The Organization
The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund is a family foundation founded in 1946 by Archibald Graustein (father of current trustee Bill Graustein) to honor the memory of his brother, William Caspar Graustein, and to support the kind of institutions that made it possible for his immigrant family to thrive within the United States. Archibald believed that academic accomplishment could benefit individuals and society as a whole.
In 2015, the trustees of the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund adopted a new mission “to achieve equity in education by working with those affected and inspiring all to end racism and poverty.” With a staff of 11, annual grantmaking of approximately $5 million, and governed by an eight-member board of trustees, adoption of this mission asserts a need for the staff and trustees to do our work with sensitivity to the challenges and contradictions of promoting equity while being responsible for the deployment of vast resources and influences as a philanthropic organization.
Position Overview
Building on a solid foundation, the Director is a newly created position that will set strategic direction and lead implementation of the equity in education strategy. The Director will monitor results, propose strategic adjustments to improve outcomes, and engage the foundation’s leadership on the progress and evolution of the strategy. The Director will guide a collaborative team working with the following initial strategic approaches:
- Build assets within children’s homes, schools, neighborhoods, and society to reverse the effects of structural racism and poverty;
- Invest in a small number of highly distressed neighborhoods as the center of our work against poverty and racism;
- Support people most affected, especially parents, to navigate and change the barriers they see”;
- Promote greater awareness and understanding of the disparities resulting from structural racism, the effects of poverty and the intersection of the two;
- Encourage healing in our society by supporting dialogue, action, policies and procedures that advance racial and economic equity.
As we seek to grow the foundation’s impact and capitalize on momentum around equity in education, the Director will also play a key role as a spokesperson for the equity in education strategy. The Director will strengthen the foundation’s footing as a thought leader around this approach and develop key partnerships and co-funding relationships to advance the work.
The complete position description and candidate application information for interested candidates may be found here.
Minimum Qualifications
• 10 years of relevant professional experience working on education issues in an educational, community leadership, foundation, management, policy, or research role, or in a consulting practice.
• Master’s degree applicable to education issues or work experience equivalent is required. Conversational Spanish a plus but not required.
How To Apply
The national search is being conducted by NEGRON Consulting and led by Michael Negrón.
Candidates should include a resume and cover letter, the latter expressing your passion for the mission and fit for the role at The Graustein Memorial Fund. Along with salary expectations, please include how you learned of the opportunity, and attach any other relevant information (e.g., published articles).
To apply, please submit your documents to: GMFsearch@negronconsulting.com
All applications will be acknowledged. While applications will be accepted until the position has been filled, applicants are encouraged to submit their candidacy within 30 days of the position posting date.
The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund is an Equal Opportunity Employer and actively seeks a diverse pool of candidates.