Grants Management Specialist

The Collaborative for Gender + Reproductive Equity (CGRE) is a dynamic learning community of donors united in the advancement of gender, reproductive, and racial equity. CGRE provides funding to unite advocates across issue silos; defend gender, reproductive, and racial equity; and work towards a future where every person has the resources and autonomy to thrive. CGRE’s Advisory Committee (AC) of funders learns together with field experts, amplifying the impact of their giving, and accelerating change in five-year increments. CGRE’s approach focuses on four core areas of work: State Power-Building, Judicial Strategy, The Alliance Table, and Response to Opportunity. Since launching five years ago, CGRE has deployed over $200 million in funding to grantee partners.

The Gender Equity Action Fund (GEAF) is an independent, aligned 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to advancing gender, reproductive, and racial equity through state-centered investments that build people power to drive transformative policy. GEAF’s approach centers investing in power-building programs at the state level, particularly those working with communities underrepresented in voter mobilization, policy change, and nonpartisan judicial efforts. GEAF is guided by a committed community of engaged donors and leading field experts who serve on its Advisory Board (AB), bringing together the expertise and passion needed to shape its impactful initiatives.

CGRE and GEAF, both fully virtual organizations, are fiscally sponsored by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and the North Fund, respectively. Learn more at cgre.org and geaf.org.

The Role

The Grants Management Specialist (GMS) ensures our grants are made quickly, accurately, and efficiently, with the lowest possible burden on our partners. They manage and execute the entire grant lifecycle – an average of 200 grants totaling $47 million, 230 reports, and 275 payments each year – across two fiscal sponsor platforms, each with its own policies and practices. As such, profound attention to detail and the ability to work independently are musts for this role.

Reporting to the Grants + Data Manager, the GMS is part of a team that devises and manages values-aligned grantmaking practices, systems, and data; codes and analyzes data; and shares learning across CGRE and GEAF. This is a newly-restructured, US-based role that requires periodic travel.

Responsibilities

Grants Management

• Manage all stages of the grant lifecycle, from invitation to grant closure, ensuring that funds are disbursed quickly and grants are closed efficiently. This includes preparing invitation and award letters, reviewing grant agreements, processing early or on-time payments, ensuring report submission and compliance, and facilitating amendments.
• Perform accurate, timely grants data entry and coding, and maintain grant records in Salesforce and Fluxx with an eye towards data integrity.
• In consultation with fiscal sponsors, undertake due diligence, ensuring adherence to IRS regulations, other legal requirements, and fiscal sponsor and organizational policies; review grant requests for completeness and compliance and offer recommendations on grant structures or terms.
• Act as key contact for applicants and grantee partners, including providing technical assistance on grants management issues.
• Support the maintenance and refinement of grantmaking policies, procedures, and resources; help develop internal and external guidance materials; and provide support for staff on best practices, policy changes, and process optimization to ensure equitable, low-burden, and effective grantmaking.

Data + Reporting

• Support and collaborate with the Grants + Data Manager to manage the Salesforce database.
• Produce as-needed grantmaking data analyses and visualizations.

Operations Support

• Contribute, as an active member of the operations team, to cross-cutting responsibilities, including AB, AC, and other meeting planning and logistics; IT and digital security policies and practices; and general operations functions.
• Provide back-up to the Operations Associate, including managing board meeting logistics, processing contracts and invoices, and other duties as needed.

Key Skills + Abilities

• Ability to incorporate a social justice lens into grantmaking practices.
• A service-oriented mindset and a compassionate understanding of the challenges faced by our grantee partners.
• Highly effective prioritization and organization skills that allow for independent management of multiple tasks and projects in a deadline-continuous environment.
• Superlative attention to detail.
• Strong troubleshooting, reasoning, and judgment skills including the ability to unearth and interpret information from multiple systems and streams, and to systematically analyze and organize information to tackle complex challenges and effectively make decisions.
• Flexible, creative, and adaptable, with a proactive approach to problem-solving.
• Clear and concise verbal and written communications skills.
• Exceptional technological proficiency and curiosity, with the ability to quickly pick up on and adapt to new systems and tools.
• Ability to handle confidential data with complete discretion.

Experience

• Demonstrated commitment to the values and practices of inclusion in daily work and partnerships.
• Five years of grants management experience; some experience in development/ grantseeking or a demonstrated understanding of what nonprofits experience in the fundraising process.
• Knowledge of the nonprofit sector, including fiscal sponsorship, lobbying, and expenditure responsibility; ability to read and understand nonprofit financials.
• Knowledge of political activity/primary purpose designations and experience with both c3 and c4 organizations would be a plus.
• Facility with Salesforce, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Sheets; experience with Fluxx is preferred.
• Prior work in a virtual environment with remote partners and teams is preferred.