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Programs Associate, Grants - Nonprofit Organizations

About us:

The Harish & Bina Shah Foundation (HBSF) is a philanthropic foundation committed to creating meaningful and lasting societal change by supporting high-impact nonprofits and institutions across India. Our work spans education, healthcare, livelihoods, environmental sustainability, and allied social causes, and is rooted in the belief that progress must be inclusive, grounded, and sustainable. Established in 2002, the Foundation works across diverse geographies and communities, partnering with organisations that are deeply embedded in the realities they serve.

At HBSF, we see ourselves not just as funders, but as long-term partners. We work closely with nonprofits, institutions, and ecosystem collaborators to strengthen organisational capacity, leadership, and systems — enabling impact that can endure beyond individual projects. Our approach is patient, professional, and collaborative, shaped by listening to partners on the ground and responding thoughtfully to both long-standing challenges and emerging needs.

As a team, we value discretion, integrity, empathy, and a strong sense of responsibility — both to the communities we work with and to one another. Joining HBSF means contributing to work that is purposeful, behind-the-scenes, and deeply human. It is a space for people who find meaning in enabling others, who care about getting the details right, and who want their work to quietly but genuinely matter.

Location: Mumbai BKC
Working days (and time): Monday - Friday (09:00am to 05:00pm)
Employment Type: Full-time
Experience: 3–6 years
Reporting To: Senior Leadership / Programs Lead

The opportunity:

This role is not about being a subject-matter expert in any one cause, and it is not a purely administrative grants role. This role exists because grantmaking to nonprofit organizations happens in real-world conditions — where constraints are real, capacity is uneven, and execution is rarely linear.
At HBSF, we work closely with nonprofit organization partners that are directly involved in program delivery. These partners often operate in complex field environments and face evolving operational, financial, and capacity challenges. This role exists to ensure that grants made in such contexts deliver outcomes without losing accountability.
The Programs Associate, Grants – Nonprofit Organizations is responsible for managing the grants lifecycle for nonprofit partners that are engaged in program implementation. The role focuses on contextual grant assessment, close partner engagement, monitoring execution in dynamic environments, and identifying risks and course-correcting early.
This role sits at the intersection of programs, finance, and partner engagement, and requires comfort working in situations where information may be incomplete, systems are evolving, and judgment matters as much as process.

Roles & Responsibilities:

Grant Assessment & Contextual Due Diligence


•Support assessment of grant proposals from nonprofit partners, working closely with internal teams and external specialists

•Evaluate proposals with an understanding of on-ground realities, organizational capacity, and execution risk

•Assist in structuring grants with realistic budgets, milestones, and reporting expectations

•Surface risks, assumptions, and dependencies clearly during internal reviews

Nonprofit Partner Engagement

•Act as a key point of contact for nonprofit partners post-grant approval

•Build working relationships grounded in trust, clarity, and accountability

•Support partners in interpreting grant requirements, milestones, and reporting expectations

•Balance support and firmness when addressing delays, deviations, or challenges

Monitoring, Execution & Course Correction

•Track progress against program milestones, budgets, and intended outcomes

•Review partner reports and supplement them with qualitative insights from regular check-ins and field engagement

•Identify early warning signs related to capacity, finances, or execution

•Work with internal teams and partners to course-correct where required

Internal Coordination & Grant Management

•Coordinate closely with finance to align programmatic and financial tracking

•Prepare internal summaries, notes, and updates for review forums and leadership

•Ensure documentation related to grants, reviews, and changes is complete and current

•Support compliance with internal grant management processes without overburdening partners

Learning, Reflection & Capacity Strengthening

•Capture learnings from nonprofit partnerships, including what enables or constrains delivery

•Contribute to improving internal grantmaking frameworks based on field experience

•Support partners in strengthening basic systems and reporting practices where appropriate

•Feed insights back into internal discussions on strategy and portfolio design•

Experience and Qualifications:

•Master's degree in Management, Social Work, Public Policy, Development Studies, or related fields •3–6 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations, programs, or grants •Strong communication and relationship management skills •Ability to assess budgets, reports, and operational realities critically •Comfort working across functions and adapting to evolving contexts •Strong judgment, patience, and follow-through

What are we looking for?

We are looking for someone who

 

•Can work empathetically without lowering standards

•Is comfortable navigating ambiguity and constraint

•Believes that strong partnerships require both support and discipline

Apply if you

•Have 3–6 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations, programs, or grants

•Are comfortable engaging with partners operating under real constraints

•Can combine empathy with clarity and accountability

•Are able to navigate ambiguity and evolving situations

•Value learning and reflection alongside execution

Do not apply if you 

•Prefer highly structured, predictable environments

•Are uncomfortable engaging deeply with partners on execution challenges

•Are looking for a cause-specialist with minimal stakeholder coordination or research-only role

•Prefer minimal interaction with external stakeholders

•Are looking for a purely desk-based role

•Are looking for a narrowly defined compliance or reporting position

Please submit your CV, portfolio (less than 5MB), your portfolio and an accompanying letter explaining your experiences and ambitions, along with expected salaries. Please explain your exact role and contribution in your resume.