Program Associate, Institutional Grants

Inside Philanthropy; Claymont (DE); Remote; USD 88,000 - 112,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

33 days annual leave

20 weeks paid parental leave

Professional development funding $2,0

Employer pension contribution up to 5%

Health benefits for US employees

Flexible working hours

Job summary

Tarbell Center is seeking a Program Associate for Institutional Grants to fund AI reporting capacity across a global newsroom landscape. You will evaluate opportunities, determine funding levels and grant types, and manage live grants while contributing to strategy and learning within a small team.

The role emphasizes careful reasoning, clear communication, and the ability to build relationships with editors and founders as Tarbell expands its AI journalism portfolio.

Qualifications

• Background in journalism or AI safety and governance.
• Grantmaking or research experience in other fields considered.
• Ability to reason carefully and communicate clearly.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate funding opportunities by assessing the team’s track record, budget and staffing; form a view on counterfactual funding.
• Identify important AI journalism projects and map coverage gaps and priority areas.
• Manage relationships with grantees after a grant is made: check-ins and renewal assessments.
• Contribute to strategy with evidence-based research on the media landscape.
• Develop a distinct specialization within six months (e.g., independent media or a geography).
• Collaborate with a small team to grow the program and take on related tasks as needed.

Skills

Grantmaking experience

Journalism background

AI safety & governance

Evaluation & analysis

Clear communication

Job description

The opportunity

We’re hiring a Program Associate for Institutional Grants, the program that funds newsrooms and journalists directly to build lasting AI reporting capacity. We launched it in 2026, and it is on track to become Tarbell’s largest program. Our vision is that it enables every major newsroom globally to have an expert AI team.

Most funders of AI reporting are either specialists in AI who fund journalism occasionally, or specialists in journalism who fund AI coverage occasionally. We want to be the funder that knows both, and the people making our grants are what make that possible.

We take a portfolio approach. Our grants range from $50,000 seed grants for founders developing a new outlet to multi-year grants of $1M+ to establish a whole AI desk, and cover investigative units, new verticals and formats, limited series, and grants that help existing journalism reach further. We fund both established newsrooms and independent media: newsletters, podcasts and video shows run by individual journalists or small teams. We expect some grants to have far more impact than others, and we want to learn quickly which ones.

Your core work is evaluation. When an outlet or a founder proposes a project, you’ll run the investigation that answers two questions: should we fund this, and at what level? You’ll help Tarbell distribute more than $10M by the end of 2027, and report to the Program Officer, Institutional Grants.

What you’ll do

• Evaluate funding opportunities. For each prospective grant you’ll assess the team’s track record and capacity to deliver, interrogate the budget and staffing plan, and form a view on the counterfactual: would this journalism happen anyway, and at this quality? You’ll recommend a funding level and grant type, not just a yes or no, and make the strongest case against your own recommendation.
• Active grantmaking. You’ll identify the most important AI journalism projects that need to exist, and make them happen. That means mapping where coverage falls short against our priority areas, scoping projects, and sourcing them through a mix of open calls, targeted calls on a single priority area, invited proposals from select outlets, and direct outreach to editors and founders.
• Manage live grants. You’ll own relationships with grantees after a grant is made: check-ins, problem‑solving when a project slips, and an honest assessment at renewal.
• Contribute to our strategy. You’ll help with research into the media landscape and take part in regular reviews of our priority areas, proposing changes backed by evidence.
• Develop a specialization. Within your first six months you’ll take ownership of a distinct patch, such as independent media or a particular geography.
• Grow with the program. There is a route to promotion to Program Officer for people who build real expertise and a strong portfolio.
• Help build Tarbell. As a small team, we all step in where we’re needed. You’ll occasionally take on work outside this description, and we’ll make sure it helps you grow.

In your first 6 months, success looks like:

• You’ve completed evaluations on at least three opportunities, with recommendations the team has acted on.
• You’ve mapped AI coverage and gaps in your patch and identified at least three outlets or journalists worth approaching.
• You’ve taken over check‑ins with a set of existing grantees.

Who we’re looking for

We’re most interested in people with a background in journalism or in AI safety and governance. We’ll also consider people with grantmaking or research experience in other fields. We care most about whether you reason carefully and can communicate clearly.

You’ll be a great fit if you:

• Have experience in journalism, or in AI safety and governance, and are keen to learn the other.
• Can weigh incomplete evidence and tell a case that is well argued from one that is merely well presented.
• Write clearly and concisely, and are honest about what you don’t know.
• Are comfortable building relationships with journalists and editors, including people more senior than you.
• Care about to support journalism that helps society navigate the development and deployment of advanced AI.

It’s a bonus if you:

• Have experience with grantmaking.

Compensation and benefits

• Starting salary per location, with your offer based on your experience:
  • US remote $88,000-99,000
  • Washington DC $93,000-103,000
  • New York City $96,000-107,000
  • San Francisco $100,000-112,000
  • UK remote £54,000-60,000
  • London £59,000-66,000
• 33 days of annual leave in total
• 20 weeks of paid parental leave
• $2,000 per year in professional development funding
• Up to 5% employer contribution towards a standard pension/401(k)
• For employees based in the US: Gold health, dental, and vision plans, with 95% of employee premiums paid for by Tarbell
• Flexible working hours; productive, collaborative offices in London

We allow remote work for candidates located in the US or UK. We prefer candidates based in London, Washington D.C. New York, or the San Francisco Bay Area. London‑based candidates will be expected to work from our office two days a week. As we open offices in other locations, the same expectation will apply there.

Please inquire with [e-mail] if questions or concerns regarding compensation or benefits might affect your decision to apply.

Our hiring process

Interested candidates should by November 15, 2026 at 11:59pm PT.

1. Application: under 30 minutes
2. Paid work test
3. Structured interview
4. Reference checks
5. Paid work trial: 1-2 days

We acknowledge every application and aim to get back to candidates within 10 business days of the application deadline. Our ideal start date is February 2027.

Tarbell is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate against qualified employees or applicants based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, sexual preference, marital status, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal or state law or local ordinance.

If you need an adjustment or accommodations to apply or interview, email and we’ll make it work.