Job Title: Grants Coordinator

Department: Community Impact

Reports to: Director of Grants

Effective Date: March 2026

Salary Range: $65,000 - $75,000 salaried exempt

Working at the Vermont Community Foundation

For 40 years, the Vermont Community Foundation has served Vermonters and their families through philanthropy and building stronger communities. Our mission—Better Together: Inspiring giving and bringing together people and resources to make a difference in Vermont—provides the bedrock for our workplace culture. Our employees are passionate about making a difference every day. We approach our work with curiosity, respect, and integrity, and believe in collaboration, equity, and diversity. When you join our team, your work will matter to Vermont communities.

Position Overview 

The Grants Coordinator manages competitive grantmaking in close collaboration with members of the Community Impact (CI) team. In running many of the Foundation’s competitive grantmaking processes, the Grants Coordinator is responsible for working with internal and external grant review teams. These teams are comprised of individuals from a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, geographic locations, areas of expertise, and lived experiences. This position will maintain strong cross-team connections and ongoing collaboration, particularly with the Communications and Philanthropy teams. The position also provides support to the Director of Grants in grants administration responsibilities, including the review and approval processes. The Grants Coordinator is an essential and active member of the Grantmaking Team and supports teammates in processing work for all grant types.

The Grants Coordinator position is designed to be collaborative and adaptable, allowing staff to support one another during periods of high volume or transition. Each Coordinator role brings specialized expertise while maintaining flexibility to assist with shared responsibilities across the Community Impact team. 

Primary Responsibilities

Competitive Grants Management

• Serve as the Community Impact team lead on the coordination of activities, grants management, and record keeping for competitive grants work 
• Develop and manage the Foundation’s annual competitive grants calendar in collaboration with other team members and external partners
• Develop and lead collaborative, community-oriented grantmaking processes based on best practices, including recruitment of grant reviewers, training, and stewardship of relationships
• Represent the Community Foundation in key conversations (both internal and external) to inform strategy to further improve competitive grant work and management of review committees 
• Review and improve competitive grant program materials annually in preparation for taking programs live, including applications, evaluation forms, interim and final reports, and website copy
• Work with the Communications team to update website copy as needed and draft funding alerts and press releases for competitive grant programs
• Screen applications into competitive grant programs for completeness prior to committee review, and actively participate in reviewing grant applications into these grant programs

Grants Review & Approval

• Support the Director of Grants with review of grants for payment, including grantee compliance and fund details, including available to spend and/or balance, and coding accuracy and completeness
• Participate, and as needed, lead the grants posting process with Finance team colleagues
• Support the Director of Grants with a quarterly review of grant coding for consistency and accuracy
• Support the Director of Grants with known and ad-hoc report requests from across the organization
• Work with the Grantmaking and Finance teams to coordinate and complete grant corrections in a timely manner

Grants Processing & Due Diligence

• Work as a collaborative member of the grants processing team: building and redeveloping processes for efficiency and effectiveness, balancing grants processing workloads across all members of the grants processing team, and positively contributing to a cooperative team dynamic
• Process grants, including entry and coding, within the Foundation’s grantmaking systems, preparation of internal forms, copying and distribution of checks and letters, exporting and mail merging letters, and managing the grantee acknowledgement and reporting processes; ensure consistency in grant processing, coding, and system integrity
• Perform due diligence and compliance for all grants and distributions, including verification of advised grants, documentation, and filing of fund advisor grant recommendations, nonprofit distribution requests, and verification and documentation of current eligibility for grantee organizations
• Coordinate with other grants processing staff to generate and improve reporting and analysis of VCF grantmaking in service of daily operations, and organizational growth and development
• Coordinate and follow up with the Grantmaking and Finance teams to resolve outstanding grant checks in a timely manner

Grantmaking Team Administrative Support

• Contribute as an active member of the grants administration and support team within CI; this team administers competitive processes, handles all grants processing, responds to grant-related inquiries, and provides technical assistance to applicants, grantee partners, fundholders, and Community Foundation colleagues
• Provide technical support and training for applicants, grantees, internal staff, and external committees and/or advisors regarding the use of the online grants management software and community portal 
• Work directly with grant seekers via phone and email to answer questions and provide clarification of the Foundation’s grantmaking priorities, application procedures, and feedback on proposals 

Required Skills & Characteristics

• Strong computer skills, data management experience, and experience working in Salesforce
• Excellent quality control, detail orientation, and detailed research skills
• Comfort and ease leading decision-making conversations across varied grant programs and committees
• Knowing how to show up for others, contribute where needed, build trust, meet deadlines, and problem-solve
• A positive attitude, the ability to communicate authentically, and the skills to handle tough conversations with grace
• Being a deep thinker who can take action, take initiative, work independently, and adeptly adjust when the need for change or new direction arises
• Ability to work cross-functionally with departments and stakeholders to build alignment and achieve the organization’s objectives
• Excellent organizational, administrative, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Commitment to collaboration, teamwork, and personal growth
• Seek continuous improvement, efficiency, and innovation
• High degree of personal and professional integrity

Education & Experience

• A bachelor's degree or at least 5 years of experience in grantmaking or philanthropy is preferred 
• Strong computer skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office products and a high level of comfort working in Excel
• Experience with a grants management system is a plus, but not required
• Previous administrative support experience
• Experience as a staff or board member of a nonprofit organization is helpful, but not required
• Experience and enjoyment working collaboratively on a team

Location: This is a hybrid position requiring access to both the Middlebury and Burlington offices. Regular in-person meetings with the Community Impact team will be required. Travel to and work from the Middlebury office is required twice per month in accordance with the Foundation’s grants processing calendar.

The Vermont Community Foundation is an equal employment opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on merit and business needs, and not on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sex, age, marital or civil union status, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, place of birth, citizenship, military or veteran status, HIV status, genetic information, disability, or any other legally protected status as defined and required by state and federal laws