Amy B. Scop

Director of Grants Management

By Adriana Godoy Leiss

Amy B. Scop, the newest member of The California Wellness Foundation’s executive management team, oversees a department that tracks every grant request—from first inquiry to final disposition. Although recently appointed director of grants management, Scop has been a seasoned member of that department since 1998.

“I’ve been in the department a long time, but now as manager, I have a completely different viewpoint and work in a different capacity than before,” Scop said. She was appointed to her new position in January after serving as grants management associate for several years.

Scop oversees and administers grant information systems used for processing all letters of interest. Additionally, she tracks payments, manages denials, and oversees quality control for grantmaking procedures and systems.

“Last year, we lost two significant members of the team to retirement. I am very happy for both of them,” Scop said, referring to Joan C. Hurley, the department’s former director, and Kay Dawson, the previous grants management database administrator, both of whom were with the Foundation for more than 10 years.

In discussing her department and its new staff, she remarked that she found it “tough to find two people to fill the gaps and complement the department, but I couldn’t ask for a better team.” Scop looks forward to the challenges and opportunities her new role will bring.

She began her professional career working with and counseling youth at nonprofit agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area. During her college days at San Jose State University—where she earned her bachelor’s degree in social work—she worked with various youth groups and community centers organizing and implementing educational activities for young people. Later, she worked on both the programs and administrative sides of Social Advocates for Youth, an agency in the Saratoga/Sunnyvale area that provides counseling, job training, and substance abuse prevention services for at-risk youth and families.

“I’ve worked in the nitty-gritty, day-to-day of nonprofit work,” Scop said. “It’s very rewarding and exhausting. There are great challenges, but I wanted to see what the other side was like.”

And it is that other side — the foundation side – where she has been ever since. She enjoys being part of a foundation that has integrity and “walks the walk.”

Scop is a member of the steering committee of the Southern California chapter of the Grants Managers Network and is the founder of the Southern California GIFTS Users Group, a support organization that shares ideas and information with grantmaking professionals.

Besides her degree in social work, she earned a master’s in public administration from California State University, Northridge. She is also a certified teacher with the Bureau of Jewish Education.

A sense of giving back to her community has been a central theme of Scop’s career and life.

“Working in nonprofits and volunteering is a big part of my family,” Scop said. “It’s a family affair.” She lives in Simi Valley with her husband, Mark, and their two sons, Daniel and Noah.