Grants and Operations Assistant

Job Announcement: Grants and Operations Assistant

ABOUT THE IMPACT FUND

The Impact Fund believes that communities should be able to join together to use the courts to protect their jobs, families, communities, and environment. To that end, we provide strategic leadership and support for class and impact litigation seeking economic, environmental, racial, and social justice. The Impact Fund was founded in 1992 to provide grants to support impact litigation intended to benefit large numbers of people, change larger systems, or lead to significant legal reform. Since our founding, we have also built an active docket of impact civil rights cases that we litigate directly and a variety of legal trainings for public interest practitioners. For more information about the Impact Fund, visit our website: https://www.impactfund.org/aboutus.

ABOUT THE GRANT PROGRAM

The Impact Fund awards recoverable grants to legal services nonprofits, private attorneys, and small law firms using impact litigation to confront economic, environmental, racial, and social injustice. Since our founding in 1992, the Impact Fund has made more than 800 recoverable grants totaling more than $10 million. We award grants four times per year, most within the range of $10,000 to $50,000. We also offer rapid response grants, including a newly launched program for immigration-related cases. For more information about our grant program, visit www.impactfund.org/about-legal-case-grants.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Grants and Operations Assistant works with the Grant Program Director and the Grant Program Associate to achieve the goals of the Impact Fund Grant Program, while also providing support for the office and Executive Director. The Grants and Operations Assistant’s primary goals are to provide application and grant processing support, oversee general office operations, facilitate meetings of the Board of Directors and Grant Advisory Committee, and provide administrative support to the Executive Director. This is a full-time, non-exempt position and reports to the Grant Program Director, with additional supervision provided by the Executive Director.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The responsibilities of the Grants and Operations Assistant include the following:

Application and Grant Support (60%)

• Pipeline:
  • Support, research, and screen requests from the general public
  • Support applicants in their use of our Grant Portal
  • Schedule and assist with informational calls with potential applicants
• Letters of Inquiry (LOIs) and Applications:
  • Conduct due diligence research and prepare records in grant management system
  • Provide support for LOI Evaluation Meetings with Executive Director
  • Participate in LOI staff analysis and evaluation with the Grants team
• Reviewer Coordination:
  • Recommend reviewers for applications according to their experience and interests
  • Provide support for reviewers and applicants
• Grant Processing:
  • Create and send grant award packets in Docusign and track completion
  • Collect grantee banking information and submit grant payment approvals
• Communications:
  • Create and send outreach emails
  • Maintain outreach email list
• Other:
  • Draft annual grant calendar
  • Provide support for hiring related to the intern program and other positions
  • Support colleagues in preparation for Impact Fund events, as needed
  • Represent the program and organization at events and conferences
  • Provide support for other projects by the Grant Program Director, as needed

Office Management (20%)

• Staff:
  • Coordinate and lead staff meetings
  • Create and distribute monthly schedule for monthly team updates
  • Coordinate staff celebrations and activities
• Office:
  • Handle front desk reception: packages, mail, and general email
  • Serve as liaison with building management regarding building-related issues
  • Oversee maintenance of office equipment and materials
  • Purchase office snacks and tea/coffee, office supplies, and other items, as needed
  • Organize and tidy office, as needed
• IT:
  • Serve as staff liaison for IT consultant
  • Provide backup support for Ring Camera

Board of Directors and Grant Advisory Committee Support (15%)

• Provide scheduling support and logistical coordination for quarterly board and grantmaking meetings, as well as two board subcommittee meetings
• Prepare meeting materials and manage video conferencing technology during meetings
• Draft and manage the editing and signing of the meeting minutes
• Coordinate the annual Board/GAC/Staff Holiday Dinner

Executive Director Support (5%)

• Provide administrative support to Executive Director, as needed

TECHNOLOGIES

The technologies used by the Grants and Operations Assistant include the following:

Fluxx, Docusign, Asana, Excel, Word, Constant Contact, Zoom, Meeting Owl, Ring Camera, Outlook, Teams, Canva

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Demonstrated commitment to our primary purpose: to support impact litigation on behalf of communities seeking economic, environmental, racial, and social justice
• Cultural competency including awareness of personal attitudes, beliefs, and biases, and ability to effectively and respectfully receive and communicate feedback
• Extremely organized, detail-oriented, with ability to manage own time effectively
• Experience managing multiple projects and tasks with competing deadlines
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, particularly in written and verbal communications, with an ability to empathize with our applicants and grantees
• Ability to work with technology such as Microsoft Office Suite, Zoom, Fluxx, and Asana
• Ability to travel occasionally within the Bay Area
• Bachelor’s degree in one or more of the following fields: nonprofit service, legal, philanthropy, or public policy — or a comparable level of relevant experience

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times

SALARY AND BENEFITS

• Supportive and inclusive work environment where all team members’ contributions are valued
• Physical office located in Downtown Berkeley, immediately adjacent to BART
• 9:00am to 5:00pm office hours, which include a paid 30-minute lunch break and two paid 15-minute rest breaks
• Hybrid work schedule, with Mondays and Thursdays in office and remote work optional on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
• Full-time salary starting at $60,000, based on experience

Strong benefits package, including:

• Student loan repayment assistance up to $500/month
• 15 days of paid vacation for your first year of employment, increasing thereafter to the maximum of 20 days of paid vacation in year 5
• 2 weeks paid winter break office closure
• 14 days of paid holiday leave per year: 11 paid state/federal holidays + 3 floating holidays
• 10 days of paid sick leave per year
• Two months of paid sabbatical leave every five years
• Health, vision, and dental insurance with employee premiums subsidized at 100% and spouse/dependent premiums subsidized at 50% ($12,500 annual cap for dependent health care contributions)
• Long-term disability and life insurance with employee premiums subsidized at 100%
• Access to a 403b retirement plan with voluntary contributions through payroll deductions
• Employer retirement contributions of 3% of salary, vested after 3 years of employment

HOW TO APPLY

Please send PDFs of the following to grants@impactfund.org

with Grants and Operations Assistant – [your name] in the subject line:

• Cover letter that explains the ways in which your background and/or experience demonstrates your commitment to social justice work
• Resume
• Writing sample*

*We encourage you to submit a sample you have already written, such as a memo, article, or paper completed for a work project or class that showcases your writing ability.

Priority deadline: May 4, 2026

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled, with a priority deadline of May 4, 2026. Later in the process, we may request contact information for three professional or academic references.

The Impact Fund is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply. If you require accommodations during any part of the hiring process, please email us at grants@impactfund.org.

• Student loan repayment assistance up to $500/month
• 15 days of paid vacation for your first year of employment, increasing thereafter to the maximum of 20 days of paid vacation in year 5
• 2 weeks paid winter break office closure
• 14 days of paid holiday leave per year: 11 paid state/federal holidays + 3 floating holidays
• 10 days of paid sick leave per year
• Two months of paid sabbatical leave every five years
• Health, vision, and dental insurance with employee premiums subsidized at 100% and spouse/dependent premiums subsidized at 50% ($12,500 annual cap for dependent health care contributions)
• Long-term disability and life insurance with employee premiums subsidized at 100%
• Access to a 403b retirement plan with voluntary contributions through payroll deductions
• Employer retirement contributions of 3% of salary, vested after 3 years of employment

English fluency required