Grants Manager and Office Operations

About the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund

The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund (Illumination Fund) works to increase access and opportunity for all New Yorkers and to foster healthy, vibrant communities. Guided by an equity lens, the Fund supports initiatives and issues grants grounded in the belief that everyone should have access to positive and enriching opportunities that define a full range of human experience—and that circumstances of birth should not limit choices or short-circuit success.

The Illumination Fund’s work spans multiple, intersecting program areas, including Arts Access, Civic Engagement, Jewish Life, and Health, with many initiatives crossing traditional sector boundaries. The Fund emphasizes collaboration, learning, and shared impact across its portfolio. Current major initiatives include Arts in Health and Play to Thrive, both of which operate through cohort-based grantmaking models designed to strengthen grantee networks, deepen learning, and elevate field-wide practice.

Position Overview

The Grants Manager and Office Operations role plays a central role in advancing the foundation’s grantmaking effectiveness and operational excellence. This position serves as the operational backbone of the organization, with primary responsibility for leading and continuously strengthening the foundation’s grants management systems and processes.

Working closely with the Executive Director and program staff, the Manager oversees the full lifecycle of grants awarded by the Fund, while proactively enhancing the functionality, reporting capacity, and analytical use of the foundation’s grants management system.

This role focuses on administering grants awarded by the Fund and supporting the grantmaking process. In addition, the role supports smooth day-to-day office operations and coordinates in-office activities and events.

This is a highly trusted position requiring strong judgment, analytical ability, systems thinking, and the capacity to manage multiple priorities in a small, mission-driven team. We are looking for someone with a minimum of 5 years of experience administering grants with a minimum of 2–3 years of experience at a grantmaking entity (foundation, philanthropic institution, or other grantmaking organization).

Key Responsibilities

Percentage allocations are approximate and may evolve over time.

Grantmaking Administration & Systems (approximately 50%)

• Lead the full lifecycle of grants administration, including proposal intake, review support, tracking, payment processing, reporting, and closeout, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance.
• Serve as primary administrator of the foundation’s grants management system (Foundant), proactively strengthening its functionality, data integrity, and reporting capabilities.
• Develop dashboards, customized reports, and data visualizations to support strategic planning, board reporting, and internal decision-making.
• Translate grants data into actionable insights that inform programmatic strategy and operational planning.
• Identify and implement workflow improvements, automation opportunities, and system refinements to enhance efficiency and accuracy.
• Prepare grant agreements, correspondence, summaries, and documentation.
• Process grant payments and required documentation in coordination with the Tisch family office finance team.
• Track reporting requirements and proactively manage deadlines, communicating clearly with grantees to ensure timely submission of deliverables.
• Partner with the Executive Director and program staff to refine grants processes as the foundation grows in scale and complexity.
• Maintain thorough documentation of systems, procedures, and protocols to ensure continuity and long-term organizational capacity.

Foundation Operations & Office Management (approximately 30%)

• Oversee day-to-day office operations to ensure a smooth, well-functioning, and welcoming environment, including mail and deliveries, receiving visitors/vendors, and responding to general inquiries (main telephone, info@ email).
• Manage vendor relationships and serve as liaison to building management, IT, and A/V providers.
• Provide core administrative services, including processing invoices, coding office expenditures, and maintaining digital files and contact databases.
• Monitor office supplies, kitchen/pantry inventory, and equipment (printer, phones).
• Maintain and distribute publications and coordinate external distribution as needed.

Events & Communications Support (approximately 20%)

• Partner with external events consultants to coordinate logistics for foundation meetings, exhibitions (2/year), and events (1/month) including invitation management, guest tracking, vendor coordination (catering/rentals), on-site logistics, and event materials.
• Assist with website updates and select communications projects as needed.

Qualifications, Skills, and Abilities

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience administering grants with a minimum of 2–3 years at a grantmaking entity (foundation, philanthropic institution, or other grantmaking organization).
• Demonstrated experience managing and improving grants management systems; ability to develop reports, dashboards, and workflows beyond basic data entry.
• Strong analytical skills and comfort translating data into clear insights for leadership and board audiences.
• Impeccable attention to detail, organizational skills, and follow-through, with the ability to anticipate needs proactively.
• Outstanding project management and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience with foundation grants management systems (Foundant preferred; Fluxx, GivingData, or similar systems also relevant).
• Extensive proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint); website management experience is a plus.
• Demonstrated initiative in identifying problems and independently improving systems and processes.
• Comfort working in a small team environment with shifting priorities and an all-hands-on-deck mindset.

Compensation & Benefits

The Illumination Fund offers a generous total rewards package, including comprehensive benefits and a collaborative, mission-driven work environment. Compensation is competitive within the philanthropic sector and determined based on experience and skills.

• Estimated annual salary range: $95,000 – $120,000 per year.

Commitment to Inclusion & Accessibility

The Illumination Fund and TSS are committed to building an inclusive workplace where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and related conditions), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.

We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and are committed to providing access and accommodation throughout the hiring process.