Senior Manager, Grants, Liberty Hill Foundation

Position Title: Senior Manager, Grants

Reports to: Director, Capacity Building and Grantmaking

Position: Full-time, Exempt

Location: Hybrid-Onsite; Los Angeles, California

Salary: $76,000 - $95,000

Organization Overview

Liberty Hill Foundation is at the forefront of social change, championing social justice and equity by supporting grassroots movements in communities most affected by oppression. The Foundation's mission is to transform lives, communities, and policies, building a more equitable future for all. They are a dynamic team of passionate change-makers committed to supporting community organizing through key programs: grantmaking, training and capacity building, and alliance building.

Their staff represents a dedicated community deeply committed to social justice and improving the material conditions in which people live. Liberty Hill prioritizes organizational values of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI), embracing the unique characteristics and differences that strengthen their community.

Collaboration is essential to their mission, as they strive toward their North Star goal—to achieve justice and equity by building power within communities most impacted by systemic oppression.

Position Overview
The Senior Manager, Grants (SMG) will administer and coordinate all competitive, partnership, and donor-advised grantmaking at Liberty Hill in collaboration with the Director, Capacity Building and Grantmaking, which totals upwards of $20 million annually. Liberty Hill’s interconnected grantmaking strategies build broad social movements and advance economic, racial, LGBTQ, and environmental justice.

You will be responsible for coordinating the cyclical grantmaking process for The Fund for Change and Liberty Vote programs, Liberty Hill’s primary competitive grantmaking programs that distribute approximately $1 million. This role will execute operations from letters of inquiry to proposals and site visits to grant awards and reports. This includes management of the Community Funding Board, a cornerstone of Liberty Hill grantmaking. 

Coordinating with Agenda for a Just Future (AJF) program staff, you will administer and report for grants throughout the year, totaling up to $5 million annually. Liberty Hill issues partnership grants in support of our Agenda for a Just Future (AJF), including three primary goals in Los Angeles County: fight for a roof over every head, eliminate neighborhood oil drilling, and end youth incarceration, as we know it. Liberty Hill runs grantmaking programs that support these campaigns, in partnership with other funders and organizations. 

Lastly, the Senior Manager of Grants will oversee and implement the full grantmaking process for Liberty Hill’s Donor Advised Fund (DAF) program, which issues 800 grants per year totaling $9 million from 70 funds. The Senior Manager of Grants will support with conducting due diligence and vetting of the organizations, issuing the check requests, communicating with the grantee organizations, and receiving final reports when applicable. The senior manager is embedded as part of the Donor Advised Team with Grantmaking and Advancement staff, and in addition to providing structure to DAF grants administration, this role also supports philanthropic advising to giving circles and DAF holders. 

What you will do

Grantmaking

• Provide maintenance and implementation of all end-to-end grantmaking processes to ensure a seamless experience for both internal and external partners navigating these processes. 
• Process grant applications, grant requests, approvals, and declinations in the database for both partnership and donor-advised fund grants.
• Foster strong and collaborative relationships with grantees, understanding their needs and challenges through regular check-ins, providing technical assistance, and conducting site visits. 
• Manage third-party contracts/vendors that support grantmaking administration. 
• Develop a system for grant report requests and ensure current processes support the accuracy and integrity of grant data.
• Train new and current staff on grantmaking procedures and systems. Regularly refine training materials and serve as the training expert on grants databases.
• Stay current on IRS restrictions with regard to foundations and donor-advised funds, as well as philanthropic sector best practices.  
• Design and implement participatory grantmaking processes across grantmaking portfolios, including developing program implementation plans, agenda drafting, rubric design, and meeting facilitation in collaboration with the Director of Capacity Building and Grantmaking.
• Draft proposal packets for funding cycles for both partnership and donor-advised funds including dockets and any relevant statistical information or resources.
• Participate in research, development, and evaluation of grantmaking strategies to improve the attainment of projected outcomes and the effectiveness of strategies.

Data Management

• Ensure that data management systems are maintained and implemented with fidelity and accuracy to be able to regularly generate reports from the grantmaking database, quarterly and annual statistics on DAF grants, subtotal data for Form 990, preparation of department reports, and maintenance of all grantmaking tracking databases and dashboards

Fiscal Management

• Monitors DAF activity and transactions with Finance and Advancement teams to ensure timely reconciliation, posting of gifts and grants, acknowledgments, assessment of fees, and processing of investment returns and stock gifts. 
• Prepare check requests and perform database entry of payments and requirements.
• Support with management, and expense tracking of the grantmaking budget in partnership with the Director of Capacity Building and Grantmaking.

Programs Team

• Cultivate strong and positive cross-team collaboration across the Programs department and engage in co-development of grantmaking timelines and project plans etc. 
• Provide mentorship and guidance to junior grants management staff, fostering a collaborative and supportive team environment. 
• Represent the Foundation at funder networks, convenings, conferences, collaboratives, donor meetings, and other external events.
• Maintain a strong base of knowledge of the grantee network and field of power-building in Los Angeles County through research and outreach to potential grantees or partners
• Assist in the development and implementation of training programs for staff and grantees on grant management best practices.
• Participate in strategic planning and contribute to the continuous improvement of grantmaking processes.
• Participate in cross-team meetings to ensure a common understanding of grantmaking practices and timing, as well as coordinating across departments to support implementation and awareness of Liberty Hill grantmaking impacts 
• Implement special projects, as they arise.

Requirements

What you will have

• Education: BS/BA Degree preferred or equivalent personal lived/professional experience. 
• 5+ years’ + years’ progressively responsible experience in grant administration.
• 2+ years leading organizing or policy advocacy campaigns.  
• 2+ years working effectively with diverse and broad-based community constituencies 
• Ability to work in a highly collaborative environment that requires continual updating and engagement of multiple internal and external stakeholders 
• Exceptional interpersonal and collaboration skills with the ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team. 
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Products (Word, Excel, and Outlook). 
• Ability to navigate and learn various software; specifically, Slack, Asana, and SharePoint. 
• Attention to detail with strong organizational and time management skills. 
• Commitment to social and racial justice, equality, diversity, and inclusion. 
• Availability to attend in-person meetings and events in Los Angeles County. 

Physical demands:

• Ability to operate a remote workstation and laptop/screen for extended periods.
• Ability to travel for in-person co-working, meetings, events, and live in Los Angeles County.

Benefits

• Comprehensive coverage for employee healthcare, vision, and dental at 100%.
• Employer contribution and match for 403b retirement savings.
• Stipend to support remote work.
• 10 Days of paid vacation time the first year, and 58 hours of sick time.
• Generous benefit of 22 paid holidays.
• 2 dedicated Volunteer Days.
• Fridays off throughout August.
• Summer Break is the first week in July, and Winter Break is the last two weeks of December.

How to Apply

Liberty Hill has retained the services of Charity Search Group to coordinate the search for this position. To apply, please complete this online application. If you have questions or need accommodations, please contact Ranata Reeder at [email protected] ​or visit www.charitysearchgroup.com.

Liberty Hill is an equal-opportunity employer and is committed to having a workforce that reflects diversity at all levels of the organization. We recognize the importance of not viewing individuals based on a single identity, and we thrive on being equitable in our recruitment process as well as in our efforts to be inclusive of all employees.