Flint, MI

The Organization

The Mott Foundation, established in 1926 by an automotive pioneer, is a private philanthropy committed to supporting projects that promote a just, equitable, and sustainable society.  It supports nonprofit programs throughout the United States and, on a limited geographic basis, internationally.  Grantmaking is focused in four programs: Civil Society, Environment, Flint Area, and Pathways to Opportunity.  In addition to Flint, Michigan, offices are located in metropolitan Detroit, Johannesburg, and London.   In 2014, the Foundation made more than 400 grants totaling approximately $99 million.  For more information, visit www.mott.org.

Position Overview

The program assistant will assist program officers with grant processing and administrative functions related to the Environment program’s Advancing Climate Change Solutions (ACCS) grantmaking.  The ACCS program area aims to promote the deployment of clean energy technologies at the community level in Michigan and internationally.  The program assistant will support the Foundation’s interests in both geographic settings and work with all members of the Environment program team.

The program assistant position should be seen as a stepping stone to a more ambitious professional role outside of the Foundation; therefore, this full-time, exempt position has a limited-term employment offer of two years.

Responsibilities

• Become conversant about program funding interests, evaluation, and communication efforts.
• Participate in team discussions concerning grantmaking strategies, program management, and evaluation.
• Conduct research to contribute to program planning, which may include attending conferences, workshops, and grantee site visits.
• Assist in the preparation of team documents for senior management and Foundation Trustees.
• Respond to letters, e-mails, and telephone calls requesting general information about the Foundation’s grantmaking and/or the status of a proposal’s review.
• Draft responses to letters of inquiry and proposals that describe projects outside of the Foundation’s interests.
• Contact grant seekers to obtain additional information required to complete processing of their grant requests.
• Contact grantees to resolve routine reporting problems and administrative issues.
• Assist with the preparation of internal memorandums and other paperwork that are part of routine grant processing activities.
• Review and summarize selected grantee reports.
• Respond to requests for information from other Foundation departments, such as Grants Administration and Communications.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Demonstrated interest in environmental and/or sustainable development issues and a bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• Minimum two years of experience and/or a master’s degree in a related field.
• Knowledge of clean energy issues and/or foreign language skills, particularly Spanish or Portuguese, is desirable, but not required.

Attributes

You may be the ideal candidate if you have the following attributes:

• You are an excellent writer.
• You have outstanding verbal communications skills.
• You are a solid analytical thinker.
• You pay close attention to detail.
• You have the desire and ability to work well as a member of a team.
• You are able to manage a diverse workload.
• You welcome feedback from interested parties as a way to improve the effectiveness of your work.
• You have a good sense of humor.
• You want to use this opportunity as a stepping stone to a larger career beyond the Foundation.