Grantmaking and Community Impact Coordinator

About Us

The Cleveland Foundation, established in 1914, is the world's first and one of the largest community foundations, with assets exceeding $3 billion. Our mission is to enhance the lives of all residents of Greater Cleveland, now and for generations to come, by working together with our donors to build community endowment, address needs through grantmaking, and provide leadership on key community issues.

As we continue to grow and evolve, we are dedicated to building strong relationships and trust across our community, working collaboratively to create innovative, impactful, and internationally recognized contributions to the field of philanthropy.

About You

You are a highly organized and proactive professional who thrives in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment. You excel at managing complex schedules, coordinating across multiple teams, and ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks. Your attention to detail is matched by your ability to see the bigger picture, allowing you to support Program Officers in aligning day-to-day operations with long-term strategic goals. You are comfortable handling sensitive information with discretion, and you bring a strong sense of empathy and cultural awareness to your interactions with colleagues, grantees, and community partners.

You are someone who takes initiative, anticipates needs, and communicates clearly and effectively. You enjoy being the go-to person who keeps projects moving forward—whether that means tracking budgets, managing logistics, or synthesizing meeting notes into actionable insights. You are tech-savvy, fluent in Microsoft Office tools, and eager to learn new systems that enhance team efficiency. Most importantly, you are passionate about equity and community impact, and you’re excited to contribute to a foundation that is working to transform neighborhoods, close the wealth gap, and drive systemic change in Northeast Ohio.

Job Summary

This position provides advanced administrative support and coordination to up to three Program Officers ensuring that the Foundation’s overall grant-making strategy is implemented effectively. This role supports GCI’s dual priorities of meeting the needs and priorities of communities and residents of Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties while focusing on systems change that fuel the region’s economic engine, transform historically redlined neighborhoods and shrink the wealth gap.

Key Responsibilities

• Communicate with and schedule meetings between Program Officers (PO) and grantees, partners, and internal teams.
• Coordinate regularly scheduled internal meetings to maintain open communication and monitor initiative progress.
• Identify tasks and follow-up actions; determine timelines, accountability, and priority in consultation with the manager.
• Facilitate team projects by tracking progress and ensuring accountability.
• Manage travel requests, expense reports, contracts, invoices, and check requests to ensure efficient workflow.
• Track budgets to ensure accuracy and efficient use of resources.
• Take notes for various projects, analyze and identify key themes, and create spreadsheets or charts to support POs’ work.
• Proofread all memos and write-ups to ensure coherent, concise communication of necessary information for leadership.
• Coordinate with other teams and leaders to facilitate cross-team collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• Staff assigned committees, including managing communication, scheduling, docket preparation, distribution, and note-taking.
• Contribute to fostering a team culture focused on maximizing the foundation’s assets to meet community needs.

Competencies & Behavioral Expectations

• Judgment
• Communication
• Teamwork & Collaboration
• Adaptability
• Problem-Solving

Requirements

• Three to five years of progressively responsible experience in a senior administrative or executive assistant role. Proven track record of independent judgment and decision-making in matters of a confidential and/or non-routine nature; ability to anticipate needs of the executive.
• Ability to respond sensitively and patiently to internal and external inquiries in a timely manner and the ability to handle sensitive information and maintain confidence.
• Demonstrated customer service orientation and an ability to interact confidently and effectively with people of diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Ability to take a proactive role in the coordination of team efforts, promote cooperation and collaboration between team members and encourage open communication in multidisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated detail orientation, flexibility and ability to coordinate several projects simultaneously with a series of continuous deadlines.
• Excellent writing, spelling, proofing and organizational skills.
• Demonstrated intermediate IT skills, particularly in Outlook and the MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, TEAMS) and exceptional internet research skills.
• Strong social-emotional intelligence.

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate or bachelor’s degree welcome.
• Familiarity with Cleveland’s nonprofit sector is preferred.

Work Environment

• The role is primarily office-based, involving frequent interaction with executives, staff, and external partners.
• The position may require prolonged periods of sitting, as well as occasional lifting of light office supplies and materials.
• Occasional extended hours to meet deadlines or support special events.
• Occasional travel may be required for meetings, events, or conferences.