Grants Assistant

Climate Breakthrough is a global philanthropy supporting extraordinary climate leaders to pursue ambitious and transformative climate endeavors through the Climate Breakthrough Award: a multi-million-dollar, multi-year, flexible grant. Our mission is to make an outsized impact in resolving the climate crisis by freeing leaders to translate their boldest ideas into transformative climate action that swiftly and justly closes the gap between the world today and a sustainable future.

Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Climate Breakthrough is funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the IKEA Foundation, The Lemelson Foundation, Quadrature Climate Foundation, Oceankind, and Vere Initiatives. For more information, visit

About the Role

Reporting to the Senior Grants Manager, the Grants Assistant will provide vital administrative and operational support to Climate Breakthrough’s grantmaking activities, ensuring smooth, accurate, and compliant processes across the grant lifecycle. Under the supervision and guidance of the Senior Grants Manager, the Grants Assistant will support timely disbursement of awards, management of grant reporting processes, management of contracts, and maintenance of up-to-date records in the internal database. The Grants Assistant will also ensure proper documentation, file management, and data security.

This is a great opportunity for someone who is familiar with grantmaking processes, experienced in operating grants management platforms and other digital tools, and is highly organized with excellent written and verbal communication skills.

The Grants Assistant’s work will be divided into the following areas:

Grants Administration

• Manage the Climate Breakthrough Award inquiries inbox, ensuring clear and timely communication with internal teams and external partners.
• Review supporting materials for completeness and follow up with grant applicants as needed to maintain efficient administrative workflow.
• In consultation with the Senior Grants Manager, maintain and update grantmaking procedure manuals.
• Track and review grantee payments and support collection of narrative and financial reports, sending reminders to awardees as needed.
• Coordinate with program staff about missing information and upcoming grant‑related deadlines, as needed.

Contract Management

• In consultation with the Operations Manager, support the preparation of vendor contracts, internal contract workflow, and entry and management of contracts in the internal database.
• Collaborate with the Finance and Operations team to ensure timely processing of contractual payments and record transaction details in the internal database.

Information Management

• Maintain current payment records, contact details and other relevant grant information for all awardees.
• Provide technical support for grants data management and act as knowledge resource for Climate Breakthrough staff.
• Maintain the team’s internal data drive and database training guide, ensuring data security and clear file organization.
• Support the team with adhering to the organizational Document Retention Policy through regular training, protocol reminders, guidance documents, etc.
• This role will also provide ad hoc organizational support, as needed.

Qualifications

Successful applicants will have most of the following qualifications:

• At least one year of relevant experience in philanthropic grants management, contract administration, or similar fields, ideally with some international experience.
• The ability to manage a database and navigate program management tools. Any exposure to grants management platforms is a plus.
• Proven ability to handle multiple projects in a timely manner.
• Strong attention to detail and well‑organized.
• Ability to maintain a high degree of discretion and confidentiality.
• Experience working collaboratively as part of a small team with strong interpersonal and relationship‑building skills.
• Ability to prioritize, adapt to changes, and nimbly shift between projects.
• Comfort working in a fast‑paced and changeable organization.
• Commitment to and enthusiasm for Climate Breakthrough’s mission.
• Cross‑cultural sensitivity and awareness and commitment to justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity.
• Ability to travel nationally for work events (1‑3x annual).
• Fluency in English required, other languages an asset.

Position Details

This role must be located in the San Francisco Bay Area or the New York Metro Area. Attendance is expected at twice annual team onsites in San Francisco. For a Bay Area hire, commitment to come into our San Francisco office one day per week is expected. Please note that full‑time at Climate Breakthrough is 35 hours/week; we also have a 31.5 hour/week option (90 % time), for which salary is adjusted accordingly.

The desired start date for this position is February 15, 2026.

For a San Francisco Bay Area‑based employee, the salary for this role is $75,000. To advance our commitment to internal equity the salary for this position has been set at our highest and best offer within our established compensation framework and is not subject to negotiation. For applicants based in the New York Metro Area, a geographic differential of –5 % would apply.

Climate Breakthrough offers a generous benefits package that includes the following:

• 35‑hour workweek, with a reduced‑hour workweek (31.5 hrs/wk) option available
• Medical (PPO and HMO), Dental, and Vision plans with 100 % employee coverage and >50 % coverage for dependents
• 20 days paid vacation per year, with 25 days after two years
• 11 days paid sick leave per year
• All federal holidays observed, plus Christmas Eve and the day after Thanksgiving, as well as two floating holidays and birthday off
• 401(k) plan with 6 % employer contribution
• Long‑term disability and life insurance
• Stipend support for professional development, home office, and business travel

To Apply

CEA Recruiting is assisting Climate Breakthrough with this search. To be considered for this position, interested candidates should use the link below to submit an application, including a resume and thoughtful cover letter. Preference will be given to applications received before December 12, 2025, but the position will remain posted until filled.

Each application is personally reviewed by our hiring team — no automated filters or AI reviewers. Please write your application with authenticity, in your own words, so we can read your perspective. We typically reach out to candidates selected to advance in our process within 3‑4 weeks from when the application is submitted. Only candidates selected to advance will be contacted prior to the successful completion of this search. All candidates will be notified when the search has closed.

For questions about completing the application form or technical concerns, you may contact View email address on click.appcast.io. We regret that due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are not able to provide individual responses on the status of your application or feedback to candidates who do not advance to interviews. To ensure your application is reviewed and you receive notifications about the process, please use only the career portal to submit your application materials.

As Climate Breakthrough enters its tenth year of selecting and supporting visionary climate leaders to pursue their boldest breakthrough strategies to address the climate crisis, we are building out our own organizational capacity to match the ambition of our program. We will be hiring four entry‑level assistant roles across the organization’s program and operations, including Grants Assistant; Operations Assistant; Programs Assistant, Awardee Support; and Program Assistant, Awardee Selection. If you or someone you know are passionate about combatting the climate crisis, are aligned with our Mission and Guiding Values, and are excited to get involved, we encourage you to review and share our open positions. Please visit job/ceaconsulting.com/jobs to learn more about these opportunities as they become available.

Climate Breakthrough is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status.

Climate Breakthrough is a values‑driven organization with a strong commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. We regularly assess our practices and make adjustments to pursue our commitments and values, and drive our mission. Our team works together closely to set and uphold the high standards to which we hold our work and ourselves. Read our Guiding Values here.

CEA Recruiting works with leading environmental nonprofits, foundations, and businesses to recruit top talent and design effective organizational staffing strategies. For more information, visit