The Organization
MISSION AND ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND
Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies refers collectively to two grantmaking entities, Margaret A. Cargill Foundation (MACF) and Anne Ray Foundation (ARF). The two foundations have separate, but overlapping boards and investment portfolios and share a common mission of providing meaningful assistance and support to society, the arts, and the environment.
- Margaret A. Cargill Foundation is a private foundation that came into existence upon Ms. Cargill’s death in August 2006. MACF’s assets are approximately $3.5 billion.
- Anne Ray Foundation is a supporting organization, which may make grants only to beneficiary organizations specifically named by Ms. Cargill. ARF’s assets are approximately $5 billion.
MACP’s well-developed Philosophy of Grantmaking underscores the values and guiding principles of Margaret A. Cargill by: using education and innovation as a means to achieve core purposes; empowering people to be self-sufficient; maintaining a low profile while meeting the needs of others; supporting programs that could have a broad impact, have socially redeeming values and standards, and that value life; and relieving suffering in times of disaster. As a core element of its philosophy, MACP invests in long-term relationships with key grantee organizations in order to find solutions that are consistent with the values of both parties toward a goal of lasting community level impact. This is further reinforced in the MACP 2025 Strategic Vision and Goals, which is organized into three key goals:
- We are demonstrating lasting community impact and learning with our partners and from our program strategies.
- We are developing and utilizing diverse talents and knowledge.
- We have systems, processes, and practices that effectively support our collective work.
MACP began its formal diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) journey with efforts to deepen learning, better understand core concepts, and develop intercultural competence. More recently, multiple crises have resulted in a sense of urgency around longstanding and systemic issues of racism and inequity, accelerating MACP’s work on these issues across its organization. To advance this work, MACP developed, revised, and adopted its Vision Statement in December 2021 to provide a framework to guide its shared efforts. MACP’s DEIJ work is owned by everyone at MACP, and all are part of a shared journey to be effective in our work and achieve the impact we seek.
Position Profile
The Program Officer, Youth Camping & Swimming, is responsible for supporting the development, implementation, and management of the Youth Camping & Swimming program of the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies’ Quality of Life domain. This position operates under the supervision of the Quality of Life Program Director and works in collaboration with other domain and program team members and other MACP staff in supporting and managing an effective grantmaking program to support the strategic content and desired impact for the Youth Camping & Swimming program.
The overall goal for the Youth Camping & Swimming program is to significantly increase the number of youth who experience high-quality out-of-school time enrichment, specifically overnight camping and water safety programs, in order to provide affirming and safe exposure to nature and to build leadership, character, and community.
Margaret Cargill enjoyed the great outdoors and wanted all children to have camping and swimming opportunities. MACP’s Youth Camping & Swimming program recognizes there are many barriers that prevent youth from accessing camping and swimming experiences and strives to improve access, inclusion, and program quality in collaboration with our grantee partners. We are especially interested in improving access, inclusion, and belonging for historically marginalized youth in these spaces, including youth from families with low income, youth from communities of color, youth who identify as LGBTQ+, and youth with disabilities. The program has a national focus in the United States.
Across all programs, MACP supports work in and with communities focused on developing solutions that deliver effective, sustainable programs that improve the quality of life for vulnerable populations. The Quality of Life domain has a broad goal of supporting life’s journey at vulnerable stages for children, young adults, families, and older adults.
How To Apply