Grant and Evaluation Coordinator

The mission of the Harris Theater is to be Chicago’s primary residence for music and dance, connecting diverse audiences with outstanding artists from across the city, the nation, and the world.

The Grant and Evaluation Coordinator is a full-time position, reporting to the Director of Development and collaborating with the entire External Affairs team to secure the support of foundation and government funders of the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, and to centralize and analyze programmatic data related to the execution of the Theater’s multi-faceted mission.

Primary responsibilities include coordinating the full grants portfolio, overseeing grant application and reporting deadlines, assessing eligibility for new sources of funding, and completing the grant submission processes, including the composition, packaging, presentation, and follow-up for each request. Successful candidates will work well both independently and as part of a team, possess excellent time management skills, customer service orientation, and a thorough attention to detail.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Uphold the Harris Theater’s mission to be a home for music and dance, and embody values of inclusion, accessibility, collaboration, and artistic excellence

Grant Management:

• Manage grant and sponsorship application, submission, and reporting calendars; coordinate and communicate deadlines with Director of Development to ensure all deadlines are met
• As lead writer, prepare grant proposals, solicitations, letters of intent, and reports
• Support Corporate and Foundation Relations Associate in generating timely and personalized acknowledgment letters for all institutional funders; includes tax receipts and high-level thank you letters from executive staff and board chairman
• In collaboration with Corporate and Foundation Relations Associate, work to identify and research new foundation funding sources, including application recommendations and timelines
• Coordinate fulfillment of institutional grant agreements with donors and staff, ensuring proper recognition, fund allocation, and program metrics are met
• In collaboration with the Finance team, provide budget projections and actual financial results for funders and other development communications; aid the Finance team during the annual compilation of the Theater’s Form 990 and audit

Program Evaluation:

• Work with Operations, Production, Community Engagement, and Finance departments to gather pertinent grant information including budgets, program descriptions, and documentation
• Centralize and maintain historical and evolving data related to all areas of the Theater’s mission; includes audience demographics, performance attendance data, financial information, community engagement initiatives, theater rental activity, and resident company participation
• Conduct audience and program participant surveys to measure impact of programming
• Make program and reporting recommendations to Director of Development and Director of Marketing and Audience Engagement based on trends and findings

Department Support:

• Maintain partner organization memberships in TRG Arts, Arts Alliance of Illinois, Data Arts, and others, monitoring renewal schedules and recommending best use of memberships for the organization
• Coordinate formal foundation site visits and attend external visits with grantmakers as necessary
• Draft other communications for the External Affairs team, including language for the Theater’s Annual Report and program books
• Represent the Harris Theater at external events in the non-profit arts and cultural community
• Provide operational staffing support during subscriber and donor special events

Experience Requirements:

• 2+ years of experience in grant writing, arts administration, or development is preferred
• High-level organizational skills with attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication capability
• Ability to be self-directed and work independently in a fast-paced work environment
• Capacity to effectively prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously
• Experience with Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel; experience using Tessitura preferred

Instructions to Apply:

To apply, please submit resume and cover letter to support@harristheaterchicago.org.