Gift and Grant Accountant

Who We Are

Founded in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a private, not-for-profit educational, historic, and cultural institution that owns and operates one of the largest and best-known museum complexes in the world. Our mission is “that the future may learn from the past” through preserving and restoring 18th-century Williamsburg, Virginia’s colonial capital. We engage, inform, and inspire people to learn about this historic capital, the events that occurred here, and the diverse peoples who helped shape a new nation.

Today, Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the U.S. The Historic Area is the 301‑acre restored colonial capital with 88 original buildings and 525 buildings reconstructed to how they appeared in the 18th century through extensive archaeological, architectural, and documentary research. The Historic Area is staffed by highly trained, historically dressed interpreters and expert tradespeople who bring the 18th century to life.

The Foundation also owns and operates two world‑class museums, the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, and a renowned research library, the John

D. Rockefeller Jr. Library. Additionally, Colonial Williamsburg is home to five world‑class accommodations at the Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg Lodge Autograph Collection, the Griffin Hotel, the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotels and Suites and the unique Colonial Houses in the Historical Area. Visitors may also indulge in food and drink at our many on‑site restaurants and taverns that blend a historically inspired dining experience with today’s evolved tastes.

Each year over 5 million people visit Williamsburg and another 20 million engage with us digitally.

The Gift and Grant Accountant, reporting to the Assistant Controller, is responsible for the financial stewardship, accounting, reporting, and compliance oversight of restricted gifts, grants, endowments, and other donor‑supported funds. This role partners closely with Development, Finance, cost center budget managers, and program leaders to ensure transactions are recorded accurately, donor and sponsor restrictions are honored, financial reports are timely and reliable, and internal controls are maintained.

The position plays a critical role in supporting audit readiness, fund transparency, and sound financial decision‑making across a complex, mission‑driven organization.

• Manage the accounting and financial administration of restricted gifts, grants, endowments, and other donor‑ or sponsor‑funded accounts, including fund setup, maintenance, and closeout.
• Establish and maintain appropriate general ledger accounts, fund codes, project codes, and supporting schedules to ensure accurate tracking of restricted activity.
• Record journal entries, reconcile cash and investment activity, and prepare monthly reconciliations for restricted funds, pledges, endowments, grants receivable, deferred revenue, and related balance‑sheet accounts.
• Support sponsored and restricted fund lifecycle activities, including budget revisions, release of restrictions, transfers, cost‑share tracking, billing or draw requests when applicable, and financial closeout.

• Review gift agreements, grant awards, and supporting documentation to interpret financial terms, restrictions, reporting requirements, allowable uses, and compliance obligations.
• Monitor expenditures and fund balances to ensure transactions are accurate, properly coded, allowable, and consistent with donor intent, sponsor requirements, institutional policy, and applicable accounting standards.
• Prepare documentation and respond to requests for external audits, single audits when applicable, donor reviews, and internal compliance reviews.
• Maintain strong internal controls, documentation standards, and records retention practices for gift and grant transactions.

• Prepare periodic financial reports for internal stakeholders, sponsors, donors, and leadership, including budget‑to‑actual analyses in conjunction…