Program Officer- Grants Innovation

CRIF seeks a dynamic, flexible and collaborative Program Officer- Grants Innovation (PO-Grants), comfortable working remotely for a startup organization.  The Program Officer- Grants Innovation (PO-Grants) will work with the Executive Director and the staff to oversee CRIF’s three (3) experimental grantmaking portfolios: (1) decolonize!; (2) Seeking Safety; and the Second Chance Fund in alignment with CRIF’s mission, purpose, and values.  

About CRIF

The Children’s Rights Innovation Fund supports efforts to reinvigorate and transform the global children’s rights field by putting justice at the center.  As a dynamic funder learning community, we promote learning, innovation, and collaboration to address the deepest root causes of children’s vulnerability and well-being—and drive new investments in the power of youth activists, movements, and their allies. Together we will expand our collective imagination, experiment with new possibilities, and share what we are learning, all in service of a more just world for every child.

Beginning with a focus on racism, anti-Blackness, colonialism, and neo-colonialism, CRIF will grow and expand in collaboration with our partners to address additional root causes, including deep-seated adultism, that prevent millions of the most marginalized children from realizing their rights all around the world.

In a global moment that demands new courage and action, CRIF is an open invitation for funders to listen deeply to youth activists and allies, invest in their leadership and power, and deliver new resources and momentum toward lasting, systemic change.

Read more: “Children’s Rights Work Often Fails to Address Racism and other Root Causes. A New Fund Aims to Change That.”

About the Ideal Candidate

The PO-Grants will have a passion for CRIF’s mission and be excited by the prospect of creatively moving more and better funding to child and youth movements globally.  They will have a demonstrated ability to design and execute participatory grantmaking strategies with child and youth activists, to perform movement-oriented due diligence,  and to ensure strong relationships among grantee partners and the children’s rights sector.  They will also have in-depth knowledge of  youth movements and a commitment to advance youth-driven solutions to the challenges they face.  The PO-Grants is a pivotal member of the CRIF team, contributing to idea generation, strategic thinking, and collaborative team dynamics.

Responsibilities

Design and lead participatory strategy-development and grantmaking processes with child and youth activists globally Supports a diverse portfolio grantee partners and continue to develop evaluate and refine strategies in collaboration with the Executive Director Engage with child and youth activists on all aspects of the grantmaking process, including the development of proposals ensuring its accessibility and relatability Convene participatory grantmaking panels of child and youth activists for each of CRIF’s grantmaking innovations Co-design a grant reporting structure with youth participating grantmaking bodies  Conducts regional site visits  Collaborate with the Program Officer- Constituency & Advocacy to support convening and networking among child and youth activists Tracks grantee partners activities to share trends and learnings from their work Attends events and programs related to children and youth movements, philanthropy, participatory grantmaking Stays abreast of current developments in the field Identify funding opportunities for grantee partners and advocate for additional funding where applicable Nurturing and strengthening collaborative, supportive relationships with peer organizations and sector leaders facilitating connections and partnerships globally Maintain current records within the CRIF’s database Help ensure compliance with grantmaking standards and legal requirements Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

B.A./B.S. with at least three years’ experience working in communications capacity in philanthropy, feminist social movement, youth development  or children’s rights spaces  Solid knowledge of participatory grantmaking and youth work Strong strategic and analytical skills and creative problem-solving ability Experience in communications for nonprofit and/or philanthropic organizations preferred   Strong proficiency with design and layout software platforms and high degree of comfort with applications, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, MailChimp, G-Suite,  Asana, Trello and databases Exceptional written and verbal communication, and skilled in translating complicated topics into accessible, compelling, story-driven narratives Experience working and collaborating with youth, and a shared commitment to their leadership Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills and keen attention to detail Demonstrated understanding of how race, ethnicity, gender expression, sexuality, and age shape experiences with power and access to opportunity Demonstrated ability to be a productive in a remote environment, work through ambiguity, and to contribute positively to an evolving work culture 

Work Environment

This is a remote position. 

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Physical demands include continual sitting, typing, and repetitive computer use for 8 hours a day. Also, requires frequently communicating with others including hearing and speaking clearly with individuals and groups.

Benefits

Tides Center acts as the fiscal sponsor of The Children’s Rights Innovation Fund and all employees are legally employees of Tides Center. 

Tides offers a competitive benefits package. A sample of these benefits includes:

12 paid holidays per year. Employees accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and 2 weeks of paid sick leave each year. Comprehensive medical, dental and vision insurance coverage. This includes two medical plans, one of which is employer-funded and includes a health savings account with monthly employer contributions. 401K plan with up to 5% match and immediate vesting. Life insurance coverage at 2x salary.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Tides is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from women, people of color, and bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical condition including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related conditions. Also pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we encourage, and will consider for employment, qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.  

Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application. 

To Apply

Email  a resume and cover letter with the subject line  “CRIF PO-Grants Innovation” to connect@crifund.org by June 10, 2022 (position will remain open until filled).