About The Kresge Foundation
The Kresge Foundation is one of the top 20 private philanthropic foundations in the United States and the only one focused exclusively on expanding opportunities for people with low income in American cities. With an endowment of approximately $4 billion and a staff of over 100 employees, the foundation deploys grants and social investments across arts and culture, education, environment, health, human services, and community development. The foundation’s state-of-the-art headquarters maintains an array of energy-efficient, water-conserving and health-promoting systems. The foundation also operates an office in Detroit’s Midtown district.
The Arts and Culture Program
As a national program that supports place-based activities, the vision is that creativity is valued widely as an integral resource for healthy and sustainable places and for residents of color to live abundant and self-determined lives.
Core beliefs include:
- Residents possess the imagination, wisdom, and lived experiences necessary to create enduring community solutions.
- Asset-based community development approaches that involve artists and creative practices offer the most significant potential for healthy, sustainable, and economically just outcomes.
- Cross-sectoral strategies inclusive of creative practices and practitioners can contribute to shifting the narratives, systems and policies that support climate-resilient neighborhoods and the health and well-being of residents – especially those of color with low incomes.
These beliefs anchor the Foundation’s priorities for investing in creative strategies — in place, with people and through partnerships – that advance the pre-conditions for long-term change. This includes resident agency, narrative change, and collective action.
The three current focus areas for the Arts and Culture program include Advance Creative Strategies in Place, Invest in People Mobilizing for Change and Strengthen Cross-Sector Partnerships.
Learn more about the Kresge Foundation at https://kresge.org/.
The Opportunity
The Kresge Foundation is looking to hire an experienced Senior Program Officer to join the Arts and Culture team who, along with other staff across the foundation, will work to implement a bold, entrepreneurial, and innovative program aimed to integrate arts, culture, and design into community development practices. The Senior Program Officer will work with national, state, and local municipal leaders to support the creation of tools and strategies that inform, equip, and empower decision makers. Through grantmaking, convenings and partnerships, they will help strengthen the capacity of place-based entities, community leaders, and anchor organizations working to improve life circumstances of residents and develop strategies and tools for full adoption of creative placemaking across sectors. In addition, the Senior Program Officer will capture and share learning distilled from grantees and others to inform the field of practice nationally.
Key Responsibilities
- Shape grantmaking and investment strategies within the Arts and Culture Program, particularly with respect to community-engaged design, systems integration, and comprehensive community development solutions.
- Provide intellectual support to networks of individuals and organizations working to embed creative placemaking theory and practices.
- Convene grantees, external funders, and cross-sector collaboratives to achieve the Program’s objectives.
- Prepare, individually and with other team members, complex strategy papers, grant recommendations, other written materials, and verbal presentations for the Foundation’s management and Board of Trustees.
- Identify, conduct due diligence on, and recommend grants and social investments that advance the Program’s strategies.
- Assess the merit of potential grant and investment opportunities.
- Monitor active grants and investments through review of written materials, conversations by phone, and in-person site visits.
- Analyze grantee reports and updates to determine progress toward expressed outcomes and contribute to the team’s learning and evaluation efforts.
- Represent the Arts and Culture Team and the Kresge Foundation professionally to external entities.
- Represent the Arts and Culture Team on internal Foundation working groups and committees.
- Convene grantees, external funders, and cross-sector collaboratives to achieve the Program’s objectives.
Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate will have the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:
- Significant work experience in arts and culture, community engaged design or community development field.
- Demonstrated commitment to using arts, culture, or community-engaged design as a comprehensive community development solution. Experience using this practice in an urban context is preferred.
- Deep understanding, demonstrated by results, of grantmaking gained by working in, or adjacent to, the philanthropic sector.
- Experience working with racially and ethnically diverse and low-income communities.
- Demonstrated working knowledge of community development activities (e.g., affordable housing, transit-oriented development, and social change) in urban areas is preferred.
- Experience in the development and implementation of strategies to affect change and in promoting and contributing to a strong learning culture.
- Experience in project development, development of budgets and work plans, project management, and creating and overseeing contracts.
- Experience using non-grant forms of capital (e.g., debt, equity, and program related investments) in the nonprofit sector and/or knowledge of capital barriers is a plus.
- Exceptional written communication skills and the ability to write for a variety of audiences.
- Strong verbal and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to listen well, convey thoughts clearly, speak in public, and work effectively as a member of a team.
- Ability to demonstrate personal creativity and strategic vision, coupled with an ability to listen to others and learn from their ideas – a sense of inquisitiveness and intellectual curiosity.
- Strong commitment to the Foundation’s vision and values with the ability to demonstrate those values in daily interactions.
- A demonstrated entrepreneurial, creative spirit, a willingness to challenge conventional wisdom and an eagerness to embrace new ideas and perspectives.
- A demeanor that demonstrates both confidence and humility combined with a sense of optimism and humor.
- A spirit of, and commitment to, collegiality and collaboration within the Foundation and within the Arts and Culture Team.
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field of study is required; master’s degree preferred.
Compensation & Benefits
The starting salary for this position is $169,118 annually. Individual offers will be based on the candidate’s years of experience and our practice of upholding salary equity within the foundation.
Some of the benefits include:
- Health, dental, vision and life insurance
- Paid time off
- Half day Fridays
- 401k and 401k matching
- Tuition reimbursement
- Life, accident, and disability insurance
- Full relocation to the metro-Detroit area for eligible candidates
This position is located in Troy, Michigan and requires relocation to the metro-Detroit area within 90 days. The Foundation currently has a hybrid schedule with Tuesday and Wednesday as standard in-office days, however, there may be times when you will have to adjust the days based on work needs. This position also includes up to 30% domestic travel.
Contact
Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Erin Reedy and Christy Farrell. Submit a compelling cover letter and resume by filling out our Talent Profile. All inquiries are strictly confidential.
Kresge is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability or other applicable legally protected characteristics.