Program Associate, Chicago Grants & Initiatives

The Terra Foundation for American Art is searching for a Program Associate who will support the foundation’s Chicago Grants and Initiatives Program as well as other program areas, which could include our work with Indigenous partners and contemporary artists.

The associate will contribute to the foundation’s overall goals toward advancing its mission. At the core of this mission is a commitment to work in partnership with organizations and individuals locally and globally to foster intercultural dialogues and encourage transformative practices to expand narratives of American art.

The Program Associate will work closely with the foundation’s Program Director for Chicago Grants and Initiatives as well as with staff in the areas of Grants Management, Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships, and Communications. Core responsibilities of the position include coordinating and participating in the grant-review process; producing written materials; tracking grants in process; partner relations; meeting and event planning; maintaining records and evaluative data; and helping to realize the foundation’s mission, vision, and values.

Who should apply? You should apply if you:

• Demonstrate strong written and verbal English language skills and the ability to synthesize and summarize information in writing and verbally.

• Can perform detail-oriented work independently, with supervision, and as part of a team.

• Possess organizational skills and the ability to juggle details with care and precision.

• Have strong time-management skills and the ability to complete activities accurately and on deadline.

• Are comfortable working collaboratively both internally and externally.

• Are skilled at partner relations and interested in working with grantees and other external partners to address their questions and needs.

• Are proficient at Microsoft Office suite and Google suite and are willing to learn other software programs (training will be provided for Blackbaud Grantmaking).

• Are familiar with reading and producing budgets.

• Have experience organizing and coordinating meetings and events (in-person and virtual).

• Are Chicago-based or willing to relocate to the Chicago area.

• Are comfortable with quickly changing priorities.

What will the Program Associate do?

• Participates in strategic discussions to further define the Chicago grant program.

• Participates in tracking and assessing grant applications and coordinates the proposal-review process—preparing and distributing materials for internal and external reviewers, scheduling meetings and taking minutes, tabulating assessment data, and processing reviewer agreement letters and payments.

• Collaborates on the development of grant-application, assessment, and report forms.

• Serves as a key point of contact for grant applicants and grantees—primarily groups affiliated with the visual arts--responding to issues or queries and following up to request information.

• Writes summaries of grant proposals aligned to the foundation’s mission for meetings and communications and generates grant agreements in consultation with Program Director and others.

• Conducts site visits to observe grantee programs/projects for evaluative purposes.

• Tracks grantees’ fulfillment of reporting and other requirements, communicates with grantees about deadlines and requirements and updates grant records.

• Supports continuous improvement in grants-management procedures and works with the Grants Management team to ensure data integrity.

• Generates reports, analyses, and data visualizations on grants and grant programs and maintains grant files and evaluative data.

• Schedules and coordinates meetings and events logistics, interfacing with meeting participants, presenters, and vendors; and tracking attendance.

• Receives and processes invoices and creates and maintains budget spreadsheets to track expenditures.

• Works with the Communications Team to generate e-communications about the grant program and provides grants information and story ideas for the foundation’s communications channels.

• Other duties as assigned.

What is the term, time commitment, and compensation?

Reporting to the Program Director for Chicago Grants and Initiatives, the position will be a full-time (35 hours a week) role with a salary range of $53,000 to $59,000 commensurate with experience, including benefits (health care, dental and vision coverage, 403(b) savings plans, 3 weeks’ vacation, paid sick time, and more). The Terra Foundation is currently operating on a hybrid in-office/remote work model.

To apply:

Submit resume/CV and letter of interest to hrdept@terraamericanart.org. The deadline to apply is October 5, 2023.

About the Terra Foundation for American Art

The Terra Foundation for American Art, established in 1978 and having offices in Chicago and Paris, supports organizations and individuals locally and globally with the aim of fostering intercultural dialogues and encouraging transformative practices that expand narratives of American art, through the foundation’s grant program, collection, and initiatives. Learn more about the foundation.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion

The Terra Foundation for American Art is committed to strengthening diversity, equity, access, and inclusion across all aspects of its work, including board engagement, workplace culture, programs and grantmaking, and community and institutional partnerships. We seek to transform and expand how the story of American art is told—through the histories represented, artists and voices included, interpretive perspectives employed, methods of collaboration used, audiences engaged, and intercultural dialogues convened. We encourage applications from candidates who may contribute diverse perspectives to the foundation and help to advance its mission.