Grants Specialist 16 Month

Position Description

Title: Grants Specialist (16 months remote within Minnesota)

Report to: Grants Manager FLSA Status: Full-Time, Exempt

Location: Minnesota

Mission and Organizational Background

The mission of First Children’s Finance (FCF) is to grow the supply and business sustainability of excellent child care. Founded in 1991, FCF provides business and financial assistance to business owners and leaders in the field of Early Care and Education (ECE). To achieve our goals, FCF works on three levels: Individual Business Level, Community Level and Systems Level. FCF is a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Minneapolis that provides business development programs and/or financing to ECE providers in multiple states, with regional offices in three: Minnesota, Iowa, and Michigan. For more information, see the First Children’s website at: http://www.firstchildrensfinance.org

Benefits

Benefits include medical, dental, life, disability insurance, holidays, paid time off, and paid family medical leave. Allowable travel costs are reimbursed.

Flexible work environment.

First Children’s Finance honors candidates’ time and effort in job-seeking by providing transparency regarding compensation. Creating transparency regarding salary information reduces the gender pay gap, and eliminates salary negotiation, which rarely benefits people of color or women. It is a value of our organization to support equitable hiring practices.

Job Summary

FCF is seeking four Grants Specialists to join its growing team in Minnesota, which is expanding to serve more child care providers and communities statewide. The Grants Specialist will help administer the Child Care Facility Revitalization grants, with particular focus on data integrity and program reporting. Reporting to the Grants Manager, the Grants Specialist is an important member of the grantmaking team as a connector between people and process in grantmaking activities. Talented, collaborative and can-do candidates from across Minnesota are encouraged to apply, as this is a remote work opportunity, working from home with some in-person meetings required as pandemic conditions allow. Some in-state travel and some evening hours may be required.

This is a grant funded position up to FY 2024, and will end either on 6/30/24 or 9/30/24.

Essential Functions:

• Work with grants administration team to conduct grantmaking activities for child care facility revitalization grant program.
• Provide advice, guidance and technical assistance to applicants/grantees.
• Process grants applications, conduct due diligence, verify documentation and score applications.
• Conduct important regulatory compliance checks.
• Ensure timely and accurate generation of grant notification letters, grant distributions, and grant agreements.
• Maintain electronic grant files, documenting review and grant decisions.
• Track and evaluate grants and ensure timely submission of follow-up reporting by grantees.
• Provide assistance in the creation of grant reports.
• Maintain knowledge of grant funding policies, regulations, and procedures; disseminate and present changes to applicants/grantees.
• Monitor data gathered from grant portal to ensure data integrity and consistency.
• Conduct data analyses for use in reports and program summaries.
• Maintain system for recording and tracking grant proposals, awards, and related statistical information.
• Support gathering, management and evaluation of event and program-related data.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• 3+ years of experience working in a foundation, nonprofit, social service or small business setting preferred.
• Experience with grantmaking, program administration and/or data analysis, data management and reporting preferred.
• Experience working collaboratively with communities of color and low-resourced communities.
• Experience managing multiple tasks, prioritizing and working with little direct supervision.
• A strategic thinker and planner as well as an effective implementer
• Data-driven, curious and collaborative
• Culturally competent
• A team player, partner, and networker
• Energetic, enthusiastic, with a can-do attitude
• Open to learning, accepting positive and constructive feedback
• Patient and adaptable to changing systems, processes and templates in a growing environment
• A person of integrity and trust, able to maintain the highest level of confidentiality
• Experience with child care helpful.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Fluency in Spanish or Hmong strongly preferred
• Strong administrative, organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated proficiency with current office technology, including advanced skills in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Ability to work in virtual and web-based platforms.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret and detect patterns in data and draw conclusions
• Excellent written and oral communication and active listening skills.
• Exceptional interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Ability to promote a positive image of FCF and position FCF as a key resource in the field of early care and education.
• Ability to be flexible and work collaboratively with a diverse group of FCF staff, customers, partners, and stakeholders.
• Ability to take initiative, and complete projects independently, yet be a part of a team.
• Willingness and ability to travel throughout Minnesota as needed.

Work Conditions:

• Must be able to work on the computer for extended periods of time.
• Must be able to travel locally for meetings when needed.

Additional Notes:

This job description represents the major functions of the position but is not intended to be all-inclusive.