Grants Associate

ABOUT US

Democracy Fund is a foundation working to defend American democracy and challenge it to be more open and just. Created by eBay founder and philanthropist Pierre Omidyar, Democracy Fund has made more than $200 million in grants to support free and fair elections, a vibrant and diverse public square, effective and accountable government, and a just and inclusive society. In addition to grantmaking, Democracy Fund advocates for better solutions and works with partners to grow philanthropic support for our democracy. To learn more, visit www.democracyfund.org and www.democracyfundvoice.org.

POSITION SUMMARY

Democracy Fund champions leaders and organizations who defend democracy and challenge our political system to be more open, just, resilient, and trustworthy. We believe that experimentation, learning, and adaptation are key to the health and resilience of any system, whether it is our organization or the American political system. As grantmakers, we focus on listening and being of service to our grantees, who are visionaries and our collaborators, and on ways we can more deeply embed diversity, equity, and inclusion as values central to the success of our work and mission.

The Grants Management team prioritizes the user experience of our partners and colleagues in every aspect of our work. From improving our grantmaking practices to developing training for our staff, we bring a strong ethos of “getting to yes” in all that we do.

Democracy Fund is looking for an organized, collaborative person with an eye for detail to join our team as a grants associate. In this role, you’ll work with colleagues across the organization to implement and maintain an ambitious portfolio of grants, contacts, and sponsorships championing the leaders who are helping to build an open and just democracy.

The ideal candidate is comfortable conducting compliance and due diligence reviews, structuring complex agreements, and refining systems and processes to ensure the highest level of customer service. This year, as the Grants Management Team is growing to take on contracts management for the organization, we’re especially interested in candidates with experience reviewing and processing consulting and other service agreements.

The grants associate also supports grants, contracts, and sponsorship processing for Democracy Fund Voice, a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, and reports to the director of Grants Management.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES

• Coach and advise teams on effective and appropriate grant or contract agreements, compliance, and risk management.
• Review contract and sponsorship requests, grant proposals, and grant reports to ensure compliance with Democracy Fund policies, IRS rules and regulations, and best practices; monitor other legal issues in partnership with the director of Grants Management and general counsel.
• Prepare grant, contract, sponsorship, and amendment agreements.
• Collaborate with colleagues to refine grants, contracts, and sponsorship practices and policies to be increasingly transparent, streamlined, and grounded in our organizational values.
• Become a Fluxx expert who can assist staff and grantees who need help using the system; support Fluxx fixes and upgrades; and facilitate data reporting from the system.

LEARNING AND ANALYSIS

• Maintain records in Fluxx to ensure a high level of data integrity and accuracy.
• Support internal reconciliation and reporting; help prepare grant data for Democracy Fund’s annual tax return and audit.
• Develop data reports and visualizations to monitor grantmaking and the contracts pipeline and share insights and trends in our work.
• Stay informed of grantmaking and contracting best practices, sharing knowledge and creating resources for Democracy Fund staff.

TEAM MEMBER AND PLAYER

• Proactively seek opportunities to partner with colleagues within and across departments to improve our systems and processes.
• Cultivate a collaborative, supportive, and productive organizational culture that invites and enables participation from all stakeholders.
• Complete other special projects and duties as requested by the director.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND SKILLS REQUIREMENTS

• Passion for strengthening American democracy.
• Deep commitment to racial equity and justice.
• Three to five years of relevant experience, with at least three years of progressive experience in a contracts management, grants management, or related role.
• Demonstrated experience working with legal and compliance issues related to private foundations and/or 501(c)(4) grants or contracts management; ability to professionally manage confidential information; and familiarity with IRS-defined lobbying and project grant rules, as well as expenditure responsibility grants, is a plus.
• Strong technical and database capabilities, ideally with knowledge of and experience with Fluxx.
• Ability to multitask and support multiple priorities, while exhibiting excellent time-management skills and meeting deadlines.
• Exceptional customer service, attention to detail, problem-solving, and project management skills.
• Flexibility and initiative to work both independently and as part of a diverse team.
• Ability to manage ambiguity in a growing organization, while helping the organization build and maintain structures for consistency.
• Commitment to learn and grow in a workplace that values multiple dimensions of diversity.
• Professional maturity, ability to exercise discretion, and good judgment.
• A high level of integrity that embodies and reflects Democracy Fund values.

Democracy Fund follows a hybrid-remote and in-the-office model, which enables flexibility and meets collaboration needs. New staff are expected to reside in the DMV, though exceptions will be granted on a case-by-case basis by the Personnel Committee. All employees, regardless of location, will be expected in the office several days a month.

SALARY

Salary range begins at $76,486.50 per year.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume through our Jobs page. Applications submitted without a cover letter or lacking the desired years of experience will not be considered. Take this opportunity to tell us about yourself and why you’re interested in joining our team. No calls, please.

Democracy Fund is committed to a diverse workplace, seeking voices and expertise from people from across the political spectrum. Our board, staff, advisors, and grantees include Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. Democracy Fund is an Equal Opportunity Employer, where we encourage candidates of all ages, color, ethnic background, country of origin, religion, disability status, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity to apply.