Ballinger | Leafblad is pleased to conduct the search for this position.

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW

Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MACP) is the umbrella over the grantmaking foundations created by the late Margaret Cargill: Margaret A. Cargill Foundation and Anne Ray Foundation. MACP supports efforts to enhance quality of life and prevent and relieve suffering of children, families, and older adults;preserve and promote the environment and the arts, and encourage the humane treatment of animals. This is accomplished through long-term relationships with strategic grantee partners across seven program domains: Environment, Disaster Relief & Recovery, Arts & Cultures, Teachers & Students, Animal Welfare, Quality of Life, and Legacy & Opportunity. The collective assets of MACP place it among the 10 largest philanthropies in the United States.

MISSION - Provide meaningful assistance and support to society, the arts, and the environment.

POSITION PROFILE

PROGRAM DIRECTOR, ARTS & CULTURES

The Program Director provides leadership and management for the Arts & Cultures domain. The Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MACP), which includes the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation and the Anne Ray Foundation, organizes most of its grantmaking activities into seven program domains with defined strategies, guided by donor intent. Across all programs, MACP seeks to support work in and with communities toward developing solutions that deliver effective, sustainable programs that provide meaningful assistance and support to society, the arts, and the environment. The Arts & Cultures team currently focuses work in three program areas, including Native Arts & Cultures, Folk Arts & Cultures, and Music Education.

The Program Director collaborates closely with the domain’s core team of two Program Officers, Program Associate, along with Managing Director, Programs, Vice President, Programs, and staff from other program and functional areas in the philanthropies’ work, all toward building, managing, and evaluating an effective grantmaking domain. The Program Director is primarily responsible for ongoing development and implementation of program strategy, providing direction and oversight to domain grantmaking and operations, and directly managing the team. Total grantmaking in the Arts & Cultures Domain is approximately $20 million annually.

The Native Arts & Cultures Program focuses on the intergenerational transfer of artistic skill and cultural knowledge in Native communities within three regions in the United States and British Columbia: the Upper Midwest, the Northwest, and the Southwest.

The Folk Arts & Cultures Program focuses on the intergenerational transfer of artistic skill and cultural knowledge in communities of practice within two regions of the United States: the Upper Midwest and Central Appalachia.

The Music Education program has developed several learning grants to date, focusing on access to music education opportunities for young people in the North American regions named above, along with one partnership working in an international context.

The Director will bring an understanding of and ability to incorporate aspects of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) in the practice of philanthropy with grantees and in community and should demonstrate a commitment to the principles of MACP’s DEIJ Vision. This includes actively listening and exploring opportunities to bring ideas and energy to both MACP and the community, including attention to diverse and overlooked groups and issues.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Domain Management
Manage program portfolios aligned with program strategies and translate those strategies, in collaboration with Program Officers, to develop proposals and implement grants for selected programs of the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation and the Anne Ray Foundation. Grantmaking assignments may shift over time as MACP continues to evolve. Detailed aspects of this work include:

• Provide effective leadership for staff including training and staff development, assigning, and directing work and appraising performance. The Program Director will work closely with staff, taking every opportunity to coach and mentor as they work through intricate grant development and implementation and progress towards program goals. In addition, this role will emphasize the importance of engaging in effective and respectful teamwork and demonstration of MACP values.
• Lead department budget development and manage cash distribution goals across all three program areas of the domain.
• Oversee and support two Program Officers and a Program Associate to manage program portfolios in a manner that fosters meaningful and respectful relationships with grantee and funder partners, respects workload demands on staff and grantees, captures, and applies relevant learning, and keeps staff and board leadership appropriately informed of progress, risk and lessons learned.
• Occasionally travel with Program Officers and others to source new grantmaking opportunities, develop and monitor grant outcomes and learning with grantee partners, build constructive relationships, and stay current with program strategies and relevant fields of knowledge.
• Consult, inform and take guidance from the Managing Director on strategy, process, implementation, and evaluation. The goal of our reporting structure is to empower and ensure accountability, which requires robust communication up, down, and across, to delegate more effectively.
• In partnership with Program Officers, develop and oversee evaluation plans for the domain in the context of MACP’s evaluation and organizational learning goals.
• Maintain accountability for due diligence on all grants within the portfolio with support from Program Operations and cross-functional colleagues, and in collaboration with legal, finance, grants management, and evaluation functions.
• Evaluate opportunities to coordinate and collaborate with other funders to multiply overall impact within Arts & Cultures domain strategies and focused goals.

Leadership
Serve as a member of the MACP Program Leadership Team to support MACP-wide goals, coordinate MACP programs and operations, and model the values-based culture and content and philanthropic expertise the foundation represents to its employees and its grantees. Specifically:

• Provide effective leadership for program staff, including meaningful inclusion; appreciation of non-dominant culture perspectives; empowerment and accountability; training and individual development; and learning-based approaches to assigning, supporting, and reviewing performance. The Program Director will work closely with staff, coaching, mentoring, and supporting MACP approaches to grant development, oversight, and evaluation.
• Participate in functional-level program planning, learning leadership, organizational development, and team building.
• Work in partnership with others to advance the overall philanthropic vision of Margaret A. Cargill
• Champion MACP’s vision and commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (“DEIJ”) by demonstrating awareness of systemic racism and other forms of structural injustice and committing to advance DEIJ efforts by embedding it into team and organization-wide goals and work.
• Demonstrate commitment to intercultural understanding and sensitivity with the ability to lead teams through the operationalization of DEIJ into strategy, processes, practices, and relationships.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum requirement is an undergraduate degree with at least 10 years of direct experience working with either folk artists, Native American artists, culture bearers, and/or music education fields, either as a practitioner, grant maker, arts administrator, or scholar.
• Graduate-level academic degree in an arts/cultural related, or arts administration field, or equivalent level of meaningful cultural community/leadership experience is beneficial.
• Diverse and rich experience working with nonprofit or Tribal arts/cultural organizations.
• Deep awareness of systemic racism and knowledge of methods for incorporating equity, inclusion, and diversity into grantmaking and relationships with staff and community.
• Knowledge of place-based philanthropy and capacity building that helps support grantees in their efforts to build sustainable impact in their community.
• Knowledge, experience, and credibility working in strategic philanthropy, with measurable objectives and accountability to grantee partners and organization leadership, and a proven record of overseeing an annual grantmaking portfolio.
• Experience in at least one of the domain’s geographic areas of program focus, including the Upper Midwest, Southwest, Appalachia, or Northwest, is preferred.
• Background and understanding of a wide range of artistic and cultural communities, expressions, and contexts, with an experienced capacity to advance program interests diplomatically with Native Nations, educational institutions, arts organizations, rural and urban arts communities.
• A solid understanding of nonprofit organizational structure and actions to advance social change.
• Management experience with a mature professional team, with demonstrated ability to develop strengths of individual team members and to build effective, values-based teams.
• An understanding of the key issues in philanthropy, a detailed knowledge of grantmaking tools and types, a broad perspective of various program areas with deep experience in more than one art/cultural field and understanding of principles of trust-based philanthropy.
• Proven ability to think strategically; demonstrated record of success working with a diverse constituency of partners and stakeholders to achieve specific programmatic outcomes.
• Understanding or experience in streamlining processes, oversight, and evaluation processes to allow more attention on impact and relationships, while continuing to provide strong stewardship of resources.
• Demonstrated pragmatism in moving large issues into specific program delivery outcomes.
• Strong detail orientation and project management skills with ability to maintain perspective on the broader principles driving an organization’s work.
• Strong interpersonal and communications skills. Professional demeanor with proven ability to build collaborative relationships, operate in a team environment, and honor donor intent.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently.
• Ability to generate innovative ideas and practices.
• Perseverance, resilience, and flexibility in the face of change. Experience leading teams through organizational change.
• Experience with direct reporting or being accountable to a senior leadership team or Board. Demonstrated ability to translate the goals and strategies of an organization into actionable plans that align to organization values, philosophy, and mission.
• High capacity and enjoyment of balancing multiple priorities and tasks simultaneously. TRAVEL Up to 20% domestic travel and minimal international travel.

VIEW COMPLETE PROFILE

Profile link: https://www.ballingerleafblad.com/s/MACP-PD-Arts-Cultures-FINAL.pdf

TO APPLY

Email resume and cover letter to Lars Leafblad, lars@ballingerleafblad.com. Applications will be accepted until April 19, 2024 or until the position has been filled, which may be earlier.

There will be an immediate and ongoing review of candidates, so we encourage and appreciate early applications. All inquiries will remain confidential.

Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies is an equal opportunity employer and encourages candidates of all identities, experiences, orientations, and communities to apply.