Program Assistant-Education
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
The C. S. Mott Foundation has an opening for a Program Assistant to advance its efforts to strengthen learning beyond the classroom opportunities for youth in the U.S. This work is part of the Improving Community Education area of the Foundation’s Pathways Out of Poverty program. This program area seeks to sustain quality afterschool initiatives that complement the school day and support developmentally appropriate outcomes, especially for traditionally underserved children and youth and their families. This grantmaking strategy adheres to Mott’s community education legacy by striving to improve the well-being of present-day communities.
Responsibilities
Responsibilities include assisting a Program Officer to: implement funding strategies; research relevant issues and potential grantees; recommend grants to Foundation management totaling approximately $9 million annually; monitor the progress of grantees; contribute to the Pathways Out of Poverty team’s presentations to the Foundation’s management and Board of Trustees; and contribute as needed in the fields of afterschool programming, education reform, and youth development. Under the supervision of the Program Officer, the Program Assistant is responsible for obtaining and analyzing information relevant to grantmaking; assisting in writing team documents; responding to internal and external requests for information about the Foundation’s grantmaking interests; undertaking routine grant processing functions; and aiding in planning and coordinating meetings, including related travel.
Background information
The Foundation’s grantmaking in support of afterschool is based on the premise that opportunities for children and youth to learn beyond the classroom can provide crucial academic support and promote participation in challenging and stimulating activities and experiences. This perspective grows out of the Foundation’s longstanding commitment to community/school partnerships. The Foundation is engaged in a private/public partnership with the U.S. Department of Education on the 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative, and other major initiatives, to provide quality afterschool programming in thousands of schools across the country. To enhance the quality and sustainability of such programs, Mott funding is directed at field-building activities, including support for training, technical assistance, research, evaluation, policy development, and building public will. The Foundation seeks to: increase national attention to the need for expanded learning opportunities; identify and disseminate promising practices; promote sustainable structures for supporting and advancing afterschool at the state level; and build public will for community/school partnerships.
Candidates for this position should have at least a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (graduate work is desirable but not required); up to two years of work experience in a relevant field; and a demonstrated commitment to issues of poverty, education reform, and a strong interest in public policy. This position requires excellent writing skills, solid critical thinking, strong interpersonal communication skills, and careful attention to detail. The ability to work well as a member of a team is essential.
To apply for this position
To apply for this position, please submit a cover letter, resume, references, and two writing samples by December 9, 2009. (After this date, please contact us to inquire whether additional applicants will be considered.) Applications and inquiries should be directed to:
Human Resources
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
503 South Saginaw Street, Suite 1200
Flint, MI 48502
or e-mail: hr@mott.org
About the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, established in 1926 in Flint, Michigan, by an automotive pioneer, is a private philanthropy committed to supporting projects that promote a just, equitable, and sustainable society. It supports nonprofit programs throughout the U.S. and, on a limited geographic basis, internationally. Grantmaking is focused in four program areas: Civil Society, Environment, Flint Area, and Pathways Out of Poverty. Besides Flint, offices are located in metropolitan Detroit, Johannesburg (South Africa), and London. The Foundation, with year-end assets of approximately $1.9 billion, made 558 grants totaling $110.4 million in 2008.