Senior Manager, Youth Grants & Educator Engagement

About this role

Position Title: Senior Manager, Youth Grants & Educator Engagement
Status: Full Time
FLSA: Exempt
Location: Flexible
JOB SUMMARY & KEY PRIORITIES
The Youth Leadership Team equips and mobilizes youth and young adults to strengthen their leadership, advocate for mental health, and create change in their schools and communities through accessible, high-quality, equity-centered leadership programs and opportunities. The team works directly with youth and young adults, schools and Youth Champions (adult stakeholders, such as educators, counselors, and caregivers) to foster youth-led initiatives that drive school-based mental health change.
The Senior Manager, Youth Grants & Educator Engagement oversees two initiatives within the Youth Leadership portfolio: the Active Minds Youth Mental Health Innovation Fund, a national microgrant program for youth-designed mental health projects, and Youth Champions, Active Minds’ engagement strategy for adult stakeholders. This role manages microgrants, mentorship, technical assistance, and scaling support for youth grantees, while centering BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth. The Senior Manager also manages professional development, coaching, and training that equip adult allies to sustain youth mental health leadership in schools and communities.
Reporting to the Senior Director, Youth Leadership, this role manages program operations, cultivates school and community partnerships, tracks impact metrics, and stewards grant resources to advance youth mobilization. The Senior Manager directly supervises the Manager, Middle School Engagement.
ABOUT ACTIVE MINDS
Active Minds is the largest nonprofit in the United States mobilizing youth and young adults to transform mental health norms across society. For more than 20 years, we have equipped the next generation of peer mental health advocates through a variety of programs, including the Active Minds Chapter Network, A.S.K., and Send Silence Packing. Our advocacy, initiatives, and campaigns foster lasting change in how youth view and discuss mental health, encouraging them to use their voices to influence broader conversations and inform mental health supports within their communities. Together, we are building a diverse movement of champions committed to improving mental health for all.
KEY RESULTS
Oversee Functional/Tactical Goals

• Manage the annual planning, launch, and distribution cycle of the Active Minds Youth Mental Health Innovation Fund, awarding microgrants to youth-designed mental health projects.

• Develop, implement, and maintain clear eligibility, selection, and equity criteria for the Innovation Fund that actively center BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth and historically under-resourced communities.

• Facilitate virtual and in-person Youth Champion workshops and Connection sessions, equipping adult stakeholders with the language, resources, and tools needed to champion youth-led mental health advocacy.

• Track and report the number of youth and young adults mobilized through Innovation Fund and Youth Champion programming, contributing to the Program Department’s annual goals.

• Maintain organized tracking of project milestones, partner interactions, grant awards, and participant data in Salesforce and ClickUp.

Cross Functional Program Collaboration

• In collaboration with other teams within the Programs Department, partner with schools and districts to position peer-led mental health strategies as actionable solutions within school wellness priorities and Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) frameworks.

• Collaborate with the Chapters and Community Programs teams to support Chapter Advisors as local technical assistance providers and frontline champions for high school youth mobilization, in line with Active Minds’ integrated high school engagement approach.

• Serve as a collaborative thought partner across the Youth Leadership team to ensure seamless handoffs and consistent youth advocacy pathways.

• In partnership with team leadership and the Development Team, cultivate and maintain relationships with K-12 school districts, education associations, charter networks, and funding partners, and contribute to grant proposals, concept notes, and stewardship reports highlighting the Youth Innovation Fund and Youth Champion results.

• In collaboration with Marketing & Communications, guide the development of outreach campaigns, newsletters, web content, and spotlight stories that showcase youth grantees and Youth Champion accomplishments.

• In collaboration with the Measurement Team, collect standardized data on participation, completion, participant experience (maintaining a new promoter score of 80% or higher), and intended leadership outcomes across the Innovation Fund and Youth Champion programming. Establish baselines and improvement targets, and document data-informed program improvements annually. Establish annual participation baselines and demographic tracking across applicant and grantee pools to ensure continuous equity-centered representation.

Budget Management

• Manage Innovation Fund disbursements and program budgets, maintaining accurate records, fiscal compliance, and timely stipend and grant payments.

• In partnership with the Senior Director, Youth Leadership, contribute to annual budget planning for the Innovation Fund and Youth Champion programming.

Program Development

• Build and manage mentorship, coaching, and technical assistance for Innovation Fund grantees, connecting them with subject matter experts to support project implementation, sustainability, and scale.

• Manage the design, delivery, and continuous improvement of professional development, coaching, and training for Youth Champions, including educators, school administrators, counselors, and caregivers.

• Grow networks of Youth Champions and parent/caregiver allies, building ongoing engagement pathways that reinforce youth mental health leadership locally.

• Position the Innovation Fund within Youth Leadership’s mental…