GRANTS MANAGER – INVESTING IN YOUNG PEOPLE

JOB DESCRIPTION

Introduction

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation is an independent grant-making foundation set up by Paul Hamlyn, the publisher and philanthropist. It aims to maximise opportunities for individuals and communities to realise their potential and experience and enjoy a better quality of life. 

The Foundation supports charitable activity in the areas of arts, education and learning, and social justice across the UK. It also supports local charities in India that help the poorest communities get access to basic services.

The Foundation is based in light and recently refurbished offices near Kings Cross in London. The design and facilities, we hope, fosters collaboration and networking between the staff and amongst grantees. At the moment, we are hybrid-working, asking colleagues to spend at least 40% of their time in the office to facilitate learning and knowledge sharing.

Our vision is for a just society in which everyone, especially young people, can realise their full potential and enjoy fulfilling and creative lives.

Our mission is to be an effective and independent funder, using all our resources to create opportunities and support social change. We partner with inspiring organisations and individuals to make sure that people facing disadvantage are at the heart of leading change and designing solutions to overcome inequality.

We are committed to being an anti-racist organisation. This commitment drives how we work, who we work with and how we make decisions. You can read more about our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) here.

We have five funding priorities where we wish to see change. You can read more about our work based in the UK here.

•       Investing in young people

•       Migration and integration

•       Arts access and participation

•       Education and learning through the arts

•       Nurturing ideas and people

Our values are important to us and we work to and carry them through all our activity.

Grants Manager - Investing in Young People Role Overview

Our approach to investing in organisations that support young people

As a Grants Manger - Investing in Young People, you will be particularly focused on our Youth Fund which supports organisations working with and for young people (14-25s).

This funding is focused on young people who are facing complex transitions to adulthood: those who are socially excluded or marginalised, whose experiences are hidden or less well known, or whose voices are often erased or ignored. Our aim is not only to improve the quality and quantity of support available to these young people but to fund organisations to influence the wider context, advocating for young people and focusing on systemic and structural change. We are interested in the root causes of inequity and injustice for young people and how to tackle these to build a better future.

We do this by investing in organisations at various stages of development to improve, consolidate and spread practices that drive change with and for young people. We fund work with young people that starts by recognising and building on their strengths and potential. We support work that is led by young people, where power is shared, where work is developed and delivered in partnership with them, and where youth voice and experience influences decision-making. We have a particular interest in young people leading social change and shaping the world around them.

What will be my main contribution?

Acting as the primary point of contact between applicant organisations and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, you will assess applications for funding and make funding recommendations. You will work closely with a portfolio of funded organisations in our investing in young people theme, primarily the Youth Fund. There is a current portfolio of c 50 live grants that you will manage and be the key point of contact for. You will build strong relationships with funded organisations and support those organisations to achieve their growth and development objectives.

Who will I report to?

You will be supported by and report to the Head of Programme: Young People.

Who will I line manage?

You will have no formal line management responsibility but may occasionally be expected to coordinate the work of Grant Assistant(s) or temporary staff – working closely with your line manager. And you will be expected to work in a small and fully interconnected structure that relies on collaboration, flexibility and the ability to operate within both formal and informal reporting relationships.

What other key internal relationships will I have?

You will work closely with colleagues in the Strategic Learning, Insight and Influence team to – share intelligence; develop an understanding of the impact that our funding and support are having; and highlight and celebrate best practice more widely to help drive the change we would like to see.

You will also work closely with colleagues in the Finance and Resources team to ensure good and effective grant management.

What level of budget responsibility will I have?

Not applicable.

Main Responsibilities

• Actively uphold and contribute to the Foundation’s diversity, equity and inclusion work.

Grant-making and management

• Provide a prompt and helpful service to potential applicants enquiring about the Foundation’s work.

• Develop and implement strategies to identify potential applicants and approaches to enable them to apply to the Youth Fund.

• Assess grant applications, analysing the quality and potential impact of proposals and organisational viability; obtaining appropriate advice and references; reaching a judgement or recommendation for submission to senior staff, decision-making panels and/or Trustees; and handling relationships throughout the process until the application is either successful or declined.

• Prepare written reports with detailed analysis and recommendations to present at panel meetings.

• Manage and monitor a portfolio of grants awarded including: agreeing appropriate grant goals and reporting requirements, analysing monitoring reports, managing risk and authorising and generating grant payments in a timely fashion.

• Support the Head of Programme to review and improve our grant-making processes to ensure that they are accessible and do not perpetuate existing structural models of inequality.

• Maintain grants database (Blackbaud Grantmaking) – ensuring that records are accurate and complete so that we know the status of applications and awarded grants at any time and reporting and payments are completed to schedule.

• Carry out visits to grantees to see impact of work in action as required (virtually or in person). Travel may be local or national across the UK.

Learning

• Take an active and developmental role with colleagues and with grantees to help build the capacity of grantees, enhance the effectiveness of their work (including through advising on long-term sustainability and financial viability) and to maximise learning within and across grant themes.

• Participate in learning and knowledge sharing activities relevant to the team and wider youth sector including keeping up to date with relevant policy and practice to inform strategy.

• Take on specific research or development roles within the team as appropriate, which might include maintaining strong relations with partner foundations, supporting funder collaborations, and the development of strategic initiatives.

• Help develop and actively contribute to cross-departmental and multidisciplinary working, supporting continual improvement and professional development.

General

• Represent the Foundation at external events, if required.

• Support the work of the communications team to ensure that news stories, grants’ listings, etc. are kept up to date.

• Liaise closely with the grants administration staff.

Person specification

We recognise that this person specification is extensive, and you may feel you do not meet all the criteria. We are open to adjusting the role and how it is delivered to enable those from a broad range of backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.

If you are interested, please apply even if you do not meet all criteria - please note we are unable to offer VISA Sponsorship.

We are aiming to conduct the interviews on the week beginning June 3rd.

Skills, knowledge, and experience

Sympathy with the values and aims of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, in particular our commitment to equitable grant making and being an anti-racist funder. The ability to apply these principles to ensure good decision making and support for those we fund.

• Demonstrable experience of working in the youth sector or with young people, in particular young people facing complex transitions, and with charities and/or third sector organisations who do the same.

OR

Demonstrable experience of the processes of grant-making – from assessments to monitoring within a focus on young people.

• Knowledge of policy and best practice in the area of young people, with the capability and interest to acquire it in other areas of our current work.

• Interest in how social change happens, including young people leading change and tackling systemic and structural inequality and injustice.

• A good understanding of organisational dynamics – such as business planning, financial reporting, performance management and governance – and how these apply to developing the business models, capacity and longer-term sustainability of organisations, ideally within the public or voluntary sectors.

• Good interpersonal skills and the ability to give empathetic and constructive feedback to unsuccessful applicants.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to communicate with a range of audiences.

• Ability to analyse and synthesise complex information quickly and effectively.

• An organised and methodical approach to work, combining numerical accuracy with attention to detail and an ability to meet deadlines.

• Strong IT skills, (MS Office), the ability to learn detailed processes and use of databases to process information.

• Strong project management skills and experience of delivering successful projects.

• Experience of understanding annual and management accounts, budgets and confidence in extracting key information from financial reports.

  Behaviours and ways of working

• The ability to build relationships with a range of individuals and organisations, including senior staff, trustees, grantees, policy makers and practitioners, and young people.

• Resourceful and proactive, with initiative and a problem-solving disposition. Ability to spot connections and learning across PHF’s work and that of others.

• An ability to work creatively and flexibly in a small team, supporting other colleagues. Willing to and experience of working beyond your area of expertise across the Foundations other strategic themes.

• A strong personal commitment to learning and improvement.

Desirable

• Understanding of policy and / or practice relating to young people in more than one country of the UK (i.e., Wales, Scotland and/or Northern Ireland).

• Understanding and experience of using Blackbaud Grantmaking grants management database.

• The capability and interest to acquire knowledge of policy and best practice in other areas of our current work.

• Understanding and experience of evaluation, including use of a range of methods.

Terms and conditions

• Salary c£39,000 -  per annum

• 25 days leave per annum, plus statutory holidays.

• Employer pension contribution of 10%

• Medical, permanent health and life insurance (once probation period passed).

• Full-time post 35 hours per week.

• Office hours are normally 9am – 5pm Monday – Friday, but flexible working is possible around core hours of 10am – 4pm.

• PHF operates a hybrid working policy and you will be expected to work at least 40% of your time in the office with the option to work up to 60% of your time from home. The contractual place of work for this role is 5- 11 Leeke Street, London WC1X 9HY.

• Some flexibility is required from team members around evening work and travel to and from events and meetings.

• We are open to discussing flexible working arrangements.