Illinois Humanities

Illinois Humanities, the Illinois affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities that foster reflection, spark conversation, build community, and strengthen civic engagement.. The Grants Program Officer is responsible for managing the day-to-day implementation of Illinois Humanities' statewide grant making program.. This is an excellent opportunity for someone interested in being part of a dynamic organization and excited about implementing participatory grant-making and best practices in equity, diversity, and inclusion-informed-philanthropy.. Use the grant making platform to track grant applications, payments, reports, and data. Manage and leverage data to help ensure the grant making portfolio supports institutional strategic priorities

program officer

Illinois Humanities Status: Salaried, Full-Time Exempt    Reports to: Director of Grants Programs Location: Chicago metropolitan area Background:  Illinois Humanities, the Illinois affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities that foster reflection, spark conversation, build community, and strengthen civic engagement. We provide free, high-quality humanities experiences throughout Illinois, particularly for communities of color, individuals living on low incomes, counties and towns in rural areas, small arts and cultural organizations, and communities highly impacted by mass incarceration. We envision an Illinois where the humanities are central to making the state more just, creative, and connected. Our Values: <ul><li>Center people’s experiences, histories, and cultures.     </li><li>Actively promote equity, uplift diversity, and ensure inclusion.     </li><li>Make and protect space for the exchange of challenging ideas, meaningful dialogue, and personal reflection.     </li><li>Intentional, partner-centered relationships that build social capital and strengthen social cohesion, particularly for underserved and historically disenfranchised communities.     </li></ul>About Our Grant Making Illinois Humanities awards over $500K in grants to roughly 200 nonprofits and individuals throughout Illinois annually. In support of our mission, vision, and values, we particularly focus on ensuring funding is available to small and community-based arts and culture organizations with budgets of $1m or less. Funding priorities at this time include general operating grants, support for organizations based in small towns and rural communities, and organizations and individuals whose work in arts and humanities supports Illinois residents to imagine alternatives to mass incarceration. In addition to funding, grantee partners are provided network and capacity building opportunities and are connected to the broader portfolio of Illinois Humanities programming. Position Summary The Grants Program Officer is responsible for managing the day-to-day implementation of Illinois Humanities' statewide grant making program. As the first point of contact for grants programs, this position interacts with a broad and diverse set of stakeholders including board members, volunteers, staff, consultants, and a robust community of dynamic and creative grantee partners. This position is responsible for administering and monitoring the comprehensive grant making program; communicating details with applicants, grantees, grant reviewers; and using the grant making platform to track grant applications, payments, reports, and data. This is an excellent opportunity for someone interested in being part of a dynamic organization and excited about implementing participatory grant-making and best practices in equity, diversity, and inclusion-informed-philanthropy.  GRANTS MANAGEMENT <ul><li>Manage the annual calendar of activities to support Illinois Humanities' grants programs and grants review processes, including scheduling internal and external meetings, drafting committee agendas and post-meeting follow up  </li><li>Use the grant making platform to track grant applications, payments, reports, and data</li><li>Ensure all aspects of grantmaking - including announcements, applications, grant agreements, reports, and other processes - are communicated and implemented in a timely, accurate way </li><li>Review incoming grant proposals and reports; perform essential and timely due diligence and evaluation for all aspects of application screening and review, grant agreements, payment, reporting, and monitoring </li></ul>COMMUNICATIONS <ul><li>Communicate with grant-seekers and awardees regularly through virtual and in-person meetings </li><li>Provide guidance to grant seekers and makers; support community building amongst grantee partners </li><li>Collaborate with communications team to support external communications and PR support for grant awards and programs; adhere to communications deadlines and workplans</li><li>Develop written materials, presentations, summary research, agendas and other materials for the Director, Executive Director, and Board upon request  </li><li>Report regularly to internal and external stakeholders on grantee demographics, statewide distribution of grantmaking, and progress on department goals  </li></ul>LEARNING MANAGEMENT  <ul><li>Contribute to the design, development, and management of grants programs and grantee-related systems and tools </li><li>Manage and leverage data to help ensure the grant making portfolio supports institutional strategic priorities </li><li>Ensure comprehensive and accurate internal data management; track grantseekers and manage grantee files and data in a timely and consistent manner; maintain data related to applicants, grants awarded, and investments for funding consideration  </li><li>Stay abreast of best practices in the field of grantmaking </li></ul>Other duties as assigned QUALIFICATIONS:  <ul><li>3-5 years of experience in philanthropy; experience with grants administration and grants management in the nonprofit sector highly desired  </li><li>Demonstrated experience with database management; familiarity with grants management software and CRM platforms such as Foundant preferred  </li><li>Creative and resourceful thinker driven to support and improve processes in support of institutional values and priorities  </li><li>Exceptional attention to detail and deadlines  </li><li>Excellent verbal and written communication skills  </li><li>Strong organizational skills with ability to multi-task  </li></ul>Additional Details: The skills and experience needed to be successful in this job exist on a spectrum. Highly qualified and desirable candidates may not meet 100% of the skills and experience included in this description. We encourage all who are interested in this position to apply. WHAT WE ARE OFFERING: <ul><li>The annual salary range for this position is $68,000 – $74,000</li><li>Full-time employees are eligible for employer-provided health coverage (multiple plans offered at 80% employer paid premium for the employee), 401(k) (including an employer contribution), and other benefits</li><li>12 Vacation Days, 3 Personal days, and 10 days of Sick Leave available to all full-time employees annually, with additional earned vacation after two and five years of employment</li><li>Each full-time employee receives 11 paid holidays and 3 floating holidays annually </li></ul>WHAT TO EXPECT: Step one: All submissions will be reviewed, and the initial candidate pool will be formed after phone screenings. Not all submissions will make it into the candidate pool. Step two: Candidates in the pool will take part in an interview with members of the Illinois Humanities team via Zoom or in-person. Step three: There will be additional rounds of interviews with the final candidates. Final candidates may be asked to provide additional information. Selection and placement of the final candidate will occur after these final rounds of interviews. Once the final candidate has accepted their offer of employment, all other applicants will be notified of their status. This posting will remain open until the job is filled. WORK ENVIRONMENT: Our Chicago Loop office is accessible. Work at off-site locations is required and those may not necessarily be fully accessible. Evening and weekend work is sometimes required. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, and scanners. Employees are regularly required to talk, hear, see, and communicate effectively via computer. Illinois Humanities is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to employ qualified individuals based on individual merit. It does not discriminate against any individual with respect to the terms and conditions of employment based on that individual’s race, sex, age, religion, color, national origin, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, housing status, or any other non-merit factor protected under state, local or federal laws. Equal Employment Opportunity applies to all personnel actions such as recruiting, hiring, compensation, benefits, promotions, training, transfer, termination, and opportunities for training. Illinois Humanities is committed to a fair and equitable workplace where everyone is a respected and valued member of the team. Illinois Humanities Chicago office is currently operating in a hybrid work environment with in-office days and optional remote workdays each week. COVID-19 Vaccination Policy: To support public health efforts to reduce the risk of COVID-19, Illinois Humanities has adopted a policy that requires all staff receive a complete COVID-19 vaccine based on the CDC’s current definition, which is subject to change. Employees must submit a full Record of COVID-19 Vaccination or have a fully signed Reasonable Exception approval by date of hire. Illinois Humanities is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to employ qualified individuals based on individual merit. It does not discriminate against any individual with respect to the terms and conditions of employment based on that individual’s race, sex, age, religion, color, national origin, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, housing status, criminal record, or any other non-merit factor protected under state, local or federal laws. Equal Employment Opportunity applies to all personnel actions such as recruiting, hiring, compensation, benefits, promotions, training, transfer, termination, and opportunities for training. Illinois Humanities is committed to a fair and equitable workplace where everyone is a respected and valued member of the team. To Apply: Please upload a cover letter and resume on our "Work With Us" page or through the relevant job website. Applications will be accepted and reviewed until the position is filled.

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