Program Officer, Safety, Health and Economic Justice; MFW

Posted on April 13, 2019

The Ms. Foundation for Women’s mission is to build women’s collective power in the U.S. to advance equity and justice for all. We seek to achieve our mission by investing in and strengthening the capacity of women-led movements, particularly by women and girls of color, to advance meaningful social, cultural and economic change in the lives of all women and girls.

We do this by focusing our grantmaking on women's safety, health and economic justice (SHE). We provide flexible, general operating support to grantee partners to ignite change, amplify the least heard voices, and create collaborations across issues that address the interconnected nature of women’s and girls’ lives.

Since 1973, the Ms. Foundation has invested more than $70 million into building the power of women in social justice fields, serving as a conduit to the philanthropic sector as an intermediary funder investing in women and girls. Our vision is to create a just and safe world where power and possibility are not limited by gender, race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or age.

Please see this link to the strategic plan: (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). .

The Program Officer, Safety, Health and Economic Justice (SHE) will bring a broad understanding of gender and racial justice, with a particular focus on the issues and challenges facing women and girls of color and indigenous women and girls, including queer and trans women, immigrant and low income communities. In addition, they will have some knowledge and understanding of movement building, grassroots advocacy, policy advocacy and community organizing within women-of-color communities, and will have knowledge of social justice philanthropy.

The Program Officer will have expertise in feminism, gender justice, racial justice and LGBTQ justice movements, and an intersectional, cross-movement analysis.

The Program Officer will be part of the Ms. Program Team, working to carry out a unified program strategy to advance safety, health and economic justice for women and girls of color. In this role, they will identify strategic opportunities and priorities in the field; determine potential grantees and partner organizations; manage grantmaking, capacity building and programmatic initiatives; and collaborate with grantees, funders, colleagues and other partners to advance programmatic goals and outcomes.

• Identify strategic priorities and opportunities to advance safety, health and economic justice for women and girls of color.
• Build and manage a grants portfolio, including identifying new grantees and making grant recommendations, writing requests for proposals, reviewing proposals, facilitating review meetings, and monitoring grantee progress.
• Cultivate relationships with grantees, funders and other movement partners.
• Stay abreast of trends and new developments in philanthropy and social justice movements.
• Plan, facilitate and participate in external meetings and follow-up as appropriate.
• Actively engage in external philanthropic organizations and networks to promote a gender and racial justice lens in the philanthropic sector, highlight grantees, and increase resources for work led by and for women and girls of color.
• Present at conference panels and workshops.
• Collaborate with the Director of Capacity Building and Learning and other Ms. team members to develop and implement technical assistance, capacity building and field building strategies as needed.
• Participate as active member in cross-departmental and foundation-wide activities.
• Conduct special projects or research assignments as directed.

• Minimum 5-7 years’ work experience in grantmaking, program management, community organizing or advocacy.
• Commitment to the Ms. Foundation’s mission, vision and values, and to working with diverse communities toward women’s safety, health and economic justice.
• A broad understanding of feminist and/or gender justice, racial justice and LGBTQ justice movements, and intersections with other social justice movements.
• Strong project…