Grants Associate

Grants Associate

The Grants Associate is a key member of the Grants Management Team and is responsible for facilitating grant requests from a variety of GCF fundholders for payment and post-payment records management. Under the Community Investments division umbrella, this role also provides operational support for grant application processes for GCF’s portfolio of discretionary grants.

This role is highly involved with data entry and maintenance, and ensures adherence to best practices, data hygiene, and compliance with IRS regulations related to grantmaking at a Community Foundation. As such, they are also a first point of contact for inquiries to our team from fundholders, non-profits, community partners, and staff regarding our grantmaking practices.

Essential Job Functions (Duties/Responsibilities):

Grants Management

• Process and manage grant requests throughout the grant lifecycle, including grant setup, due diligence, data entry, record maintenance, and payment tracking.

• Support grantmaking operations by coordinating grant processing activities, resolving issues related to payments and maintaining accurate grant records.

• Serve as a primary point of contact for internal staff and external partners regarding grant inquiries, ensuring timely communication, triaging, and resolution of questions.

• Assist with in-person operational activities related to grant payments, including weekly check runs and grant disbursement processes.

• Maintain a strong understanding of GCF’s grantmaking policies, procedures, and compliance requirements to ensure accurate and efficient grant administration.

Community Investments Operations

• Provide operational and project management support for Community Investments initiatives and competitive funding processes, including: application and form development, record movement/maintenance, and process improvement efforts.

• Manage departmental communications and shared inboxes, serving as the primary point of contact for online grant application submissions on behalf of the Community Investments/Grantmaking Team. This may include fielding questions, listserv management, inquires, and troubleshooting technical issues on applications from prospective grantees or non-profit organizations throughout the application process.

• Support system administration activities, including user account management, workflow maintenance, and adoption of best practices.

Data Management

• Maintain accurate and complete data within grants management and customer relationship management systems, ensuring the integrity of grant, donor, fund, and organizational records.
• Conduct due diligence and data validation activities to support informed decision-making and regulatory compliance.
• Support data maintenance, reporting, and quality assurance projects to improve operational efficiency and organizational effectiveness.

Competencies

• Collaboration
• Adaptability
• Decision-making
• Building customer loyalty
• Work Standards

Required****Skills/Abilities:

• Bachelor’s degree or 3+ equivalent work experience
• Strong administrative, organizational and time management skills with high attention to detail
• Experience working with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Grants Management software
• High proficiency with Microsoft Office (especially Excel and Teams) as well as video conferencing software (Zoom and Teams)
• Strong customer service attitude. Ability to communicate and interact with external partners and non-profits
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team and with multiple stakeholders
• Commitment to serve the community
• Demonstrated ability to be flexible and successful within changing environment and multiple demands
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills—oral and written

Preferred:

• Related work experience in education/training, communications, grant writing, grant review, nonprofit development, and/or public policy
• Knowledge of the Greater Cincinnati nonprofit and civic landscape.
• Experience working with donors, philanthropic institutions, foundations, or community investment organizations.
• Experience with Foundant Software (Grants Lifecycle Manager, Scholarship Lifecycle Manager, CommunitySuite)

Salary Range: $50,000-$56,000

Physical Requirements: Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.