Program Officer Strong Local Communities; SF

Posted on September 11, 2017

The Surdna Foundation, a New York City-based family foundation, seeks a Program Officer for its Strong Local Economies Program.

The Surdna Foundation

Created by John

E. Andrus in 1917, the Surdna Foundation has assets exceeding $1 billion and an annual grantmaking budget of more than $32 million. The Foundation has a staff of 25, based in its Midtown Manhattan offices. Governed by a Board of Directors that includes fourth and fifth generation family members, the longstanding values of the Andrus family – practicality, modesty, excellence, and an appreciation for serving those in need – underlie all of the Surdna Foundation's work.

The Surdna Foundation seeks to foster just and sustainable communities in the United States—communities guided by principles of social justice and distinguished by healthy and sustainable environments, strong local economies, and thriving cultures.

The Surdna Foundation has three grantmaking areas:
Strong Local Economies, Sustainable Environments and Thriving Cultures. The Foundation provides grant support for efforts at the national, state, regional, and local levels throughout the United States. Surdna invests in the exchange of ideas across networks of people, institutions, and places with the intent of seeding innovative projects, programs, and policies and bringing them to scale across the country. The Foundation seeks grantmaking opportunities that include balanced efforts to: demonstrate the effectiveness of specific, targeted projects, practices, and models;

advocate for and implement federal, state, and local public policies; and empower, mobilize, and develop leadership in communities and agencies to encourage civic participation. Surdna recognizes its programmatic interests as interrelated and is committed to working cross-programmatically. At the same time, program staff have considerable autonomy and are expected to balance responsibilities to the Foundation, to their program, and to each other.

The Strong Local Economies Program

The Strong Local Economies Program aims to create robust and sustainable economies that include a diversity of vibrant businesses and sectors, improved access to quality jobs for low to moderate income individuals, people of color, women, and immigrants (the Program’s priority populations), economic development practices that produce equitable outcomes and ultimately, opportunities for economic stability and upward mobility. Surdna works to ensure that people of color and members of lower income communities are a part of the decision-making process and have the ability to participate in the renewed economic promise of their regions and cities.

The Strong Local Economies Program has an annual budget of $9.2 million and we anticipate making between 30-45 project specific and general operating support grants each year. Our resources also support research, communications, leadership development and capacity building efforts across the portfolio. In addition, we manage a $10 million Program Related Investment fund primarily focused on addressing access to capital (debt and equity) challenges for minority owned businesses.

The Program Officer Role

The Program Officer is a part of a three-person team that includes a Program Director and a Senior Program Associate. The Program Officer is expected to work closely with the team on all aspects of the program, including day-to-day operations, broader program strategy development, and work with members of our Board committee to advance their understanding and engagement with the program.

Program Officers contribute to the development and execution of the program’s strategy and participate actively in grantmaking by identifying, cultivating, and recommending new partnerships for funding consideration. Surdna expects Program Officers to have expertise and knowledge in one or more of the substantive elements of the grantmaking strategy. Program Officers are also expected to leverage foundation resources to establish collaboration amongst funders, raise awareness about important grantee initiatives or projects and develop…