The Katz Amsterdam Foundation (KAF) is pleased to invite nominations and applications for the position of Civic Engagement Program Director. The Katz Amsterdam Foundation strives to be a catalyst for eliminating inequities, increasing access to opportunity, and improving outcomes for all. The Foundation is focused on striving to address inequities in three key issue areas: mental and behavioral health, civic engagement, and reproductive health. There have been long-standing racial disparities in each of these issue areas, and KAF utilizes a racial equity lens to help address those disparities.
The Katz Amsterdam Foundation works in partnership with communities to advance just and equitable approaches to accessing mental, behavioral, and reproductive healthcare and protecting our civil rights by increasing civic engagement and participation in our multiracial democracy. We do this work by addressing systemic injustice and racial and social disparities in mental health, reproductive health, and well-being. As a foundation, our priority is to support community-driven work that meaningfully improves the lives of all individuals and the social well-being of our communities.
The ideal candidate will bring a strong commitment to social justice and the mission of KAF, as well as experience and dedication to civic engagement and voting rights for communities of color. They will bring an innovative and strategic mindset as a natural connector who can engage and articulate impact.
HISTORY AND MISSION
Rob Katz and Elana Amsterdam are deeply focused on utilizing their resources for positive social change. Rob is the co-founder of the Katz Amsterdam Foundation and executive chairperson of the Board of Directors of Vail Resorts. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of Vail Resorts from 2006-2021 and led the company through more than a decade of significant growth and incredible success. Elana Amsterdam is an entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author, and founder of Elana’s Pantry. Over the last several years, Rob and Elana have contributed nearly $200 million to their family foundation and charitable trust.
When launched in 2018, the initial focus of the Katz Amsterdam Foundation and Charitable Trust was mental and behavioral health in western mountain resort communities. Rob and Elana feel a strong connection to these mountain communities from years of partnership and because so many ski industry employees and their families live and work in these towns. They understand that each community has felt a tremendous and personal impact from mental health and substance abuse issues, which has been amplified by a lack of services and stigma that is very real. With the utmost respect for the complexities involved in such critical issues, the Katz Amsterdam Foundation has focused on learning and partnering with community, non-profit, and local government leaders. In June 2021, the Foundation announced a new and additional nationwide focus on social and racial justice and subsequently has focused this effort in two areas: civic engagement and reproductive health and justice. The Foundation seeks to award grants to organizations across the country to support existing social and racial justice efforts, create proximity to the lived experiences of communities of color, and help build community strength and power.
Position Overview
With a goal to build meaningful partnerships with organizations focused on communities of color, KAF’s civic engagement work is focused in three states: Arizona, Nevada, and North Carolina. KAF has been working to support collaborative and grassroots efforts in each state and anticipates annual grantmaking of $3 million across those states. KAF supports community partners focused on community organizing to increase voter engagement within communities of color and advocating for improved election access, and we hope to build the capacity of BIPOC-focused civic engagement organizations. The Program Director will work closely with the Co-Founders and the Executive Director to further these focus areas and build relationships with current and future grantees. KAF seeks opportunities for the Foundation to support racial equity in the areas of civic engagement. The new Program Director will join a small but ambitious team to move the work from vision to reality.
OPPORTUNITIES AND QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER FOR THE NEW PROGRAM DIRECTOR
The new Program Director will join the Foundation during this unprecedented time to address timely social challenges in partnership with organizations working on intractable social issues. The Program Director will join a small and extraordinary team of individuals who are passionate about eradicating social disparities, with the goal of furthering civic engagement programmatic strategies. The new Program Director will be a systems thinker, strategic communicator, and team and partnership-builder with a deep commitment to civic engagement for communities of color. They will bring knowledge of the landscape of strategies across sectors that are effectively moving the needle in this core area, with the capacity to conduct effective diligence and discovery that generates and vets ideas, fosters relationships, and conceives action steps to drive the work forward. They will collaborate with donor and c3 tables, and engage organizations involved in long-term organizing efforts focused on communities of color.
The Program Director will bring a broad network of leaders and influencers at the national and/or state levels and an understanding of community organizing and systems change at the national and community levels. In concert with the Senior Grants Manager, the Program Director will be responsible for recommending grants for Board approval and supporting grantee partnerships to success and impact.
Below are questions to consider for interested candidates:
• Are you passionate about voting rights, community power building, and the true realization of a multi-racial democracy?
• Do you bring experience in embedding a racial equity lens to your work?
• Are you skilled at measuring and articulating the impact of potential grantee organizations?
• Are you comfortable engaging with people from all sorts of cultural backgrounds?
• Are you able to synthesize lots of information into clear and condensed summaries?
• Do you enjoy working in a dynamic and self-driven environment?
• Do you like being part of a small, mutually supportive team?
• Are you motivated to take on new challenges?
QUALIFICATIONS OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
While we value your educational and academic achievements, we want to focus on the relevant work experiences you’ve had in this field. Ideal experiences, attributes, and skillsets for candidates include:
• Demonstrated commitment to the core areas of civic engagement and social justice.
• Innovative and strategic thinker with multiple years of experience implementing programs, grants, or other relevant initiatives in the civic engagement space.
• Political, organizing, and electoral experience with demonstrated examples of success.
• Experience engaging community-based organizations for long-term impact.
• Sophisticated racial equity analysis coupled with experience embedding a racial equity lens in all aspects of work and strategy.
• Interest in philanthropy as a tool for social justice and change.
• Entrepreneurial approach to leading portfolios of work with iterative engagement by decision-makers/leadership.
• Enthusiasm for being part of a small team of organized, self-motivators who embrace ways to support each other.
• High emotional intelligence (EQ) and self-awareness, with a commitment to personal growth and development.
• Engaged collaborator with strong interpersonal skills, fostering a collaborative and supportive work environment.
COMPENSATION, BENEFITS, AND LOCATION
The salary range for the Program Director is approximately $145K to $160K, commensurate with experience. The benefits package includes health care benefits through a Qualified Small Employer HRA (QSEHRA) plan that reimburses premiums and out-of-pocket expenses (note: these are not for pre-tax premiums), a 6% 401K match, an office furniture stipend, 12 weeks of paid parental leave, 11 vacation days plus closure from Christmas to New Year's Eve, 10 sick days annually, and the accrual of 160 hours of PTO each year. The Katz Amsterdam Foundation is based in Colorado, but you don’t have to be. KAF will support this role to work remotely, but there will be some travel involved. The Program Director will get to visit some remarkable locations to engage with KAF’s stakeholders.
This search is being led by Cara Pearsall and Alejandra (Ale) Villa of NPAG. Candidates may submit a cover letter outlining their interest and qualifications, along with their resume, via NPAG’s website.
The Katz Amsterdam Foundation believes that long-standing systemic inequities in our culture continue to harm already marginalized populations in our country, especially people of color. In order to begin to repair these injustices, we believe that these communities must be centered in the work we do. We strongly encourage applications from people of color.
