Program Officer - Postsecondary Success

Crown Family Philanthropies; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Crown Family Philanthropies in Chicago is seeking a Program Officer, Postsecondary Success to lead the Chi-Rise initiative within CFP’s Education Portfolio, focusing on improving access, persistence, and attainment for historically underrepresented students.

The role will collaborate with Chicago Public Schools, nonprofit partners and a network of advisors to advance the Fit & Match, Finance and Finish elements, and will report to the Director of Education.

Qualifications

• Experience in postsecondary education access, affordability, and success work.
• Ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders across nonprofits, schools and advisors.

Responsibilities

• Focus on the Finance and Finish work of the Chi-Rise program as outlined.
• Work closely with the Director of Education, staff and trustees to execute the initiative.

Job description

Crown Family Philanthropies (“CFP” or the “Foundation”) is the philanthropic division of Henry Crown and Company and supports the Crown Family’s philanthropic and grantmaking endeavors. In 2009, after more than 60 years of family grantmaking under the name Arie and Ida Crown Memorial, CFP was developed to represent an array of family grantmaking practices. Today the legacy of Arie and Ida Crown lives on in the work continued by their descendants, who remain dedicated to the Jewish tradition of tikun olam, or “repairing the world.” Supported by a professional staff of experts, CFP is led by more than 50 family members across multiple generations who come together to set strategy and make grantmaking decisions.

ABOUT THE POSITION

Crown Family Philanthropies (CFP or the Foundation) seeks a Program Officer, Postsecondary Success as part of its Chi-Rise team. Chi-Rise is a postsecondary success initiative within CFP’s Education Portfolio. Chi-Rise was established in 2020 to improve postsecondary access, persistence, and attainment rates for historically underrepresented students in Chicago. Since its inception, Chi-Rise has led a partner-driven strategy toward that goal, through deep relationships with Chicago Public Schools, non-profit organizations that specialize in college preparation and in-college support, and a robust network of advisors on research, evaluation, operations, and scholarship administration. Together, these partnerships allow Chi-Rise to offer a continuum of support that starts in high school and extends to college graduation. This approach includes three interconnected and mutually reinforcing efforts: Fit & Match, Finance, and Finish. Chi-Rise partners with five neighborhood CPS high schools on the city’s south and west sides and invests in their capacity to improve the fit, match and affordability of the postsecondary options that students are exploring and ultimately selecting. The Chi-Rise Scholarship then helps college-bound students finance their college experiences and overcome financial obstacles on their postsecondary paths. Chi-Rise Scholarship recipients also receive the support of experienced and proven postsecondary persistence programming through partner organizations.

The new Program Officer position will report to the Director of Education and work closely with other staff and trustees to execute the Chi-Rise initiative. This position will be focusing on the Finance and Finish work of the program outlined above. The ideal candidate will have deep experience in postsecondary education access, affordability, and success work, and be experienced with organizing complex programs with diverse stakeholders. Moreover, successful candidates will be self-directed and possess intellectual curiosity with a demonstrated ability to collaborate with stakeholders with integrity, forthrightness and genuineness.