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Grantmaking Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Hudson Valley Farm Hub

NY · On-site

This position reports to the Director of Research, Education, and Grantmaking. Responsibilities Grants Administration * Administer the grant lifecycle, including proposal invitations, setting up ...

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Grantmaking information

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$25K

$52.4K

$90.5K

How much do grantmaking jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 12, 2026, the average yearly pay for grantmaking in the United States is $52,360.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $40,000.00 and $59,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is grantmaking?

Grantmaking is the process by which organizations, such as foundations or governmental bodies, provide financial support to individuals, nonprofits, or projects that align with their mission and goals. Grantmakers assess applications, select recipients, and distribute funds to enable work in areas like education, health, the arts, and social services. The goal is to create positive impact by funding initiatives that address specific community or societal needs. Grantmaking can be highly competitive, and recipients are often required to report on their progress and outcomes.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in grantmaking, and why are they important?

To thrive in Grantmaking, you need strong analytical skills, experience in nonprofit or philanthropic sectors, and often a degree in public administration, social sciences, or a related field. Familiarity with grant management software, budgeting tools, and sometimes certifications like the Grant Professionals Certification (GPC) is common. Excellent communication, relationship-building, and critical thinking skills set top performers apart in this role. These abilities ensure effective evaluation of proposals, responsible allocation of funds, and positive impact within funded communities.

What are some common challenges faced in a grantmaking role, and how can they be addressed?

Grantmaking professionals often encounter challenges such as balancing limited resources against high demand, ensuring fair and equitable evaluation of applications, and maintaining transparent communication with applicants. To address these, it's important to stay organized, use clear criteria for decision-making, and foster open dialogue with stakeholders. Collaborating closely with program teams and regularly reviewing funding strategies can also help align grant decisions with organizational goals and community needs.

What is the difference between Grantmaking vs Grant Writing?

AspectGrantmakingGrant Writing
Primary RoleDistributing funds to organizations or projects based on criteriaPreparing and submitting grant proposals to secure funding
Required SkillsEvaluation, decision-making, knowledge of funding prioritiesResearch, writing, persuasive communication
Work EnvironmentFoundation, nonprofit, or government agency officesNonprofit organizations, consulting firms, or in-house grant teams
Common CredentialsBachelor’s degree, experience in philanthropy or nonprofit managementBachelor’s degree, strong writing and research skills

Grantmaking involves selecting and distributing funds to organizations, focusing on evaluation and decision-making. Grant writing centers on creating compelling proposals to secure those funds. While grantmakers decide where money goes, grant writers craft the applications to obtain funding. Both roles often work within nonprofits, foundations, or government agencies and require related skills and credentials.

More about Grantmaking jobs

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Cities with the most Grantmaking job openings:

What states have the most Grantmaking jobs?

States with the most job openings for Grantmaking jobs include:

What are popular job titles for Grantmaking?

Popular job titles for Grantmaking:

Grantmaking jobs near you
Infographic showing various Grantmaking job openings in the United States as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 87% Full Time, 11% Part Time, 1% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 81% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 14% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $52,360 per year, or $25.2 per hour.

Senior Director, Grantmaking Strategy

Washington, DC • On-site

United Nations Foundation
International Affairs • 51 - 200 employees
Learn more about United Nations Foundationexternal

$150K - $200K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 19 days ago

Job description

The salary range for this position is $150,000 to $200,000.
Position Overview
The UN Foundation has been a platform for collaborations and partnerships to support the UN and UN causes since it was created 30 years ago. This includes using grantmaking as a lever for change and designing and hosting novel funding instruments to pool resources and expertise on issues as varied as pandemic response, green shipping, coral reef conservation, gender-based violence, and childhood vaccinations.
Over its history, UNF has mobilized over $3 billion in catalytic grants to and outside of the UN and seed funding for high-impact initiatives by leveraging its founding capital to attract new partners. A diversified international foundation, UNF has mobilized resources from individuals, philanthropies, companies, bilateral donors, and others in more than 190 countries, and has channeled resources to beneficiaries in dozens of countries, as well as 35 UN entities.
The Senior Director, Grantmaking is responsible for overseeing the Foundation's grantmaking practice to maintain excellence and ensure the dynamism, creativity, and strategic alignment of UNF grantmaking with the organization's mission and values. This role provides strategic leadership to design and develop new grantmaking instruments, strengthen cross-team collaboration, and build capabilities, processes, and norms for high-impact grantmaking. This role is also expected to shape strategies for monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and for training UNF teams to execute grantmaking at the highest standards.
The Senior Director, Grantmaking directly oversees and manages all aspects of UNF grantmaking into the UN system, as well as provides oversight and guidance to any UNF teams undertaking grantmaking outside of the UN system. In both areas, the scope of work includes a passion for staying at the cutting edge of best practice around design, governance, decision-making, and partner management, with a view to ensuring grantmaking excellence across the Foundation.
This position is based in Washington, D.C., New York City, or global
Essential Functions
Strategic Leadership across All Grantmaking
  • Lead development and oversight of UNF's overall grantmaking strategy and approach both in and outside the UN system, reflecting best practice in grantmaking governance, review, and decision-making
  • Lead oversight and strategies to enhance impact of UNF's regranting role, including through growth of collaborative and pooled funding
  • Partner with teams to develop innovative grantmaking models to enhance impact
  • Steward internal grantmaking processes for excellence, including best practice in grantmaking governance, review, and decision-making
  • Partner with program leads to maintain cross-team alignment, ensure grant portfolio aligns with the organization's missions and values
  • Strengthen a system of monitoring, evaluation and learning related to grantmaking, including through testing new approaches, knowledge management, and sharing best practices to foster collaboration and consistency across the organization
  • Advise across internal teams (Finance, Agreements, etc.) on grantmaking compliance, ensuring program teams receive clear and consistent guidance
  • Partner with Communications team to ensure consistent messaging around grant opportunities and impact
  • Develop standard operating procedures, templates, workflows, and quality standards, and refresh as needed, working across internal teams to ensure systems and tools support grantmaking data needs

Oversight of UN Grantmaking
  • Lead and oversee UNF's grant portfolio to the United Nations, including over two dozen standing fiduciaries, multiple regranting relationships, and special project arrangements
  • Provide exceptional stewardship to donors who grant to and through UNF to support the UN throughout grant lifecycle, prioritizing clear communication, transparent and predictable processes, and timely and accurate reporting
  • Provide exceptional partnership to UN partners on all aspects of the grant lifecycle, and strengthen the UN partner experience through clear communication, transparent expectations, and predictable processes
  • Serve as primary liaison and knowledge base for UN partners to UNF's grantmaking to cultivate new relationships and identify new opportunities for engagement
  • Lead relationship with the UN Fund for International Partnerships on on all aspects of UN grantmaking, including day-to-day oversight and management of portfolio, biannual financial reporting, and ad-hoc requests
  • Work across internal operational teams to ensure the highest level of service delivery to external partners, including timely execution of agreements and timely and accurate financial reporting
  • Provide day-to-day leadership, support, and guidance to UNF teams who engage in UN grantmaking
  • Ensure reporting to the UN, UNF Board and other stakeholders on UN grantmaking is clear and compelling

Other
  • Serve as a source of advice, ideas, and leadership on excellence in business services and systems as these relate to grantmaking.
  • Ensure adherence and compliance with all UNF policies and donor rules and regulations

Selection Criteria
Required
  • 12+ years of progressively responsible experience in non-profit international grantmaking or related field
  • Track record in designing and managing creative funding instruments and grant portfolios
  • Demonstrated experience managing complex processes, cross-functional teams, or organizational operations
  • Proven track record in working with international and cross-cultural partners
  • Proven ability to lead through influence, build trust across diverse stakeholders, and provide coaching and feedback
  • Excellent communication, facilitation, and relationship-building skills, including with donors and beneficiaries
  • Strong understanding of grant compliance standards, due diligence requirements, and philanthropic best practices
  • Experience designing or improving workflows, SOPs, or governance models
  • Familiarity with the UN or multilateral systems, and international grantmaking

Strongly Preferred
  • Experience with continuous improvement practices and a track record of innovation in business services and systems
  • Management experience, including managing project teams across different departments
  • Ability to navigate organizations with collaborative, relational cultures while driving clarity and accountability
  • Familiarity with grants management systems (GMS) and data management practices
  • Written and oral proficiency in a second language, in addition to English

Required Application Materials
To be considered for this position, please upload both a resume and cover letter. Applications that do not include both documents will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed.
Benefits and Compensation
For full-time, U.S. benefit eligible employees, UNF offers an excellent range of benefits, including:
  • a choice between two health plans through UnitedHealthcare (PPO or HDHP with HSA)
  • dental insurance
  • vision insurance
  • flexible spending accounts
  • 403b retirement savings plan with a generous matching contribution
  • group term and supplemental life insurance
  • short-term disability
  • long-term disability
  • back-up care
  • employee assistance program

Additionally, all benefit eligible employees have 12 paid holidays, 20 vacation days, 10 sick days, 3 personal days, and 8 weeks of family leave care.
The United Nations Foundation is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.

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