MBDF - Program Associate

Employment Status: Full time

BACKGROUND

The foundation was established in 1956 by Mary Lillian Duke Biddle, a member of Duke University’s founding family. MDBF is a family foundation with a goal to help people in the Triangle live better lives and realize their potential through arts and education. We support our nonprofit partners to build and develop their effectiveness, pursue innovation, and launch initiatives.

The foundation continues Mrs. Biddle’s practice of actively engaging members of the community to serve as trustees. Capped at a maximum of seven trustees, the Board is comprised of three family and four non-family members. Current Trustees live in Denver, New York City, Charlotte, Durham, and Chapel Hill. The current staff consists of an Executive Director and an Executive Assistant. The physical office is in Durham, NC.

Mrs. Biddle directed that at least one-half of the foundation’s grants be made to Duke University and identified three churches as institutions important to her. Otherwise, she was intentionally broad in her directions to future trustees on how and where to distribute grants. MDBF focuses its non-Duke grantmaking on pre-K-12 education and the Arts, supporting nonprofits in Chatham, Durham, Orange, and Wake Counties. In addition to these core focus areas, the foundation may respond to needs in the community, as it did when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. In 2022, the foundation’s total grant budget was $1.7 million.

With the Board’s approval of a new grantmaking and relationship framework in December 2022, MDBF now seeks its first full-time Program Associate. This framework emphasizes building relationships among nonprofits and MDBF trustees and staff. The Program Associate will be an integral part of building out the implementation plan, including application and due diligence processes.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation seeks a Program Associate who will work closely with the Executive Director, the Executive Assistant, and the Board of Trustees on foundation strategy and program implementation, and all phases of grantmaking. The position is full-time, based in Durham, NC, and reports to the Foundation’s Executive Director.

Our nimble, integrated team members also wear many hats in contributing to MDBF’s overall strategies, activities, and necessary work. To this end, we are looking for a strong generalist in terms of administrative and logistical support skills.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Operational Support:

  • Manage and oversee the grant application and reporting process , ensuring consistency in our engagement with nonprofits and involving the Executive Director as and where needed

  • Manage the grant management database, including creating application forms and email templates, pulling reports, and generally keeping it current; provide guidance on opportunities to leverage grant management database to better support the Foundation’s work

  • Manage and update the website and LinkedIn page

  • Assist with providing information for the annual audit and Form 990PF preparation

  • Assist Executive Director’s preparation for quarterly board meetings; attend quarterly board meetings

  • Prepare materials for the Allocation Committee’s consideration of applications, in partnership with the Executive Director

  • Support board committees in agenda planning, material preparation, and meeting logistics

  • Contribute to the day-to-day work of a small, collegial, mission-driven team

  • Co-craft, administer, and/or support relevant Foundation convenings and meetings

Grant-making Support

  • Work with and support the Executive Director in carrying out grantmaking strategy by:

    • Assisting with site visits to grantees through meeting preparation, attending and taking notes, and writing post-meeting reports

    • Assisting grantee identification through assessing applications and conducting due diligence, research, interviews, site visits, and review of budgets and financial information

    • Attending grantee events to inform MDBF’s understanding of their work

  • Work collaboratively with staff on implementing the grant framework, assessing impact, and incorporating knowledge gained from nonprofits into processes

External Relations

  • Demonstrated understanding of the nonprofit sector; previous grantmaking experience is  preferred

  • Strong people skills, including active listening, empathy, curiosity, relationship building, and communication

  • Self-motivated work style that includes being proactive, balancing multiple priorities, attention to detail and exceptional organizational and follow-through skills

  • The ability to work and be flexible in a team-based environment and manage the expected and the unexpected

  • Proficient with contemporary software (i.e., Office 365 applications, grant management software, data base management, internet tools and applications, and social media), to include ability to develop reports and graphs

  • Evidence of strong written communication skills

  • Strong administrative skills required and meeting logistics support skills are a plus

  • 5+ years professional experience and Bachelor’s degree required

Attributes

  • Ability to contribute to the flow of diverse ideas, and apply systems thinking, and collaborative learning approaches to the work;

  • Core values that align with openness, inclusion, and partnership;

  • Appreciation of the power dynamics that shape grantmaking relationships and a commitment to building trust, two-way accountability, and mutual respect with grantee organizations;

  • Flexibility to attend evening and weekend events is required;

  • Friendly, with a sense of humor, and eager to work with team members who respect each other and hold each other in warm regard.

COMPENSTATION

Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience. Targeted range is an annual salary of $70,000 – $80,000.

Excellent benefits, including a retirement plan with employer contribution, medical, vision and dental coverage, and generous vacation and sick leave. We support remote work schedules that include committed teamwork time in our Durham office.

TO APPLY

We are committed to cultivating a workplace in which diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, political ideology, or membership in any other legally protected class. We strongly encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds to apply.

Please submit a cover letter and resume to patti@elinvar.com. 

Applications will be considered as they are received and accepted until the position is filled. You are encouraged to apply promptly and no later than May 31, 2023.