Los Angeles

The Organization
The California Community Foundation is a nonprofit grantmaking foundation that administers almost 1,600 individual charitable funds to meet existing and emerging needs in the Greater Los Angeles area. CCF is one of the largest and fastest growing community foundations in the United States. With assets of more than $1.4 billion currently, CCF has awarded more than $1.6 billion in grants and received more than $1.8 billion in contributions from 2003-2013. Since 1915, CCF has been helping individuals, families, corporations and nonprofits establish and develop their philanthropic visions.

While CCF’s focus is Building the Future of Los Angeles, we make progress toward that ambitious goal by helping our donors and fundholders realize their philanthropic objectives. In partnership with our donors, the foundation supports nonprofit organizations and public institutions with funds for arts, affordable housing, education, transition aged youth, civic engagement and health care programs.  Recognizing the importance to partner with other like-minded organizations and the community, CCF created The Joan Palevsky Center for the Future of Los Angeles, a facility dedicated to convenings on philanthropy, civic engagement and issues of importance to communities of Greater Los Angeles and for the business of the foundation and affiliated organizations.

Position Overview
Reporting to the Vice President of Programs, the Los Angeles Scholars Investment Fund (LASIF) Director enables the fund to invest its resources in an accessible, fair and thoughtful manner.  The position requires leadership skills and significant experience in strategy development and implementation; strategic grantmaking; program design and management; fundraising; nonprofit capacity building; donor relations; and public policy advocacy.

About LASIF

LASIF is a joint initiative of the California Community Foundation (CCF), College Futures Foundation (CFF) and other Los Angeles and national funders.  LASIF’s goal is to increase postsecondary attainment for low-income youth in Los Angeles County, particularly for students from populations that continue to be under-represented in higher education.

LASIF makes grants for need-based scholarships and operating support to non-profit organizations and education institutions that are working to increase postsecondary attainment for low income youth in Los Angeles County.  Since December 2012, LASIF has invested $9 million supporting over 30,000 students to access and fund their college matriculation.

Major Responsibilities

This position reports to CCF’s Vice President, Programs and will also work closely with the Vice President for Programs and staff at CFF in fulfilling the following responsibilities:

Strategy Development, Program Design and Management: Develops and implements overall portfolio strategy, goals, grantmaking and other activities around strategic need-based scholarship giving, financial aid access, and postsecondary access and completion for low-income students.  Reviews and refines portfolio goals, strategies, outcomes and indicators, and oversees the evaluation of selected grants.  Maintains expertise in areas of interest relevant to postsecondary access and completion, and policy reform efforts that impact these issues locally.  Supports development and implementation of evaluation plans to track impact and allow for continuous learning by LASIF grantees and funders.

Foundation Partnerships: Responsible for annual and multiyear fundraising efforts that supplement grantmaking budgets.  Prepares plan to guide immediate and long-term resource development efforts, including an audit of current and potential resources and establishing annual fundraising benchmarks.  Develops and maintains relationships with national, local and statewide foundation funders, creates opportunities for national funders to partner with LASIF and allows CCF to be a grantee of national funders.  Prepares proposals and executes local grantmaking in partnership with national funders.

Donor Relations: Collaborates to strategize on messaging, fund development and impact analysis for discretionary funds.  Prepares information for donors and/or meets with donors to refine their giving preferences.  May also staff periodic or ongoing grantmaking processes associated with donor-advised funds and supporting organizations.

Portfolio Management: Ensures LASIF grants and funds are invested in grantees and communities to achieve common outcomes and maximum impact.  Ensures that LASIF grants are aligned with its strategies.  Refines selection criteria as needed and continually identifies potential co-funding and grantee partners.

Analyzes and provides recommendations on grant proposals.  Conducts due diligence, including analysis of financial information, site visits and interviews.  Ensures grant funds are invested appropriately. Determines need for and organizes complementary technical assistance for grantees.  Provides clarification of LASIF priorities, application procedures and feedback to grantseekers.
Monitors grant investments, produces grant agreements, reviews progress reports and payment requests, and maintains ongoing communications with grantees.  Works with grantees to strengthen their organizational capacity to adapt to changes in the sector.  Presents to CCF board, subcommittees, and outside funders / donors.   Works with CFF’s research and data team to coach grantees on data collection requirements; data use for inquiry, strategy development and project implementation; and to promote collaboration and learning across grantees, as appropriate.

Convening: Identifies issue areas to convene local community and non-profit stakeholders.  Plans, coordinates and, when appropriate, leads convenings with stakeholders, using these opportunities to engage the LASIF community (i.e. donors, grantees, staff, Board, and community).  Develops LASIF’s brand as cross-sector convener (non-profit, private, and government agencies) around college preparation and attainment in Los Angeles.

Community Relations and Outreach: Represents LASIF on relevant committees, commissions, task forces and boards.  Assumes leadership roles in professional networks and collaborations related to priority issues and philanthropic activities.

Research and Special Projects: Commissions research and analyzes trends on issues or concerns of importance to LASIF through written materials, interviews, community meetings, computer networks, or other useful vehicles.  Presents findings in written and/oral formats.  Designs, manages and facilitates special projects for LASIF, ensuring a thoughtful and reasonable process, timely preparation and coordination of key activities and materials for review panels, advisory committees, and Board.

Project Management, Delegation and Supervision: In collaboration with others, delegates projects to and assists in the supervision of the program associate.  Ensures databases are accurate, updated timely and effectively utilized.  Manages workload to ensure sufficient time allotted to knowledge acquisition and to achieve mastery of processes and technology.  Works to streamline grant reporting and compliance.

Management: Serves as a member of CCF’s management team, attending management team meetings, completing assignments as required and coordinating work between teams and with external vendors, as necessary.  Assists with cultivating and supervising a strong staff.  Evaluates staff and department performance as needed.

General: As appropriate, assists other CCF departments and works as a member of interdepartmental teams to ensure the effective and efficient operations of CCF.  At all times, demonstrates cooperative behavior with supervisors and coworkers.  Other duties as assigned, dependent on organizational needs and employee skills.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job function assigned satisfactorily.  The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Experience:  Six to eight years of related grantmaking, education policy and/or program design and management experience required with a minimum of five years working in the nonprofit, public and/or philanthropic sector leadership required.  Experience in managing consultants and project working teams to achieve results is essential.  Demonstrated ability to plan and think strategically and conceptually about program strategy and implementation.

Education: A Master’s level degree in a field related, with preference for degree and/or coursework in education, public policy, political science or economics is required.

Leadership Skills: Ability to make well-reasoned decisions in the best interests of the organization for the present and future, and the ability to work collaboratively and effectively with individuals of diverse backgrounds.  Good meeting management skills and understanding of political processes.

Fundraising Skills: Working knowledge of raising funds from individual donors, foundations and/or the public sector.

Relationship Building: A strong record of managing partnerships and building effective relationships in varied environments and with diverse constituents. Given LASIF’s unique operating relationship with two foundations and other funders, we will place a premium on the demonstrated ability to develop, maintain and manage long-term institutional partnerships.

Technical Knowledge: Demonstrated analytical capabilities and substantive knowledge of best practices in K-12 and higher education, familiarity with nonprofit financials, public policy advocacy and legislative process, public and private funding streams related to K-12 and higher education in California, and a working understanding of outcome measures and evaluation methodologies aimed at assessing program effectiveness.

Community Knowledge: Knowledge of the Los Angeles County non profit, K-12 and higher education sectors, familiarity with the geography and diverse neighborhoods throughout the region, and experience in working effectively with diverse and broad-based community constituencies.

Convening and Facilitation Skills: Able to facilitate meetings and group processes for the purposes of agenda-setting, fact-finding, decision-making, peer learning and collaboratively working to accomplish shared goals.

Communication Skills: Excellent writing skills with the ability to write clear, concise analyses and narratives.  Ability to prepare and give presentations, and to comfortably interact with diverse audiences including donors, Board members, civic and education leaders and nonprofit and community groups.  Bi- or multilingual competency and ability to build trust with people from different backgrounds desired.

Technology Skills: Internet competency and strong computer proficiency, including mastery of the Microsoft Office software suite and a familiarity with database software, is required.  Working knowledge of Blackbaud software a plus, with a willingness and ability to learn appropriate database, spreadsheet and other computer programs.

Project Management Skills: Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.  Ability to lead and manage projects, prioritize work effectively and adjust to multiple demands, with consistent attention to timelines.

Team Work & General Skills: Ability to work well independently and as a team member.  Ability to take initiative, and follow tasks through to completion.  Ability to lead a team toward CCF’s goals, leveraging each team member’s skill set.

Compensation:This is a full-time, exempt position. Salary is dependent on experience and qualifications. A generous benefit package is provided to all full-time staff, including medical, dental, vision, LTD, life, FSAs and retirement benefits.