Application Guide
How to Apply for Grants Manager
at Commonwealth
🏢 About Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a pioneering nonprofit that designs and scales financial solutions for people living with chronic financial insecurity, having already helped over 2 million people save nearly $8 billion. What sets it apart is its systems-level approach—partnering with employers, fintechs, financial institutions, and policymakers to create lasting change, not just direct services. With a new 4-year strategic plan focused on workplace benefits, climate, and generative AI, it’s an exciting time to join a mission-driven organization that blends innovation with real-world impact.
About This Role
As Grants Manager, you will be the backbone of Commonwealth’s fundraising operations—managing the full grant lifecycle from prospect research to reporting, ensuring compliance, and stewarding funder relationships. Your work directly fuels programs that expand financial opportunity for marginalized communities, making this role pivotal to advancing economic equity. You’ll collaborate across teams to align grant strategies with Commonwealth’s bold new strategic plan, including emerging areas like climate and AI.
💡 A Day in the Life
Your day might start with a check-in with the development team, then move to drafting a proposal for a new fintech partner or reviewing a budget with the finance team. You could spend the afternoon tracking reporting deadlines, updating the Salesforce database, or meeting with program staff to gather impact data for a funder report. Expect a mix of writing, data management, and cross-team collaboration—all in service of advancing financial security for millions.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Commonwealth Is Looking For
- 3+ years of grant management experience in a nonprofit, ideally with a focus on economic justice, financial inclusion, or related social issues.
- Proven track record of managing a portfolio of grants (institutional, corporate, and foundation), including proposal writing, budgeting, reporting, and compliance.
- Strong project management skills with the ability to juggle multiple deadlines, work remotely, and coordinate across departments.
- Familiarity with fundraising databases (e.g., Salesforce, Blackbaud) and a data-driven approach to tracking and improving grant performance.
📝 Tips for Applying to Commonwealth
Highlight any experience managing grants that support systems-change work—Commonwealth values market-level interventions, not just direct service.
Quantify your grant success: include metrics like total funds raised, number of grants managed, or average grant size to demonstrate impact.
Mention specific funders or grant types you’ve worked with that align with Commonwealth’s focus areas (e.g., workplace benefits, fintech, financial security).
Show familiarity with Commonwealth’s new strategic plan by referencing its pillars (workplace benefits, financial institution partnerships, climate, generative AI) in your application.
Emphasize your ability to work remotely and independently—Commonwealth is a remote-first organization, so demonstrate self-motivation and strong virtual collaboration skills.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
In your cover letter, emphasize your passion for economic equity and how your grant management experience directly supports systems-change. Highlight your ability to manage complex grant portfolios and your familiarity with funders in financial inclusion or adjacent fields. Connect your skills to Commonwealth’s new strategic priorities, especially workplace benefits and emerging areas like climate and AI. Finally, showcase your comfort with remote work and cross-functional collaboration.
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Read Commonwealth’s 4-year strategic plan (available on their website) to understand their new focus areas and how the Grants Manager role supports them.
- → Explore their key initiatives like the Workplace Benefits program and partnerships with fintechs to see how grants fund these efforts.
- → Research their major funders and grant history through annual reports or LinkedIn to identify alignment with your experience.
- → Understand their approach to systems change and how it differs from direct-service nonprofits—this will help you tailor your answers.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Focusing only on grant writing without mentioning grant management, compliance, or reporting—Commonwealth needs a full-cycle manager.
- Ignoring the remote aspect: failing to demonstrate how you stay organized and collaborative in a remote-first environment.
- Being vague about your commitment to economic equity—Commonwealth wants candidates who genuinely care about their mission, not just any nonprofit job.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!