Grants Associate

The Wallace Foundation -- an independent, national, New York-based philanthropy with $1.4 billion in assets – traces its origins back more than half a century to DeWitt and Lila Acheson Wallace, founders of The Reader’s Digest Association.

The Wallace Foundation seeks to improve learning and enrichment for disadvantaged children and foster the vitality of the arts for everyone.  The foundation has an unusual approach: We seek to identify, and help answer, a significant question whose answer is not known but which, if known, could help propel social progress more broadly.  We work with a small number of grantees to help them test new ideas and generate improvements for those they serve, while also generating evidence and insights that, when shared broadly, can improve policy and practice in an entire field.

The foundation currently works in five areas:

• Strengthening school leadership to improve student achievement,
• Expanding time for learning during the school year and over the summer,
• Enhancing after-school opportunities,
• Building audiences for the arts, and
• Fostering arts education for children and teens.

At Wallace, we have a team-based structure and seek employees who are both highly skilled in their professions and able to work collaboratively with others.  Wallace employees need to be able to think analytically and communicate clearly.  We value the flexibility to adapt to change, a desire to learn, and the ability to work productively both on one’s own and with colleagues inside and outside the foundation.

For more information about Wallace, please visit www.wallacefoundation.org. 

ROLE

The Grants Associate is a key contributor to effective grants management at The Wallace Foundation, working to: 1) provide grants management support to Wallace staff and external partners to meet quality standards and ensure compliance; 2) ensure the integrity of the Foundation’s grants management database 3) ensure the cash flow forecast is updated, and generate reports to inform decision-making; and 4) contribute to continual process improvement reflecting best practices in the philanthropic sector.

The Grants Associate reports to the Grants Administration Manager who reports to the Chief Administrative Officer.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Grants Administration 

Provide grants management/administration support to assigned units, other staff and external partners:

• Prepare draft grant agreement, including terms and conditions, scopes of work, workplans and budgets, and work with staff to facilitate the internal review and, upon approval, with the grantee/contractor to secure signature. May work with the officer in reviewing/drafting scopes of work and reviewing budgets.  Facilitate timely drafting of other grant-related documents including Contract Request Questionnaires, Delegated Authority Forms, amendments, course corrections, miscellaneous correspondence and staff reviews of grantee reports

• Provide information to officers to effectively manage grants/initiative-related contracts and grantee/contractor relationships, including notification of upcoming deliverables, payments scheduled, and tracking and reporting on grants portfolio.

• Timely complete due diligence including requesting IRS determination letters and Form W-9s from prospective grantees, and provide Finance with organizations’ audited financial statements and Form 990s to review and sign-off.

• As requested, support the RFP process, tracking responses and entering information into the grants management database.

Database integrity

• Enter and maintain all required data for grants and initiative-related contracts into the Foundation’s grants management database system for assigned units, ensuring data is accurate, complete and up-to-date.

• Perform ongoing maintenance, troubleshoot problems and help resolve, and identify opportunities for improvement to optimize the use of the grants management database and be responsive to needs of staff and external partners. Provide ongoing training and support to staff and external partners.

Cash Flow Forecast, analysis and reporting

• Conduct monthly reviews with teams/units to ensure information in the grants database and on the cash forecast is up-to-date to generate the monthly cash forecast report for review with senior management.

• Generate standard and ad hoc reports and analysis to inform our internal decision making processes and external reporting, including: annual spending report for the State of the Foundation report, annual report, Foundation Center, and Wallace website searchable grantee database.

Continuous improvement

• On selected topics, conduct research and gather peer foundation and sector data on best practices to inform analysis and recommendations for continuous process improvement.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Reflecting Wallace’s commitment to learning and professional development, the Grants Associate will:

• Through reading and participation in meetings, develop an understanding of our approach to grantmaking and the strategies and initiatives in the assigned areas of focus
• Participate in development opportunities through the Grants Managers Network

QUALIFICATIONS

• Three to five years’ experience in the philanthropy/nonprofit sector, specifically in grants administration/management
• Demonstrated experience working with a large scale grants database system
• Excellent attention to detail and a commitment to customer service and high quality standards
• Strong organizational/project management skills and the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Highly proficient in the Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), including preparation of charts and data displays
• Interpersonal skills to work productively in a collaborative environment
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Bachelor’s degree

Salary is commensurate with experience. Our benefits include health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, a 403(b) Retirement Plan and Paid Time Off (PTO).

To Apply

Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume to [email protected]  . Please note “Grants Associate” as the subject in your email.

The Wallace Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to maintaining a diverse workplace where differing perspectives are a source of strength.