Constellations Grantmaking Strategist

The Center for Cultural Power (Cultural Power) is a women of color, artist-led organization, inspiring artists and culture makers to imagine a world where power is distributed equitably and where we live in harmony with nature. We support artists through fellowships, training, and opportunities for activation. We create intersectional stories and content addressing issues of immigration, climate, gender and racial justice. We engage movement groups in cultural strategy and organize artists around issues that inspire them. Together with allies, we are co-creating a field of cultural strategy with organizations and practitioners through convenings, design teams, and strategy tables. Our website has more about the organization and our team.

Our staff and board align around the following organizational values:

Trust

Collaboration

Care

Learning

Inspiration

Cultural Power is part of a family of organizations including The Cultural Engagement Lab (CEL) and The Constellations Culture Change Initiative & Fund. More on these organizations and initiatives are below. 

About The Constellations Culture Change Initiative & Fund

Housed at Cultural Power, the Constellations Culture Change Fund & Initiative (a.k.a “Constellations”) is a three-year network approach that inspires BIPOC artist disruptors, culture bearers, artist collectives, and cultural strategy organizations to create a world where power and culture are distributed equitably, sovereignty and self-determination are honored, and humans are in alignment with nature. Our mission is to accelerate a shift in worldview from domination to collaboration and liberation. The Constellations Culture Change Fund is the grantmaking arm of the Initiative. Learn more about Constellations here.  

About The Cultural Engagement Lab (CEL)

CEL is our 501(c)(4) organization that organizes a powerful network of seasoned artists and culture makers from impacted communities to lend their storytelling talents to meaningful advocacy, electoral, and civic engagement efforts. You can visit CEL’s website to learn more about this body of work and what we accomplished during the 2020 election year.

ABOUT THE POSITION

Location: This is a remote position. We are a California-based organization, and this individual will be expected to work flexibly between Pacific and Eastern time zones as needed. 

Reports to: Chief Field Building Officer, based in NYC 

The Constellations Grantmaking Strategist will lead in the design and implementation of the participatory and trust-based grantmaking function for Constellations. They will develop a streamlined process to redistribute flexible and unrestricted funds to the field in the form of general operations grants to cultural and narrative strategy organizations, individual awards to artist disruptors and culture bearers, and network weaving and learning grants. They will work closely with the Advisory Board tasked to nominate and make grant recommendations, and hold key relationships with JustFund, our operational grantmaking platform and Amalgamated Foundation, our fiscal sponsor. 

This is a dynamic role that works closely with high-touch partners and experts in the cultural and narrative strategy field to build and facilitate strategic grantmaking rooted in our organizational values. Our aim is to disrupt traditional philanthropic models and design a grantmaking flow that builds trust, shares power, and is effective and efficient. If you have experience building radical and workable grantmaking processes, iterating grantmaking strategies, and want to build relationships with artist disruptors and culture bearers, then this role is for you!

Responsibilities:

Operational Grantmaking – 35%:

Work closely with JustFund, Amalgamated, the operations and finance teams at Cultural Power, and the Constellations Operations Manager to recommend and build out a grantmaking guideline and operations process for the initiative that will include two (2) multi-year general operating support grant cycles (the first to be completed by December 2022) and multiple cycles (approx. 4 per year) of individual awards and Design Labs grants (all in alignment with the Constellations Implementation Plan)

In collaboration with JustFund and Amalgamated, develop, oversee and/or conduct grantmaking activities as per the developed guideline and process, executing tweaks, improvements and streamlining when needed, including but not limited to: nominations, open calls, points of inquiry, notifications, screening, proposal review, due diligence, award, contract, payment, grantee partner touch points and reporting and coordinate translation as needed

Ensure alignment in practices with grantmaking across Constellations strategies including general operating support grants, fellowships, awards, and Design Lab grants

Recommend JustFund and Salesforce integration touchpoints and provide data to the Constellations Operations Manager to upload into Salesforce as requested

Develop and customize dashboards and reports to show quarterly grantmaking progress and respond to internal requests for grantmaking data and inquiries about the overall portfolio of grantee partners 

Programmatic Grantmaking - 35% 

Partner closely with and build out a participatory grantmaking process for the Advisory Board to nominate, review and recommend final awardees 

Build and maintain strong, long-lasting grantee partner relationships and conduct research when needed in areas of work and regions 

Learn and stay up to date on key issues in the field of narrative and cultural strategy including representing Constellations at funder affinity groups and convenings

Work closely with the Constellations Network Weaver and other team members to recommend and support the implementation of Grants+ and grantee partner learning activities 

Learning, Evaluation, Communications and Development - 20%: 

Work alongside our independent evaluation consultants and in-house Learning and Impact team to codify learning and support the evaluation process

Provide and present portfolio analysis to the Communications, Development and Leadership teams, and as well as Cultural Power’s Board of Directors 

Contribute to Communications material, media and donor proposals, reports, briefings and meetings as needed

Advocacy and Training - 10%: 

Source models, templates and resources for participatory and trust-based philanthropy and in collaboration with the team co-develop best practice learning circle agendas and curriculum for the Constellations network including funders, the Advisory Board, the Design Labs and other cohorts

Other duties as required to support and fulfill the Constellations mandate 

Qualifications:

Required:

Excitement to join a new initiative and cross-term team that will require iteration, flexibility and a collaborative spirit as we build and learn together 

At least 4-5 years of combined operational and programmatic grantmaking experience, preferably in a values-based and/or social justice-led public or private foundation

Understanding of intersectional feminisms, social justice, and human rights issues facing BIPOC and LGBTQI people in the US

Understanding of and interest in learning more about how artist disruptors and culture bearers are advancing cultural and narrative strategy

Direct project management experience and ability to plan, change course if needed and leverage colleagues and consultants to drive work deliverables 

Demonstrated ability to manage-up to keep team informed of project processes,  advancements and delays 

Demonstrated ability to manage both daily tasks, with multiple competing priorities and long-term objectives

Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to develop solid working relationships with an appreciation for varying viewpoints and styles in a culturally diverse environment 

Demonstrated proficiency in technological platforms and grantmaking databases such as Google Drive, Slack and Salesforce, etc. 

Oral and written fluency in English, with additional proficiency in Spanish preferred

Flexibility and willingness to work virtually with a team spread across time-zones

Preferred: 

Direct lived experience as a BIPOC and/or LGBTQI grassroots activist, advocate, artist, creative, disruptor, educator, facilitator or/and movement builder, etc. in your own community 

Experience summarizing and “translating” programmatic and grantmaking trends, themes and data to support learning, fundraising and communication efforts

Experience providing timely hands-on Grants+ or support beyond the check to grantee partners 

COMPENSATION

$90,000 to $115,000

HOW TO APPLY

Click here for more information or to apply. To apply, please send the following to [email protected] with “Constellations Grantmaking Strategist” in the subject line: 

A cover letter outlining why you are interested in working for Cultural Power, your relevant professional experience, and your salary requirements.

Your resume.

A list of three professional references. Two or more of these references must be previous or current supervisors.

All applications will be acknowledged, but only complete applications will be reviewed. Applications are due Friday, August 19, however applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Cultural Power supports artists and culture makers whose voices are most needed to transform the status quo towards a more just and inclusive future. This includes artists and cultural workers of color, Black artists, Indigenous artists, migrant artists, artists with disabilities, queer artists, transgender and nonbinary artists, and women of color identified artists. As such, we strongly encourage individuals from these communities to apply. We are committed to the collective work and intentional investment necessary to consistently move in the direction of equity and inclusion. Cultural Power is an at-will employer.

We look forward to hearing from you!


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  • Kevin Perez
    published this page in Job Board 2022-08-17 15:26:50 -0400