Program Associate

The Barr Foundation is seeking a program associate to provide programmatic and administrative support to the Arts team.

About the Barr Foundation

The Barr Foundation’s mission is to invest in human, natural, and creative potential, serving as thoughtful stewards and catalysts. As stewards, Barr nurtures vital community assets. As catalysts, the Foundation advances breakthrough ideas to shape our collective future. We work in partnership with nonprofits, foundations, the public sector, and civic and business leaders to elevate the arts and creative expression, advance solutions for climate change, and connect all students to success in high school and beyond. Based in Boston, Barr focuses regionally and selectively engages nationally. Founded in 1997, Barr has grown to become one of the largest private foundations in New England and has contributed over $1 billion to charitable causes. With assets over $2.5 billion, Barr’s 2023 grantmaking budget is $130 million. We focus our grantmaking on arts and creativity, climate, and education – complemented by grants to strengthen New England’s social sector and targeted special initiatives. A set of core values defined by our founding trustees express our beliefs about what constitutes effective philanthropy and guide how the Barr Foundation carries out its mission. Barr is committed to strive for impact, act with humility, invest in leaders, take the long view, center racial equity, embrace risk, and demonstrate curiosity. These values also guide our hiring process and the workplace culture that we shape together. We aim to make Barr an inclusive workplace where all team members can bring their full and authentic selves and be supported to learn and grow. For more information about Barr, visit barrfoundation.org and our LinkedIn page.

About the Arts + Creativity Program

The Barr Foundation believes that arts and creativity have the power to connect people from disparate backgrounds, to deepen understanding of a dynamic environment, and to help imagine new, better, different futures. The overarching goal of the Arts & Creativity Program is to elevate the arts and creative expression and to engage and inspire a dynamic, thriving Massachusetts. Barr believes that communities become dynamic and thriving when they have access to arts and creative expression that reflect the full range of cultures, traditions, and voices in those communities and that positive change in the arts requires an explicit focus.

Barr pursues its program goals through three strategies, deploying approximately $30 million in grantmaking resources annually:

• • Advancing the capacity for cultural organizations and the sector to adapt, take risks, and engage changing audiences in new ways;
  • Fostering opportunities to connect the arts to other disciplines and sectors; and
  • Activating public support for the arts.

Across these strategies, Barr applies a systems approach, working to strengthen necessary field infrastructure and focusing its investments in two areas it believes hold power to spur large-scale change—visionary leaders and leading-edge practices. Barr’s grantmaking provides seed, risk, and patient capital alongside a range of support and capacity building. While Barr’s Arts & Creativity Program primarily focuses its grantmaking in Massachusetts, it partners in several national philanthropic initiatives. The Arts team is comprised of a Program Director, two Senior Program Officers, two Program Officers, and this open Program Associate position. The team works with consultants on short- and long-term projects and initiatives. This position reports to the program director.

About the Program Associate Position

The Barr Foundation is seeking a program associate to provide programmatic and administrative support to the Arts team. The Arts team collectively manages the grantmaking, external relationships, research and convening required to advance the strategic goals of the program. The program director oversees the budget and operations of the team. The Program Associate plays a central role in coordinating and supporting the team across its work, and managing the processes, tasks, and information needed to execute the team’s work. The ideal candidate must be highly organized and self-motivated, with attention to detail and the ability to prioritize and manage workloads across multiple workstreams and staff members. Proven project management, fluency with MS Office and database software data analysis, and written communication and interpersonal skills to manage relationships with a broad range of people and organizations are essential. This is a full-time position with a generous benefits package.

Key Responsibilities

Project Management and Grantmaking Support

• Strong, proactive project management
  • Support the Arts team to track and meet all internal deadlines and manage workload around grantmaking, program and foundation-wide planning cycles.
  • Work with team to develop individual initiative workplans, and coordinate across the program
  • Support the team to plan and implement grantee and field meetings/convenings, learning activities, research projects, etc., also working with consultants, and event coordinators.
  • Coordinate activities and projects between the Arts, Communications and Learning + Evaluation teams
  • Support the development of grantmaking, potential funding initiatives, or special projects, by conducting research and data analysis.
• Grantmaking support, working with Arts team members.
• Manage external inquiries and as needed, conduct research about potential applicants.
• Develop processes to monitor grant activities, track required grantee documentation, and follow up with grantees as needed; and provide assistance as appropriate.
• As requested, support team members in coordinating the review of new proposals and conducting due diligence, including proposal budgets, workplans, and anticipated project outcomes as related to proposal goals and institutional capability.
• Create internal document templates needed for the board book for team review.
• Engage in special projects as requested by the team and/or directed by the Program Director.

Process and Operations

• Coordinate with Grants Management staff as well as support the Arts team and potential grantees in the application, monitoring and recordkeeping associated with the grantmaking process and its related systems.
• Produce high quality, timely grant materials.
  • Manage the Arts Program budgets and operations, working with the Program Director.
• Conduct data analysis (e.g., descriptive statistics in Excel) and data management.
• Support program documentation and knowledge management
• Develop and manage contracts as appropriate, working with the Arts, accounting and administration teams
• Support high quality relationship management with external consultants
• Codify processes and develop templates
• Other responsibilities as assigned.

Desired Qualities, Experiences, and Competencies

• A commitment to advancing racial equity and inclusion in your work and in our workplace.
• Demonstrated proactive project management experience.
• Self-motivated with strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and ability to track and meet multiple deadlines.
• Comfort working with different types of quantitative data and budgeting tools.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, collect, organize, and synthesize information from various data sources.
• Effective communication and presentation skills, particularly in communicating with diverse constituencies in a variety of settings. Ability to produce effective and clear writing; excellent editing and proofreading skills. Ability to produce materials for different audiences that are well designed and may incorporate visual elements.
• A passion for and basic knowledge of the nonprofit and philanthropic sector. Knowledge of organizational management and philanthropy, as well as appreciation of and willingness to learn about the arts, are preferred.
• Ability to work well independently, as part of a team, and with diverse communities.
• A collegial spirit in sharing ideas and receiving feedback.
• Detailed knowledge of and demonstrated proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office, Google applications, and other technology; experience with project management tools like Asana and database systems such as Salesforce is a plus.
• 2-4 years of relevant work experience; experience with nonprofit or philanthropic organizations is a plus.
• A bachelor’s degree, or equivalent experience and demonstrated work preparation, is required.

Compensation and Benefits

Barr is an equal opportunity employer, with a commitment to building and fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We welcome candidates who would both contribute to and value working in such an environment. The starting salary range for this role is $70,000 to $74,000 and will be determined by factors including experience, readiness for the role, and organizational equity. The Barr Foundation offers an attractive benefits package including generous health, dental, vision, and life insurance; strong retirement savings program; 15 vacation days to start and a parental leave and health leave policies. Barr is a Compact Signer for the 100% Talent Compact, which is administered by the Boston Women’s Workforce Council, a unique public-private partnership between the Boston Mayor’s Office and Greater Boston employers dedicated to eliminating the gender and racial wage gap. We are proud to be part of this first-in-the-nation approach to reaching pay equity for women and people of color across our region.

Flexible Work Environment

The Barr Foundation embraces a hybrid workplace that seeks to balance time in the office with colleagues, time in the community, and remote work. Located along the waterfront in Boston’s North End, Barr’s offices are in the historic Pilot House and adjacent Two Atlantic Avenue building. Our walls and halls feature the work of living, contemporary artists, and the office space is designed to provide bright, open, flexible spaces for collaboration and independent work, and to host meetings and events. With expansive views of Boston Harbor, Barr is steps away from Boston’s “Freedom Trail” and bike share and near to restaurants, shops, museums, and parks.

How to Apply

Please visit https://boards.greenhouse.io/barrfoundation to apply for this position.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with applications encouraged by February 12, 2024.