Organization
Baltimore Community Foundation is a philanthropic foundation created by and for the people of Greater Baltimore, where many donors join together to make the region they love a better place, today and for future generations. Our mission is to inspire donors to achieve their charitable goals from generation to generation and to improve the quality of life in the Baltimore region through grantmaking, enlightened civic leadership and strategic investments. BCF’s vision is of a Baltimore that boasts a growing economy where all have the opportunity to thrive. Our action agenda organizes grants, initiatives and advocacy around this vision. The values that guide our work are trustworthiness, inclusion, and entrepreneurialism.

With assets over $200 million comprised of more than 850 charitable funds, BCF has granted over $392 million since its inception in 1972 and is one of the Baltimore region’s top grantmaking foundations. BCF makes charitable contributions to support a wide range of issues affecting the Baltimore region, currently with a focus on investments in two interest areas: Neighborhoods and Education. BCF undergoes a vigorous accreditation every five years and is certified under the Council on Foundation’s National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations.

BCF operates from the knowledge that profound disparities in opportunity exist between people of color and their white counterparts; and we acknowledge the historic and ongoing role that structural racism plays in creating and perpetuating those disparities. That is why we are committed to reducing racial disparities, identifying and combating structural racism, and fostering more equity and inclusion through our grantmaking, initiatives, and advocacy.

Position
Reporting to the Vice President of Strategy, the Program Officer works with foundation staff, trustees, grant seekers, and partners to implement BCF’s strategic agenda for Baltimore. BCF makes charitable contributions to support a wide range of issues affecting the Baltimore region, currently with a focus on promoting the success of Baltimore’s young people by supporting effective public schools and equipping neighborhoods with the resources they need. We do this through strategic, place-based grant making and higher-level systems change work. This position will spend approximately 75% of time focused on Goal 2 of BCF’s strategic plan—to leverage knowledge and resources to benefit Baltimore on two to three major issues/sectors/topic areas over the course of the current strategic plan. Approximately 25% of this position’s time will focus on other grant making duties as assigned. In this capacity, the Program Officer helps identify and evaluate funding opportunities and make recommendations to colleagues and the appropriate oversight committees. The Program Officer builds relationships across the civic landscape, from the grassroots community level to institutional actors, to position BCF to leverage its grantmaking, advocacy, and impact investing resources for maximum impact on a focused set of issues.

Responsibilities

• Working with the Vice President of Strategy and the CEO, convene diverse constituencies to develop solutions to complex problems:
  • In the near-term, this will include but not be limited to, supporting coalition/convening work focused on long-term recovery from COVID-19, taking into account racial disparities in the pandemic’s impact—the specific issues will be informed by BCF’s COVID grantmaking in 2020.
  • Over the longer term, major issues may include educational equity, community development, racial equity in philanthropy, public safety, and/or other issues of donor interest, or some combination thereof.
• Working with the Program Administrator in the Community Investment department and staff in Development & Donor Services, plan events to bring thought leaders together to engage in discussion with donors and the broader community on major issues impacting Baltimore.
• Represent BCF and Baltimore in national funder conversations on these issues.
• Bring ideas, partners, and grant opportunities to support BCF’s broader vision for community development in selected school communities.
• Proactively generate grant making opportunities for “other strategic opportunities” in the program budget, connected to the convening and issue work above.
• For grant recommendations, conduct any needed due diligence including site visits, writing grant recommendations, preparing for committee meetings, notifying grantees of funding decisions, establishing reporting requirements, and reviewing reports for awarded grantees.
• Support BCF’s impact investing strategy with information on nonprofit organizations or potentially impactful projects on the horizon in Baltimore.
• Represent the foundation on external committees and working groups related to BCF’s priorities at the city and state level as well as in Maryland Philanthropy Network.
• Cultivate and maintain a productive and positive working relationship with program committee chairs, other trustees and volunteers.
• Provide input into BCF’s communications strategy and work collaboratively with the Communications department to ensure accurate and timely information is shared in support of BCF’s strategic communications goals.
• Stay current with best practices in the field, including occasional travel to conferences to represent BCF and for professional development purposes.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years’ nonprofit experience with increasing responsibilities as a member of a team of professionals;
• Demonstrated ability to work comfortably and effectively with diverse constituencies, e.g. community and nonprofit leaders, donors, trustees, volunteers and elected and other public officials;
• Demonstrated ability to develop partnerships and effective relationships with multiple civic institutions to leverage mutual resources for collective action;
• Knowledge of Baltimore civic and community issues and an understanding of non-profit management;
• Knowledge of the profound disparities in opportunity that exist between people of color and their white counterparts in the Baltimore region, and a commitment to fostering more equity and inclusion through grant making and impact investing;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
• Entrepreneurial work style oriented toward outcomes.
• Strong organizational skills, ability to work independently, and attention to detail;
• Familiarity and comfort with grants management software, customer relationship management systems, or similar information technology a plus.

We offer a competitive compensation package including benefits such as health, vision and dental insurance, retirement contribution and match, tuition reimbursement, life insurance, disability insurance, charitable match, flexible spending accounts, employee assistance program and more.