Specialist, Grants

About the Organization

The Capital Area Food Bank works to address hunger today and create brighter futures tomorrow for more than a million people across the region experiencing food insecurity. As the anchor in the area’s hunger relief infrastructure, the food bank provided more than 60 million meals to people in need last year, by supplying food to hundreds of nonprofit organizations as well as directly to the community. Creating long-term solutions to food security requires more than just food: it includes addressing the root causes of food insecurity by partnering with organizations that provide critical services like job training programs, health care, and education. To learn more, visit Food Bank for the Washington, DC, Region | Capital Area Food Bank.

Description

The Capital Area Food Bank works with an umbrella of donors- federal, state and local governments and private funders- to provide funding for the purchase and distribution of healthy food to communities throughout the Washington Metro Area. Reporting to the Senior Director, Grant Management and Financial Planning, the Grants Specialist independently manages the financial administration of an assigned portfolio of restricted grants, including grant setup, monthly reconciliations, financial reporting, and variance analysis. The Specialist exercises judgment on cost allowability and reporting accuracy, owns the organization's grant reporting and deliverables calendar, and serves as a point of contact for routine funder matters. This role requires a solid understanding of nonprofit accounting principles, familiarity with federal grant regulations, strong technology skills, and a passion for supporting our mission.

Applicants with interest in gaining experience with Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and/or AI tools in accounting are strongly encouraged to apply.

Essential Functions

Grants Management

• Review and set up restricted grants in NetSuite (ERP system) based on the funding source/grant setup form submitted by Development and/or the Programmatic team.
• Prepare and submit grant financial reports and invoices for assigned portfolio, ensuring accuracy and allowability of reported costs.
• Reconcile assigned restricted grants monthly during the reporting periods, as requested or assigned.
• Prepare Financial Performance reports (Budget vs. Actuals) for assigned restricted grants, analyzing variances and identifying compliance or spend-down risks, and recommending corrective actions to program leads.
• Support the Grants Management team during Financial Performance Report review meetings with project and program leads, including scheduling, preparing standard meeting packets, and documenting follow-up items.
• Collaborate with Programmatic team members to ensure the completeness and accuracy of grant accounting records.
• In partnership with the Programmatic and Food Resourcing teams, assist with allocating food purchasing and distribution costs, as needed.
• Assist with maintaining the grant reporting schedule module in NetSuite.
• Support the maintenance of the Level of Effort (LOE) Management System.
• Support the integration of grant budgets into the corporate budget, including preparing grant revenue and expense projections for assigned portfolio and assisting with mapping restricted funding to departmental budgets.

Grant Calendar, Records & Lifecycle Coordination

• Own and maintain the master grant reporting and deliverables calendar, managing the reporting deadline process with program leads and the Grants team to ensure on-time submission of financial and programmatic deliverables.
• Coordinate the logistics of grant kick-off meetings and close-out checklists using standard tools and templates developed by the Grants team.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date grant records and documentation, including:
  • Grant agreements
  • Internal and external budgets
  • Funder communications
  • Scopes of work
  • LOE files (if applicable)
  • Financial reports
  • Other relevant documentation
• Provide support for the grant management platform (e.g., Submittable), such as generating reporting exports and assisting with records upkeep, in coordination with the Regional Operations team, which owns platform administration and data entry.
• Assist with maintaining data inputs for grant-related financial dashboards and routine report refreshes

Audit Support

• Assist the Senior Director, Senior Manager, and Controller in responding to internal and external audit requests.

Relationship Management

• Support and maintain positive relationships with grantors and funding agencies, serving as a point of contact for routine grant-related matters.
• Foster strong, collaborative relationships within the Grants, Finance, Development and Program teams.

Miscellaneous

• Perform other related duties as assigned.