The Organization
The Kresge Foundation is one of the top 20 largest private foundations in the U.S. Our staff of over 100 employees works to expand opportunities in America’s cities for people with low incomes. We do this through grantmaking and social investing nationally in arts and culture, education, environment, health, human services and placed-based work in Detroit, Memphis, New Orleans and other parts of the country.
Our state-of-the-art headquarters maintains an array of energy-efficient, water-conserving and health-promoting features. The foundation also operates an office in Detroit’s Midtown district.
About the position
The Program Officer for Health will assist in the design and implementation of a grantmaking program that addresses the nation’s persistent and growing health disparities and seeks to improve the health of low-income communities. We support the advancement of equity-focused systems of health. An equity-focused system of health offers everyone an opportunity to have a healthy life regardless of race, gender or income. To achieve health equity in the United States, we must work across sectors to influence institutions, advance policies, and develop leaders with the ability to transform systems to support the health and well-being for people of color in low-income communities.
The Kresge Health program works to achieve equity-focused systems of health through three strategies:
· Accelerate the Integration of Health and Human Services – We will invest in innovation in Health and Human Services providers to work across sectors to create more seamless, effective, and sustainable interventions that impact the well-being of people and the communities they serve.
· Leverage Institutional Investment for Community Health – We will work to influence local and regional institutions to align their financial and human capital investments to build healthy, prosperous communities and equitable, sustainable economies.
· Support Community-Driven Solutions for Health – We will drive locally determined solutions that influence policies, systems, services, and practices to create equitable conditions and improve well-being.
In our work, we look for efforts that:
· Include and build genuine community engagement and leadership.
· Facilitate cross-sector partnerships and connections.
· Prioritize health equity.
· Develop innovative policy solutions.
· Direct resources to upstream strategies.
· Promote access to opportunities that can improve health.
· Employ effective communication strategies.
· Evaluate and disseminate the impact of health initiatives, programs, and investments.
This is an exciting time for health philanthropy. Many of the basic health protections and resources that Americans have relied on are under threat. At the same time, policy makers, institutions and others are seeking new solutions and models that can generate better outcomes and reduce health care costs. The Kresge Health program aims to play a vital role in both safeguarding essential resources for health, while fostering innovation that can improve opportunities for health in low-income communities.
The individual filling this position will report to the managing director and work in close partnership with other members of the Health Team, as well as with the foundation’s Grants Management team and Social Investment Practice, a team that uses loans, loan guarantees and deposits in support of Kresge program goals.
The position is based in Troy, MI.
Primary responsibilities
1. Contribute to grantmaking strategy development for the program. Contribute to the team’s program development.
2. Participate in funder and cross-sector collaboratives to achieve program objectives.
3. Contribute to the team’s development of criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of the portfolio and participate in the evaluation of the results.
4. Reach annual investment and grant targets, both individually and collectively.
5. Obtain, maintain, and share a high level of knowledge of the most effective strategies and current thinking in the field: What works? What are the most effective and /or innovative ways to support the work? What are effective strategies to implement with partners?
6. Participate in national networks, affinity groups, and other external efforts to advance the program’s strategies and the team’s standing within the health and health care fields.
7. Interact with other health grant makers, nonprofit leaders, and public and private sector stakeholders active in the field of health and health care to assess developments in the field and strategic points for philanthropic engagement.
8. Work collaboratively with other Kresge program teams on joint grant-making projects, development of and support of cross-team initiatives, and represent the team on internal foundation working groups and committees.
9. Expand, build, and maintain relationships with organizations and leaders, especially those that have been traditionally underrepresented in philanthropic investment.
10. Prepare, individually and with other team members, strategy papers and other written materials for the foundation’s management and Board of Trustees.
11. Participate in health team activities to develop grant outcomes and evaluation criteria for grants; review reports and interpret results; reach annual grants target; evaluate letters of inquiry and grant proposals.
12. Work with the Social Investment Practice to evaluate the feasibility of alternative forms of capital support for health and health care organizations and contribute to the program’s embrace of social investment tools.
13. Conduct grantee site visits.
14. Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
· Bachelor’s degree in relevant or related fields is required.
· Minimum of five years of experience in relevant health or related fields.
· Experience in public health or non-profit organization, including any related background in community organizing and/or development.
· Strong commitment to the foundation’s vision, values, and equity with the ability to demonstrate that commitment in daily interactions.
· Previous grantmaking or lending experience is preferred, but not required.
· Experience that demonstrates commitment to racial and social justice and community engagement to impact change at the community level.
· Advanced knowledge of policy advocacy and the policymaking process, community organizing, and community-informed policy change.
· Excellent analytical and writing skills.
· Experience in the development, implementation, and evaluation of strategies to effect change.
· Demonstrated experience in managing programmatic budgets, including the ability to analyze financial information and business plans of nonprofit organizations.
· Demonstrated ability to think of several possible explanations or alternatives for a situation, anticipate potential obstacles and develop contingency plans to overcome them.
· Ability to adequately assess a situation, make sound judgment, use relevant information to support the decision, and be able to distinguish useful information from the irrelevant one when making a decision.
· Effective time-management skills, with demonstrated ability to manage a diverse and demanding workload and deliver work products within deadlines.
· Experience in project development and management, budgets, and work plans.
· Strong communications skills and interpersonal skills, including the ability to work effectively as a member of a team.
· Experience working collaboratively across sectors.
· Ability to do national travel (~40%) which may fluctuate depending on project schedules.
How To Apply
Please click the link below to apply. The application deadline for this position is 11:59pm EST on January 6, 2021
Kresge is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBT 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.
Please note: Due to the coronavirus pandemic, all Kresge staff are working remotely, and our Troy and Detroit offices remain closed until further notice. Kresge staff will not be traveling or attending in-person meetings during this time. Thank you for your understanding.