Grants and Administration Manager

Level Ground Mixed Martial Arts

Job Description

Level Ground Mixed Martial Arts is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to empowering urban youth through athletics, academics, and employment opportunities. We use martial arts as a vehicle to create positive, supportive relationships with our students, as well as teach key values such as persistence and determination. As the Grants & Administration Manager, you will oversee grant management, support fundraising and development initiatives, and manage key administrative functions to ensure the organization’s success. This is a full-time position.


Position Summary
Level Ground Mixed Martial Arts is seeking an eager, flexible, and highly motivated individual to help take a burgeoning organization to the next level. As our new Grants & Administration Manager, you will support all grant seeking, development, and administrative activities as it aligns with the strategic vision of the organization. You will report to the Executive Director, and will be supported by our Administrative & Operational Coordinator. Your responsibilities will include:

Grants Management & Development Support (estimated 70% of time)
  • Steward current foundation relationships 
  • Identify and secure new funding sources
  • Manage all grant efforts, including grant writing and reporting
  • Support long-term fundraising efforts, including a capital campaign
  • Co-manage donor cultivation, management, year-end campaign, fundraising events, and other development efforts

Administration Management (estimated 30% of time)
  • Assist in budgeting, financial planning, and expense tracking
  • Work with accountant and auditor on financial documentation and reporting
  • Supervise administrative staff
  • Support payroll, benefits, and HR compliance
  • Maintain organizational documents, licenses, and insurance policies
  • Provide administrative support to the leadership team and board of directors as needed
  • Supervise administrative coordinator

In addition to reporting to our Executive Director, you will work closely with a passionate and committed Board of Directors. It is imperative to regularly engage with our Program Staff and youth to ensure that fundraising efforts are aligned with the culture of our organization, and that messaging accurately represents our work and the youth that we serve.


Detailed Roles and Responsibilities (including, but not limited to)
Grants Management
  • Research and cultivate corporate, foundation and city/state/federal funding opportunities 
  • Conduct research on latest data of poverty, education, health, employment trends etc. impacting LG youth and families, and incorporate findings in grant proposals as appropriate.
  • Identify, draft, and submit grant proposals, and follow up with appropriate updates and reports to foundations. Manage administrative components of grants, and ensure compliance.
  • Broaden Level Ground’s corporate fundraising partnerships.

Development Support
  • Help steward current donor relationships and support cultivation of new donor relationships.
  • Coordinate donor and prospect correspondence, including customized cultivation (ie. mailings, supplemental thank you letters, reports, etc.)
  • Support administrative coordinator in enhancing/maintaining a donor database, and provide oversight of donation management activities and reports.
  • Support major fundraising efforts from start to finish, including annual appeals.
  • Support development strategy and plan for Level Ground, define objectives and targets, and create tools to track progress
  • Coordinate with Program Staff and youth to ensure that data and narrative messaging meaningfully represents our work and the youth that we serve

Financial Management & Compliance
  • Assist in the development and monitoring of annual budgets, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
  • Collaborate with the accountant to prepare monthly and quarterly financial statements.
  • Work with external auditor to facilitate annual audits.
  • Monitor grant and funding allocations, ensuring proper documentation and reporting for funders.

Human Resources & Payroll
  • Support payroll processing, ensuring accuracy and timely payments for employees and contractors.
  • Administer employee benefits, including health insurance, retirement plans, and other organizational perks.
  • Support the hiring and onboarding process for new staff, coordinating interviews, background checks, and paperwork.

Organizational Compliance
  • Help maintain all essential organizational documents, including bylaws, policies, and operational records.
  • Ensure all necessary licences and insurance policies remain current and in compliance with legal requirements.
Leadership & Board Support
  • Provide administrative support to the leadership team, assisting with scheduling, correspondence, and special projects, as needed.
  • Provide supervisory support to the board secretary in preparing materials, agendas, and reports for board meetings, taking minutes and ensuring follow-up actions are tracked.
  • Assist in strategic planning efforts by gathering data and supporting leadership decision-making.


Qualifications and Skills
Level Ground is seeking an enthusiastic, adaptable, and skilled new member of our team! 

Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
  • 3-5 years of experience in research, grant writing, development, or educational equivalent
  • Excellent organizational and management skills, with ability to oversee multiple projects simultaneously
  • Exceptional interpersonal, oral, and written communication, including excellent writing and editing ability
  • Knowledge of and experience building strong relationships with Boston’s nonprofit, philanthropy, and social enterprise sectors.
  • Proficient computer skills, including Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, knowledge of customer relations software
  • Ability to develop and administer budgets
  • Experience with youth development programs, including leveraging qualitative and quantitative data for grant-writing purposes
  • Values youth athletics as a pathway and powerful driver of successful outcomes for youth
  • Values honesty, integrity, and empathy as the fabric of all successful social ventures and lives that value
  • Values youth development beyond traditional educational pipelines [i.e. alternatives to four-year college]
  • Values building and maintaining relationships with urban youth and youths of color
  • Enthusiasm and current practice in sports, athletics and/or fitness
  • Passionate, committed, flexible, adaptive, and fun to be around

Additional Preferred Qualifications
  • Prior experience working or volunteering with a youth serving nonprofit
  • Working knowledge of how to leverage social media to increase a nonprofit organization's visibility and enhance its profile
  • Experience working in multiracial, multicultural organizations
  • Has deep understanding of the communities of Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan through firsthand experience [lives or has previous work experience in the community]
  • Experience in practicing Brazilian jiu jitsu, boxing, kickboxing, yoga, or other forms of martial arts


Salary and Benefits
The Grants & Administrative Manager role is a full-time position, with a competitive salary based on experience. Benefits include health insurance reimbursement of up to federally-allowable threshold under QSEHRA guidelines, employer-sponsored 401(k) with 4% match, professional development fund, 21 days of paid time off (PTO) annually, and unlimited sick days.

Level Ground Mixed Martial Arts is an equal opportunity employer and actively seeks a diverse pool of qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, or Vietnam era, or other eligible veteran status, or any other protected factor.