Description
Organizational Summary:
Palenque LSNA is a catalyst for Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Immigrant communities and allies to take care of one another and take strategic action for systemic change and a just, resilient, and joyful future. Our tagline is: Liberating Spaces through Neighborhood Action.
Palenque LSNA (formerly known as Logan Square Neighborhood Association) is a community-based organization building power for education, immigration, and housing equity, particularly in the Avondale, Hermosa, and Logan Square neighborhoods of Chicago, and leads and collaborates with coalitions for policy change across the city and state.
Palenque LSNA is a woman of color led organization that centers the voices and experiences of the primarily Latinx, indigenous, and immigrant leaders who guide our work. We channel our power and energy through Palenque. Historically, Palenque is an example of Black, Brown, and Indigenous resistance and solidarity—spaces where radical liberation could both exist and thrive. Palenque describes a spirit of resistance, solidarity, and self-reflection, intentionally centering Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities.
Position:
The Grants Finance Manager is a core member of Palenque LSNA’s Finance Department, responsible for the financial oversight, compliance, and audit management of all government and private foundation grants. Palenque LSNA maintains its organizational financial reporting on an accrual basis; however, many active grant contracts require cash-basis reporting to funders. A central function of this role is pulling data from ADP, QuickBooks Online, and Bill.com to construct accurate cash-basis financial reporting packages for each funder, while maintaining audit-ready documentation of allowable expenses. The Grants Finance Manager must translate fluently between accrual and cash accounting systems depending on funder need and serve as the go-to resource for helping program staff understand these distinctions in plain language.
Grounded in Palenque’s values of accountability, transparency, and liberatory practice, this position owns the full financial lifecycle of grant contracts—from budget development through voucher creation, funder reporting, desk audits, and collections—and works closely with the Director of Finance, the Development team, and program leads to ensure that all grants are managed with the highest standards of fiscal integrity.
In line with our values, the ideal team member will have a passion for equity and social justice, a commitment to integrity and transparency, and a genuine interest in building the financial capacity of a growing, mission-driven organization. We welcome candidates from non-traditional backgrounds and those whose expertise has been shaped by lived experience and community-based work.
Key core duties include, but are not limited to:
Grant Vouchers & Financial Reporting
Prepare and submit monthly vouchers and budget-to-actual reports for all government grants, ensuring accuracy and compliance with funder requirements and deadlines.
Run quarterly budget-to-actual reports for private foundation grants and communicate variances to relevant stakeholders.
Evaluate the Accounts Receivable (AR) Aging report regularly and perform collections on unpaid grant balances.
Pull data from ADP, QuickBooks Online, and Bill.com to build complete cash-basis financial reporting packages for government and foundation funders, reconciling against the organization’s accrual-basis books.
Identify miscodes and timing errors across ADP, QuickBooks Online, and Bill.com; collaborate with program staff and the Finance Operations Manager to resolve discrepancies promptly and ensure each cost is accurately assigned to the correct grant, period, and budget line.
Proactively monitor grant expenditures to prevent double billings and missed expenses, maintaining clean and complete records that are defensible in audit.
Funder Compliance Platforms
Interface with government and institutional funder reporting and compliance platforms, including IDHS CSA, CPS Supplier Portal, City of Chicago Supplier Portal, GATA (Grantee Accountability and Transparency Act), and ISBE IWAS, to ensure timely and accurate submission of all required documentation.
Maintain current knowledge of platform requirements, submission deadlines, and compliance standards across all active contracts.
Budget Development & Contract Management
Write and develop grant budgets for new and renewal applications, ensuring alignment with organizational financial policies and funder guidelines.
Partner closely with the Program and Development teams to own the financial components of grant contract management, including budget negotiations, modifications, and renewals.
Coordinate approvals and submission deadlines with lead program staff to ensure timely and accurate filings.
Staff Collaboration & Financial Training
Interface regularly with lead staff and middle management to discuss budgets, propose modifications, and explain the difference between accrual and cash-basis accounting in grant reports—making complex financial concepts accessible to non-finance colleagues.
Design and maintain dashboards, visual spend-down trackers, and other tools that give program staff real-time visibility into grant balances, pacing, and remaining budget—enabling proactive and efficient use of funds before contract deadlines.
Leverage AI tools, Budgyt, and other emerging technologies to continuously improve the quality and accessibility of financial reporting available to program staff.
Compliance, Audit & Coordination
Coordinate and manage desk audits, site visits, insurance certificate tracking, and other compliance reviews initiated by government funders.
Manage the collection and tracking of insurance certificates, organizational policy documents, and other basic required grant management documentation.
Prepare and maintain audit-ready documentation of allowable expenses for all active grant contracts, ensuring clear trails between source systems and funder submissions
Collaboration with Palenque LSNA Staff
Participate in weekly Palenque LSNA all-staff meetings and other organizational activities.
Attend community meetings and organizational events as appropriate.
Engage actively in Palenque LSNA’s organizational initiatives, professional development opportunities, and culture-building efforts consistent with our healing and liberatory approach.
Other duties as assigned.
Benefits:
Palenque LSNA covers 80% of health benefits (we also offer health, dental, vision, and life insurance) and 401(k) plans. Full-time employees are eligible for company benefits, including 10 days of vacation during the first two fiscal years of employment, and 15 days thereafter, 12 days of sick leave accrued monthly, 3 Personal Days, 1 Birthday, and 9 company holidays. Additionally, Palenque LSNA is closed from December 24th through January 1st of each year. Hybrid work environment (Chicago, IL), including the possibility of some remote work.
Requirements
Preferred Qualifications:
Palenque LSNA believes that lived experience and non-traditional career paths are important qualifying factors. We strongly encourage candidates from the communities we serve—including those whose expertise has been shaped by community-based work, self-directed learning, or navigating systems from the inside—to apply.
4–6 years of experience in grants finance, government contract accounting, nonprofit financial management, or demonstrated equivalent through lived or community-based experience.
Experience preparing government grant vouchers and budget-to-actual reports.
Demonstrated ability to build cash-basis financial reports from accrual-basis source systems (ADP, QuickBooks Online, Bill.com, or similar).
Familiarity with government funder compliance platforms such as IDHS CSA, CPS Supplier, City of Chicago Supplier Portal, GATA, and/or ISBE IWAS.
Working knowledge of accrual vs. cash-basis accounting, with the ability to explain these distinctions clearly to non-finance audiences.
Expert proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, advanced formulas, and financial modeling.
Experience writing or contributing to grant budgets and budget modifications.
Familiarity with AR aging reports and grant collections processes.
Strong attention to detail, organizational skills, and ability to manage multiple concurrent deadlines.
Excellent communication and relationship-building skills with an ability to prioritize, negotiate, and work with a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
Commitment to racial equity, social justice, and liberation; centering and nurturing Black and brown leadership, organizing, and policy change.
Strong technical skills with knowledge of accounting and reporting software. Experience with QuickBooks Online, ADP, Bill.com, and Google Suite helpful, but not required.
Experience with Budgyt or comparable nonprofit budgeting software.
Aptitude for taking initiative, working independently, and wearing many hats in a fast-paced environment.
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field—or equivalent experience and demonstrated competency.
Commitment to the practice of integrity, accountability, and transparency
