The Organization
ABOUT MARGARET A. CARGILL PHILANTHROPIES
Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies is the umbrella over the grantmaking foundations created by the late Margaret Cargill: Margaret A. Cargill Foundation (MACF) and Anne Ray Foundation (ARF). Margaret Cargill was an heir of Cargill, Inc., one of the world’s largest agribusiness companies, which was co-founded by her grandfather. During her lifetime, Ms. Cargill made significant, but usually anonymous, donations to organizations globally, nationally, and in Southern California, where she lived most of her adult life.
Today, the two foundations have separate boards and investment portfolios but share a common mission of providing meaningful assistance and support to society, the arts, and the environment. MACF is a private foundation that came into existence upon Ms. Cargill’s death in August 2006. At year-end 2022, MACF assets were approximately $3.3 billion. ARF is a supporting organization, which may make grants only to beneficiary organizations specifically named by Ms. Cargill. At year-end 2022, ARF’s assets were approximately $4.7 billion. The collective assets of MACP place it among the 10 largest philanthropies in the United States.
In keeping with Ms. Cargill’s direction, MACP’s Philosophy of Grantmaking underscores her values and guiding principles by developing and implementing integrated grantmaking strategies across seven domains:
- Animal Welfare – Wellbeing of domestic animals and injured wild animals, and ways to increase empathy toward animals among children and adults.
- Arts & Cultures – Folk arts, Native American art, music, tactile art, and artistically significant crafts that foster human creativity.
- Disaster Relief & Recovery – Natural disaster preparedness, relief, and recovery, with emphasis on communities prone to low-attention disasters.
- Environment – Conservation of natural resources and protection of natural habitats.
- Legacy & Opportunity – Opportunities aligned with MACP’s strategic priorities and support for geographies of importance to our founder, Margaret Cargill.
- Quality Of Life – Supporting children, young adults, families, and older adults throughout life’s journey.
- Teachers & Students – Supporting the teaching profession and student success.
To live more fully into our philosophy of grantmaking, we adopted a DEIJ vision statement to guide our work. The motivation and guidance for this diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice work is drawn from our mission and vision, our direction from Margaret Cargill, and the caring and compassionate culture we strive for through work with grantees, partners, and each other. Embracing this vision will have a transformational influence on our organization, our partnerships, the work we do, and the impact we ultimately seek.
MACP’s DEIJ Vision and the commitments embodied within are a living document, a guidepost, and they will evolve as we learn and grow. This statement is intended as a framework to guide our shared efforts as we develop the action steps and accountability measures necessary for the next phase of our work.
ABOUT OUR WORKPLACE
Our community of more than 115 employees brings expertise from a variety of professional and personal experiences. We are inspired by a common mission, shared values, and the difference we can make by working together.
In January 2023, we adopted our Employee Value Proposition (EVP) that shares our commitments to our team member’s careers. We are committed to ensuring a diverse workforce where all team members feel like they belong, and we put equity at the center of our approach to individual development. We make a robust investment in each team member’s professional development to ensure they can contribute meaningfully to MACP’s mission, grow in their roles, and achieve their career goals both within and outside of MACP. We also value staff retention, and the stability and consistency of a dedicated team.
MACP’s home in Eden Prairie, Minnesota is a foundational aspect of our identity, reflecting an organizational commitment to sustainability, balance, and collaboration. In spring 2016, MACP completed a major building expansion, and our LEED Platinum certified building features include sustainable materials, outdoor meeting areas, a fitness room, and unique art and keepsakes from Ms. Cargill’s personal collection and others, that reflect our grantmaking and the communities where we work. Our space is a living reminder of our values. Eden Prairie is part of the Twin Cities metro area including Minneapolis and St. Paul, which have over 3 million residents. A unique blend of small town and major cosmopolitan hub, both urban cores boast a thriving business atmosphere.
The work environment for the Manager, Grants Management, is a designated workspace in our office, and optional remote work up to 2 days per week. This position is primarily a sedentary role with an adjustable sit/stand desk and requires regular use of a computer to complete work responsibilities. It also includes regularly working with other office equipment and communication technology, such as videoconferencing, telephone, copy machine, and printer. The person in this position needs to occasionally move about inside the office to access files, office equipment, attend meetings or events, etc.
This role also frequently performs multiple tasks simultaneously and works closely with others as part of a team. Occasionally, the person in this role may be required to adjust to time pressures and frequent changes. Infrequently, this role may require an irregular schedule.
Position Overview
Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MACP) is seeking nominations and applications for the role of Manager, Grants Management on the Program Operations team. MACP consists of two grantmaking entities – the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation and the Anne Ray Foundation, both of which were funded by the late Margaret A. Cargill. MACP organizes most of its grantmaking activities into seven program domains with defined strategic boundaries. These seven domains include: Animal Welfare, Arts & Cultures, Disaster Relief & Recovery, Environment, Quality of Life, Teachers, and Legacy & Opportunity. MACP recently welcomed a new President and Vice President of Programs to lead the organization at a critical moment to meet the evolving needs of communities across the globe.
Embedded within the program team, Program Operations works closely with MACP leadership to ensure the effectiveness of MACP’s grantmaking, promoting a culture of rigor, stewardship, strategic clarity and accountability, and impact.
With the leadership of the Managing Director, Program Operations, the team is responsible for:
- partnering with senior and program leadership on the planning and implementation of Programs’ goals;
- guiding the effective operation and ongoing improvement of MACP’s grantmaking processes, practices, policies and systems;
- supporting cross-functional efforts to ensure that MACP is in compliance with regulations and laws that govern our work; and
- partnering with leadership and other teams to ensure that DEIJ principles and values are intentionally embedded in our grantmaking practices.
Reporting to the Managing Director, Program Operations, the Manager, Grants Management is responsible for providing oversight of the design and effective implementation of the grants management process at MACP. This individual would work collaboratively to continually optimize the process experience for grantees and MACP staff aligned with MACP’s Philosophy of Grantmaking and DEIJ commitments, ensure compliance with MACP grantmaking policies and processes, ensure accuracy of all grant data collected through MACP’s grants management system, Fluxx, and promote transparency by strategically communicating with grantees and staff as appropriate.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE MANAGER, GRANTS MANAGEMENT
The Program Operations team, led by the Managing Director, Program Operations, is comprised of the Manager, Program Operations, Manager, Grant Systems, and the Grants Management team, led by this role, with the Grants Management Specialist, and two Grants Management Associates. The Manager, Grants Management will lead cross domain and cross functional process improvements that ensures ever increasing transparency for grantees, provides for formal and informal feedback channels for grantees, and leverages external resources to further internal efforts to continue embedding inclusive and equitable practices into MACP’s grantmaking processes.
Oversight of these efforts, and MACP’s grantmaking processes is likely to include the following duties and responsibilities:
- Work collaboratively with peers across teams to develop, enhance, and implement processes that undergirds the efficiency and effectiveness of the Foundation’s grantmaking processes and practices with respect to the needs of each program and domain area.
- When necessary, work with program and senior leadership to develop and/or clarify policies that support and guide staff in the implementation of MACP’s grantmaking processes, the administration of the employee matching gifts program and other special grant programs.
- Partner with Finance and Legal teams to ensure all MACP grants comply with IRS regulations and Foundation-wide policies.
- Ensure accurate process controls are in place, including timely and thorough reviews of grant data to ensure the high quality of data in our grants management system, which informs many other foundation processes and reports.
- Be a resource to program and cross-functional teams as they engage in the grantmaking process and work with grantees to address process / systems issues.
- Ensure that MACP’s grantmaking process is appropriately documented, updated, and shared on a regular basis as process changes are implemented.
- Approve grant payments and other documented changes to grants in Fluxx and partner with our Finance team in preparing payment data to ensure scheduled payments, upon meeting payment contingencies, are processed in a timely manner.
- Provide oversight of the design and development of materials for trainings on MACP’s processes and partner with the Manager, Grant Systems on the design and facilitation of trainings related to Fluxx and Qlik.
- Serve as a Fluxx system administrator, working collaboratively with the Manager, Grant Systems in troubleshooting issues and identifying important changes and adaptations to the system as process improvements are being implemented.
As Manager, Grants Management, the successful candidate will manage a team of three in the course of fulfilling the duties and responsibilities outlined above. Staff management responsibilities are likely to include the following:
- Provide effective and supportive leadership for the team, empowering each team member in their roles, identifying continued opportunities for growth, and helping connect the team’s work to the broader organizational efforts.
- Coach and mentor each member of the team, identifying meaningful professional and career development opportunities.
- Emphasize and foster a spirit of respect and collaboration within the team.
- Identify and facilitate opportunities for the team to deepen their understanding of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, and apply learnings / reflections to their work.
- Provide planning, project management and analytical support to the Managing Director, Program Operations as needed.
QUALIFICATIONS OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
While no one candidate will embody all the qualifications enumerated below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:
The ideal candidate is an experienced professional with eight (8) years or more of relevant grants management, grants administration or related experience – this includes experience as a grantee stewarding philanthropic support and relationship management on behalf of a nonprofit or other grant receiving organization. Experience in managing complex grantmaking processes within a foundation, federal office, institution of higher education, or nonprofit organization is preferred.
Candidates should have an active curiosity and passion for MACP’s program interests and values. Successful candidates will be collaborative, positive, and able to deal well with ambiguity and change. They will be adept at building collegial relationships and able to respond to issues with clarity and diplomacy. They will inspire and foster trust and confidence in staff, management, and their colleagues.
Other essential skills and experience include:
- A highly relational supervisor, with experience supervising a high-performing team and demonstrated ability to develop strengths of individual team members.
- Experience managing operational, organizational development or other significant change efforts within a growing organization with perseverance, resilience, and flexibility in the face of change.
- Experience designing, gathering input, implementing, gathering feedback, and learning from complex, multi-stakeholder processes.
- Strong project management and planning skills including the ability to organize and prioritize tasks, effectively manage time, meet multiple competing deadlines, work independently and in a team environment, quickly develop written materials, maintain a positive attitude under pressure, and manage budgets.
- Proven ability to think strategically, analyze complex problems, and develop and implement workable solutions.
- Demonstrates deep awareness of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice and knowledge of methods for incorporating these concepts that MACP is committed to into processes and practices.
- Experience working with online grantmaking systems or similar software systems including experience with efficiently addressing reported system issues, seeking and incorporating user feedback, training users, and developing appropriate reference materials.
- Demonstrated ability to facilitate meetings, effectively engaging staff in interactive and creative ways.
- Professional demeanor with proven ability to build collaborative relationships.
- High level of personal and professional integrity and ethics.
- Ability to work with utmost degree of confidentiality and discretion.
- An undergraduate or graduate degree in a related field or equivalent work experience is preferred.
Travel: Minimal travel required up to 15%, primarily for conferences or other professional development opportunities.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
The compensation range for the Manager, Grants Management role is $111,000 – $132,000. The successful candidate’s starting salary will be commensurate with years, breadth, and depth of relevant experience, and other factors relevant to the position. Additionally, MACP provides a generous benefits package including:
- Competitive compensation, including relocation support.
- Professional development benefits, including opportunities to participate in relevant membership organizations and external learning activities.
- Tuition reimbursement for employees pursuing college or advanced degrees or a certificate.
- Strong medical, dental, and vision benefits for staff and their dependents with competitive monthly premiums and flexible spending accounts.
- Reduced work week for all staff, with half-day closures on Fridays, year-round.
- Minimum of four weeks paid time off, in addition to a week-long year-end office closure.
- Retirement programs, including 401(k) matching at 5%, with access to employer-paid financial planning resources.
- In addition, the Organization may provide a discretionary contribution to employees’401(k) plan that vests over a five-year period.
- Matching gift program for charitable donations.
- Additional benefits such as an employee assistance plan, an onsite fitness room, paid parental leave, and tuition reimbursement.
How To Apply
More information about Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies may be found at: www.macphilanthropies.org.
This search is being led by Cara Pearsall and Robert Diggs of NPAG. Due to the pace of this search, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Candidates may submit their cover letter, outlining their interest and qualifications, along with their resume via NPAG’s website.
Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropic Services, LLC is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals interested in this role. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please be in contact with NPAG.
COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, AND ACCESSIBILITY
We know that engaging, building trust, and making a difference relies on the collective wisdom and strength of a truly diverse organization. With this in mind, we strongly welcome the interest of people who bring a variety of lived experiences, including people of color, all gender identities, people from the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, and others who are excited to contribute their skills to our work.
Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies is an equal opportunity employer, and we consider applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as established under law.
MACP is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodations.
