THE OPPORTUNITY

The California Wellness Foundation (Cal Wellness) seeks a Grants Administrator to facilitate and manage the administration of grant requests. This position will be an  important member of the Grants Management team, which is a key strategic partner to teams across the foundation and dedicated to helping the foundation fulfill its mission by making impactful, data-driven decisions. This position requires a strong commitment to accuracy and compliance as well as the ability to envision, recommend, and implement process improvements. Grants Management is a closely-knit team of five, with two Grants Administrators, a Senior Grants Administrator, Grants Manager and Director. 

Together, this department drives the Foundation’s efficient grantmaking operations, impactful data and knowledge management and customer service for both internal and external stakeholders. The ideal candidate will be inspired by the foundation’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. There will be opportunities for this position to proactively build on the recent implementation of an online grants management system to help streamline processes and improve organizational performance. This position reports to the Grants Manager. 

This position can be in either our Los Angeles or Oakland offices, with some travel required between offices and other meetings/conferences.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Administer grant recommendations from submission to approval, which includes conducting data entry and coding, due diligence, scheduling reporting requirements and payments, and ongoing cross-departmental workflow management.
• Manage quality control processes and data integrity in the grants management system (foundationCONNECT), ensuring accuracy of grant and other CRM-related data.
• Envision, recommend, and implement process improvements.
• Prepare grant-related correspondence for review including grant agreements, payment transmittal letters, and reporting notifications.
• Partners with the Finance team to administer weekly grant payments.
• Support the Grants Manager and Director of Grants Management to manage all discretionary and matching gift grants.
• Oversee nonstandard grant transactions and other anomalies related to grantmaking (including amendments, etc.)
• Maintain and enhance a strategic partnership with Programs staff throughout the grantmaking process, with a special focus on pipeline management and budget allocation tracking.
• Contribute to a truly interconnected, cross-departmental working environment by proactively collaborating with the Programs, Finance, Public Affairs, Executive and Operations teams on strategic initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with current IRS charitable giving guidelines and foundation-specific policies.
• Contribute to Grants Management’s customer service initiatives for both internal and external stakeholders, especially for the foundation's grantee portal and all grantmaking policies and practices.
• Assist with grants database enhancement, clean-up, and maintenance.
• Assist in training staff and grantees as needed on technology or policy issues and procedure changes that affect them.
• Assist with the preparation and production of all grantmaking-related reports and memos for the foundation.
• Communicate with grantees and internal staff to facilitate timely handling of all grant-related matters.

THE CALIFORNIA WELLNESS FOUNDATION

The California Wellness Foundation (Cal Wellness) is a private, independent foundation established in 1992 with a mission to protect and improve the health and wellness of the people of California. As one of the largest health-focused foundations in California, with over $1 billion in assets, Cal Wellness is a nationally recognized leader for its strategic core operating support for grantees; public policy grantmaking; and a focus on violence as a public health issue. It is Cal Wellness’ desire to promote equity and level the playing field so that everyone has access to good-paying jobs; healthy and safe neighborhoods; and quality health care services.

The foundation’s current Advancing Wellness grantmaking strategy includes four interrelated portfolios. Since its founding, Cal Wellness has awarded nearly 9,000 grants totaling more than $1 billion. As the foundation looks to the future, it is pursuing new and innovative strategies beyond its core grantmaking to advance its mission, including implementation of new technology systems, development of its public affairs capacity, and establishing mission- and program-related investment portfolios.

Cal Wellness has a diverse staff of approximately 45 located in its Los Angeles and Oakland offices and a diverse 12-member Board located throughout the state of California. The foundation’s work underscores a belief that wellness requires social justice, a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and sustained efforts to eliminate systemic barriers that prevent access to health care, education, employment, and safety. Please visit www.calwellness.org for more information.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

The ideal candidates will be aligned with our mission and values; possess strong analytical, customer-service, and project management skills; demonstrate exceptional communications skills to translate detailed technical information with clarity and ease for diverse audiences with various levels of understanding; have strong relationship-building aptitude to respectfully develop genuine connections with internal team members and various external constituencies; and embody, through lived experience, applying a DEI lens to our work. Key experiences, expertise, and interests that will contribute to success in this role include:

• Minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience required; nonprofit, philanthropy, or grants management experience preferred.
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong customer service orientation towards internal and external stakeholders.
• Self-motivated, strategic thinker, committed to collaboration and relationship  building.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to create warm and impactful relationships with potential grantees, other non-profit professionals, staff, trustees and consultants.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Outlook and Word).
• Experience with data entry and database management (foundationCONNECT/Salesforce a plus).
• Demonstrated experience in successfully managing concurrent multiple projects.

CORE COMPETENCIES

The ideal candidate will embody Cal Wellness’ core competencies:

• Live our Core Values: Respect, Integrity, Accountability, Equity, Stewardship, Excellence, Learning, and Trust.
• Drive Towards Innovation: Be bold. Experiment and learn from both successes and failures.
• Make a Difference: Yes, we can. Own our responsibilities and our ability to make positive change.
• Contribute to One Team: We’re in this together. Our success is a collective effort.
• Show Courage: Be thoughtful but act on your convictions. Be open to feedback.

LOCATION & TRAVEL

Cal Wellness has returned to a hybrid work environment. In-office attendance will typically be required Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Periodic travel may be required, for example to visit our Oakland or Los Angeles office and/or to attend convenings. Travel is less than 10%.

COVID VACCINE REQUIREMENT

All Foundation employees must be fully vaccinated as a condition of employment unless they have been approved for an exemption from the vaccination requirement as a reasonable accommodation for a medical condition or restriction or sincerely held religious beliefs.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The full salary range for this role is $64,000 to $96,000 (exempt), and we typically do not bring in new hires towards the top of the range.  The first salary review is scheduled to take place in January 2024. Highlights from our benefit package include: a variety of health plans, a generous 401(k) retirement savings plan with a 16% employer contribution, flexible paid time off, tuition reimbursement (up to $5,250 per year), professional development opportunities, matching gifts (for every $1 you give to an eligible organization, we’ll match $2), and the opportunity to work at a mission and values driven organization.

TO APPLY

Please upload a cover letter and resume.  The link to apply is on our website and below. Resume review begins immediately. Those selected for advancement may be asked to participate in several rounds of interviews (virtual and/or in-person) and complete a writing assignment. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in our application process, please let us know. Candidates will be reviewed on a rolling basis through October 31, 2022, and as needed thereafter.

The California Wellness Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes a diverse candidate pool. Additionally, we are a fair chance employer and welcome candidates with living experience with the criminal justice system. The above job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed and is not intended to limit the scope of potential work assignments. This is only a summary of the typical functions of the job and duties may differ from those as outlined above.