The Organization
The New England Grassroots Environment Fund (Grassroots Fund) is a 501(c)(3) environmental justice funder with a mission to energize and nurture long term civic engagement in local initiatives that create and maintain healthy, just, safe and environmentally sustainable communities.
Our program work:
- fosters innovation by directly providing grants to frontline environmental justice/just transition organizers and engaging in conversation around our guiding practices towards transformative work;
- amplifies voices through our participatory modeling focused on shifting power in decision-making;
- convenes changemakers through our Community of Practice work, RootSkills Training Series, Catalyst Conversations and pop-up offices;
- reimagines philanthropy through our shared decision-making model of grantmaking and by working to disrupt white supremacy culture across programs.
The Grassroots Fund co-creates healthy and sustainable communities throughout New England by providing individuals and groups – particularly those who have been traditionally marginalized – with access to the tools, resources and connections they need to achieve environmental and social justice. Our Guiding Practices are fundamental to our mission, functions and programs.
Position Overview
The Grassroots Fund seeks a dynamic and collaborative individual who has an established record of direct environmental justice/just transition work in marginalized communities. The Director of Learning is a new position focused on participatory action research, including establishing, implementing and overseeing ongoing data collection systems, learning loops and participatory evaluation. The Director of Learning will lead or play an active role in development of new programs and pilots as well as in ongoing grant review as needed across grant programs. The Director of Learning will report to the Executive Director.
The Director of Learning has four primary focus areas in support of the organization’s mission:
- Oversee participatory action research that will include the development and ongoing improvement of framework for grantee/participant data collection, mapping and participatory evaluation. This role will include working with all program staff to enhance these systems across grantmaking, convenings, communications and other program design;
- Oversee a new grant program at the Grassroots Fund, currently called the New England Food System Resilience Fund. Tasks will include community needs surveying, developing a community-led steering committee, grant process/logistic design (based on steering committee recommendations) and oversight of/participation in the grant review process. As with other Grassroots Fund grant programs, oversight of the Resilience Fund will incorporate a 3-tiered participatory process with an open call for application readers, planning grantmaking committee retreats, providing applicant support, managing grant intake, review, and management of grant awards;
- Collaborate with Executive Director and Director of Operations across strategic initiatives;
- Assist, as-needed, in semiannual Grow and Young Leader grant program review.
How To Apply
Please submit a single PDF that contains a cover letter, current résumé and the names and contact information of at least three professional or relevant references. We will begin review/interviews as applications are received with priority given to applications received by December 4th, 2020. Please send your PDF application file to: job@grassrootsfund.org, Attn: Search Team. Please direct any questions to email only.