working towards policy wins and systems change. We acknowledge that systems change takes time. Thus, the vast majority of our grants are for general support, and we commit to funding efficient and effective organizations over many years. We award grants through five funds, two special project initiatives, and through our capacity-building programs. 

Position Summary: The Grants Management Associate is responsible for supporting all of Groundswell’s grantmaking. The position will work closely to support grantmaking by the Grantmaking Department, Capacity Building Department, and Groundswell Action Fund. The Grants Management Associate contributes to the implementation of grantmaking, grants management, technical assistance, evaluation, communications, and funder organizing efforts. They support and foster key relationships with internal staff, grantees, and other key partners. The ideal candidate will be mission-driven, have excellent communication skills, be a problem solver, be highly organized, and have a working knowledge of Fluxx.

Responsibilities:

Grants Management | approximately 50%

Support renewal cycles, Request for Proposals, and reporting processes as needed.
Support grants management for Groundswell Fund and Groundswell Action Fund.

Support grant disbursement processes for Groundswell, as needed including generating grant agreements and amendments, supporting grantees and fiscal sponsors to complete forms, liaising with Groundswell’s Senior Grants Manager, Finance department and Capacity Building department, and filing completed grant agreements and documents.
Support the reconciliation of grants accounting in partnership with the Senior Grants Manager and Finance department.
Liaise with other staff to provide technical assistance and troubleshoot any issues during the grant cycle on behalf of the grantee partner.
Support the budgeting and forecasting process by providing necessary report data from Fluxx, the grant management software.
Monitor the grant pipeline to help resolve any issues and ensure timely processing of grants and grant payments.
Conduct initial due diligence review, which includes gathering information from program staff and applicants as needed and assessing supporting documents and proposal narrative for compliance with relevant IRS regulations and organization policies.
Monitor and review grantee reports to ensure compliance.
Serve as a grants management system administrator.
Partner with program staff and other stakeholders to identify evolving requirements of our grants management system, and recommend and implement improvements based on organization’s needs.
Provide technical support to staff and grantees who are using Fluxx.
Create customized reports for internal and external stakeholders using datasets from Fluxx.
Support in design of program applications, reports, surveys, etc.
Update Fluxx forms and workflows as needed for grant programs.
Conduct user testing in grants management system as needed.

Administrative Support | approximately 50%

Manage scheduling and calendar maintenance for Grants Management Team, including coordinating calls and meetings. Schedule and lead grant management informational calls with internal and external stakeholders.

Support, maintain and contribute to the development of strong, efficient administrative systems and practices to improve the remote work of the Grants Management team and Groundswell.
Advise Program Staff on structuring grants and grant programs, compliance, and risk management.
Work with the Program Staff to maintain the integrity of data in Fluxx, ensuring that we have an accurate record of grantmaking and its impact.
Manage the updating of the grantmaking calendar and project management tools to ensure that all departments meets key deadlines throughout the year.
Provide administrative support for consultant contracts and vendor payments.

Manage intake tracking of applicants, including declining organizations who do not meet the criteria and following up with applicants for more information.
Support the review and assessment of grant applications to support the Program Officer, Senior Director of Grantmaking, and advisory committee in making grant decisions.
Support ongoing communications with grantees and other audiences inside and out of Fluxx, including supporting timely communications with grantees in advance of reporting deadlines and follow-up with grantees who miss deadlines.
Ensure that grantmaking complies with IRS regulations, and organization policies.

Support grants management including updating Fluxx, inputting grantee demographic data, following up with applicants for missing information, filing grant application materials and grant agreements in online database.
Maintain up to date grantee data in database and server and maintain timely and accurate filing of all grantee information online, including grant inquiries, proposals, reports, correspondence and updates.
Manage updates to Groundswell’s website pages content, deadlines, and application portal.
Stay up-to-date on Fluxx updates and upgrades, troubleshooting and testing implications for our Fluxx instance and integrating new features as needed.
Possibly support and/or conduct site visits or calls with grantees.

Qualifications:

Essential

This is a remote position and applicants must be able to work from home.
Commitment to Groundswell’s mission.
Comfort and expertise in working with Fluxx or knowledge and experience with other grants management systems and platforms.
Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively via phone and email with a range of stakeholders.

Comfort and expertise in working with Google Suite (Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides and Google Forms).
Comfort and expertise in working with Microsoft 360 and Microsoft Office suite (including Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive, Word, Excel and PowerPoint).
Dedication to service and support for members of our team; timely response to requests and follow-up as needed.

Strongly Preferred

Experience working in social justice movements, preferably in grassroots organizing.

Experience with Asana, Bill.com, and Neon.
Grants management experience.
Strong interest in philanthropy, grantmaking, and organizing funders to support reproductive justice and social justice issues.
Strong attention to detail, organization skills, and ability to balance competing priorities.
High level of experience with administrative tasks.
Has consistent and timely follow through.
Excellent scheduling and calendar management skills, including expertise with Calendly and Doodle.

Willingness to offer and receive timely constructive feedback.
Demonstrated problem-solving skills, and willingness to ask questions and seek assistance.
Ability to work independently, on multiple projects at a time, and across several time zones.
Knowledge and application of best practices in grant making.
Exceptional customer service and problem-solving skills.
Ability to evaluate, improve, manage, and maintain systems and processes.

Preferred

Familiarity with reproductive justice/gender justice.

Some experience with Slack, Survey Monkey, Box, and Dropbox.
Comfort with online communications platforms and technology.
Experience coordinating the planning and logistics for meetings, webinars, and convenings.
Ability to cooperate and work collaboratively toward solutions.
Ability to communicate effectively with diverse partners, internally and externally.

Virtual Organization: Groundswell is a completely virtual organization and has been for many years before the COVID-19 pandemic. We are committed to building a strong identity and thriving culture that is exemplary in the nonprofit world and in the greater landscape of fully remote organizations.  To succeed as remote workers, applicants should have a dedicated workspace, a commitment to clear and frequent communication, and comfort utilizing technology to increase collaboration and connection. Those with previous remote work experience are preferred, but we also welcome those who are new to remote work and understand the requirements of working in a thriving virtual organizational culture. When travel is safe again, we will have the opportunity to travel and see each other in person for retreats, conferences, and events; but until then, all our work is virtual. 

Work Schedule: Groundswell is a completely virtual organization, allowing for flexibility in work schedules for our staff across differing U.S. time zones. While work can usually be completed during standard business hours of the applicant's time zone, there may be times where early morning, evening, and weekend work may be needed to ensure organization-wide collaboration, to staff or attend events, and/or to meet organization workload needs during busy times of the year. When travel is possible again, staff whose jobs require travel can expect longer hours, as travel may happen outside of business hours and on weekends.   

Computer Skills: To perform this job successfully, an individual should have an openness to learning and working with technology, including Microsoft Office 365 (Excel, Word and Outlook required; SharePoint preferred), Slack, GSuite, Zoom, Neon, Calendly, Bill.com, Concur, Asana, and PC and/or Mac Computers.

Travel: When travel is safe again, must be available to travel at least 6 times a year for overnight events/meetings across the U.S. Travel needs will be evaluated and determined on an ongoing basis with an eye toward staff safety as we continue navigating COVID-19.

Compensation/Benefits: Annual salary is $ 75,720. Very generous benefits include fully paid for employee and family health, dental, vision, matching 401K plan, as well as additional employer-provided reimbursements for fertility expenses, transgender health care costs and midwifery/doula expenses that are not covered by insurance. Three weeks of vacation upon hire and a generous holiday schedule including a week during the summer and the last two weeks of December, as well as a flexible work schedule.

To Apply: Please include a resume, three professional references, and a cover letter that includes your salary expectations and describes why you feel you are a strong candidate for this position. Accepting rolling applications, until the position has been filled. Due to the high volume of applications, only those selected for further discussion will be contacted. Please, no phone calls.

Equal Employment Opportunity: The Groundswell Fund is a 501(c)(3) public charity that incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grant-making programs. We are committed to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and that enables each of us to realize our potential. Our work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of races, ethnicities, national origins, ages, sexual orientations, gender identities, beliefs, religions, faiths and ideologies, cultures, socio-economic backgrounds and levels of physical ability.