Grants and Contracts Associate

The Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA) is a collaborative of foundations seeking to amplify the power of people and the potential of forests for a just and climate resilient world (the Alliance). The CLUA member foundations are the ClimateWorks Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Good Energies Foundation, and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies also awards grants in alignment with the CLUA strategy. By bringing together our resources and diverse expertise, CLUA supports policies, practices, and partnerships that halt and reverse forest loss, advance sustainable land use and development, and secure the rights and livelihoods of Indigenous and forest communities. For more, please visit climateandlandusealliance.org.

CLUA is the host of Forest, People, Climate (FPC), a collaborative of philanthropic donors, civil society, and community-based organizations seeking to halt and reverse tropical deforestation while supporting, just, sustainable development. 

FPC focuses on equitable and enduring solutions that safeguard tropical forests and support those stewarding them, in particular, Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, and local communities in tropical forest countries. It works with experts, nongovernmental organizations, and donors to identify the strategic priorities that must be addressed to end and reverse deforestation, to mobilize the funding for those priorities, and to strengthen broad networks of partners. 

CLUA hosts FPC to accelerate progress toward shared goals of raising more support and moving more resources to organizations working to halt and reverse tropical deforestation. In this role, CLUA provides core operational support to FPC, including grants administration support, and seeks to support a diverse range of partners actively aligning to advance the success of FPC which includes those mobilizing new funding, developing strategies collaboratively with experts and organizations closest to the work, and equitably supporting the field with a focus on those historically excluded.

Position Description 

The Grants and Contracts Associate provides support for CLUA’s grants and contracts management and reports to the Senior Grants Manager. The Grants and Contracts Associate supports all stages of CLUA’s grant and contract processes, works with external partners, communicates regularly with and provides support to CLUA program, operations and administrative staff, and is responsible for tracking CLUA’s aligned grantmaking by member and aligned foundations.

The Grants and Contracts Associate is a key member of CLUA’s Operations team and possesses strong organizational and time management skills in order to manage varying responsibilities in a high-volume, fast-paced environment. The Grants and Contracts Associate works to enhance and improve grants management processes and increase efficiencies, proactively suggesting and exploring solutions to current and anticipated issues. The Grants and Contracts team works with team members and partners across multiple global geographies and time zones, requiring flexibility, cultural awareness, and adaptability. 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

The Grants and Contracts Associate will be responsible for the below duties:

Pre Award

• Support the Grants and Contracts team with a portfolio of grants and contracts funded by the CLUA secretariat:

• Intaking grant proposals, ensuring completeness and alignment with CLUA grantmaking policies, including collecting relevant supporting documentation for due diligence;
• Conducting organizational research as recommended and required for international grantmaking;
• Editing grant summaries and preparing materials for approval;
• Maintaining records in CLUA’s grants and contracts database (Fluxx), including ensuring that electronic grant documentation meets legal, auditing, Alliance, and donor requirements; 

• Responding to inquiries and requests from CLUA and Alliance staff, grantees, and contractors; and
• Supporting intake of contract documents, including creating and maintaining contract records in the database, ensuring accuracy and compliance with CLUA policies.

Post Award

• Ensure timely submission and approval of grantee reports by: 
  • Tracking and monitoring the status of report submissions;
  • Intaking grantee narrative and financial reports, reviewing for compliance with IRS and foundation-specific regulations and policies; 
  • Coordinating report approvals; and
  • Monitoring report approvals and ensuring reports move through the approval process according to internal processing guidelines and goals.
• Intake and process grant and contract amendments including no-cost extensions, budget modifications, cost extensions, and amount amendments. 
  • Prepare Amendment records for approval.
  • Liaise with program staff to request additional information and documentation related to amendment requests.
• Monitor grant terms and perform grant close outs per internal policies. 

CLUA Aligned Grants Support

Coordinate the approval of CLUA’s member foundation grants in alignment with the CLUA strategy by:

• Serving as the primary liaison to program and grant administration staff at member foundations regarding CLUA aligned grants; 
• Proactively requesting and collating aligned grant data, ensuring integrity, accuracy, and completeness; 
• Preparing partner foundation grant materials for CLUA approval; and
• Managing comprehensive aligned grant data in CLUA’s grants and contracts database. 

Additional Responsibilities

• Coordinate, support, and schedule regular communication and training with CLUA Programs staff.
• Schedule and collaborate with the remainder of the grants and contracts team to contribute to onboarding training provided to new CLUA and Alliance staff, and maintain related training materials.  
• Assist with the production of materials for Board meetings.
• Produce reports as needed for CLUA Board, senior management, and programs teams.
• Undertake special projects as assigned.

Preferred Experience & Competencies 

Applicants will ideally have many of the following competencies and some of the following experience:

• A minimum of 3 years of relevant work experience, including experience within a grants management function at an international grantmaking organization 
• Outstanding interpersonal, written, and oral communications skills   
• Strong administrative, organizational, time, and workflow management skills
• Experience reviewing grant materials with a compliance lens
• Knowledge of general US lobbying rules related to grantmaking  
• Experience working within databases or relational management systems and the ability to quickly acquire proficiency in database software (Fluxx experience is a plus)   
• An orientation toward self-starting, proactive anticipation of team needs, and creative problem-solving   
• Flexibility, adaptability, curiosity, and integrity   
• Commitment to CLUA’s mission and focus on social justice
• Fluency in Portuguese, Spanish, or Bahasa Indonesia is a plus    

Location

The Grants & Contracts Associate is a remote and full time contract position. The ideal candidate will be based in South America. The position will require working remotely with a flexible work schedule that may include early and late calls and activities to support colleagues in multiple time zones in the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Indonesia.

Compensation

The compensation range for this position is USD $44,000 to $53,000 per year, depending on experience.

Equal Opportunity and Access

Equal staffing opportunity is a fundamental principle at the Climate and Land Use Alliance, where staffing and promotional opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation/affectional preference, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as established under law. The Climate and Land Use Alliance does not discriminate against formerly incarcerated individuals.

Application Process

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. We encourage candidates of all backgrounds, ethnicities, and identities to apply. CLUA will complete an initial review of applications received by October 17, 2025 and on a rolling basis thereafter until the position is filled. To be considered, please apply online and submit a cover letter and resume in English.