Program Officer

Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; Morristown (NJ); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation seeks a Program Officer to shape and oversee critical Foundation relationships, with a broad view of trends in focus areas and effective stewardship of resources.

The PO will highlight strategies on the ground with grantees and partners, serving as a catalyst and connector. Joining during a transformational moment, the PO will help reimagine grantmaking, partnerships, and internal operations to center racial equity and justice, working closely with a

Job description

The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation is an organization in transformation. Five years ago, the Foundation set a course to achieve our vision of a more equitable New Jersey. Given the devastating events of the last two years, we have accelerated this commitment and further refined our vision and strategic direction to center racial equity and justice, where people of all races and communities have equal access to opportunities and can thrive and achieve their full potential.

The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation has a long history of resourcing efforts to promote the well- being of people across New Jersey. In our grantmaking, the Foundation prioritizes networks, movements, organizations, and leaders closest to the harms of and solutions to inequity and injustice, with a focus on those who have been historically excluded from investment and opportunity. In doing so, we are moving critical resources to changemakers, communities, and movements in ways that enable them to accelerate, deepen, and advance their work on their own terms.

Our board and staff are energized by our new resourcing strategies that address the root causes–and repair–of structural racism and inequity in New Jersey and that center communities of color.

• In 2021, we launched the first round of Imagine a New Way grants to organizations advocating for just systems and tackling barriers to equity in New Jersey.
• In January 2022, we introduced our inaugural Momentum Fund cohort—ten organizations selected by a panel of community leaders employing diverse strategies to address root causes of structural racism across the state.

For more information on Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, please visit the

organization’s website: https://grdodge.org. The Strategic Direction and President’s Messages include additional details about the Foundation’s transformation.

ABOUT THE POSITION

Reporting to the Vice President of Programs, the Program Officer (PO) shapes and oversees

critical Foundation relationships, has a broad view of trends or patterns in the Foundation’s key focus areas, and ensures effective stewardship of Foundation resources. The PO is instrumental in highlighting and understanding key strategies that are being employed on the ground by grantees and strategic partners, serving as a catalyst and connector. A successful PO will have a keen ability to discern and hone in on critical partnerships, initiatives, and grants that advance the Foundation’s mission. The PO engages in issues exploration; and fosters relationships across grantees and funding and community partners. The position also works collaboratively with Foundation team members and contributes to maintaining an efficient, smooth-running grants process.

The Program Officer will be joining the Foundation at an exciting moment in our transformation as we reimagine both what we fund and how we engage. This is a “build moment” for the Foundation. We are working to transform our grantmaking, partnerships, and internal operations to center racial equity and justice and ensure that these values and capabilities are central to all that we are and all that we do. The Program team works in a highly collaborative manner to identify and develop funding recommendations that advance racial equity and justice in New Jersey.