Program Partner, Movement & Coalition Building

ABOUT THE FOUNDATION: 

The Couch Family Foundation’s (The Foundation) mission is to be a catalyst for change in the lives of children and their families by creating quality and equitable opportunities to help them learn, thrive, and lead healthy, fulfilling lives. We achieve this mission by partnering with organizations that work to improve children’s health and well-being, early learning and development, family resiliency, and community vibrancy. The Foundation’s work is guided by engaged Trustees who bring genuine curiosity, audacious ambitions, and deep caring to its work. 

The Couch Family Foundation makes grants serving two strategic priorities: 1) building and scaling of high-quality early care and education (ECE) systems in New Hampshire state-wide and 2) enhancing the well-being of children, families, and communities in the Upper Valley in New Hampshire and Vermont and Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. In 2023, over $6.5 million was invested in strategic and community partners to fulfill the mission. 

Grounding the work is a commitment to six principles:

1. Commit to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of the work
2. Treat grantees as valued partners and those they serve with dignity and respect
3. Collaborate with community partners to create sustainable and positive change
4. Build statewide awareness and support for more effective and equitable public policy
5. Encourage creative thinking and risk-taking to foster innovation
6. Use research and community engagement to inform the work

For the state-wide ECE system-building priority, the Foundation’s goal is to ensure all children from birth to age 5 in New Hampshire, with a focus on families with low-income and communities of color, have access to high-quality, affordable early care and education within an equitable system that: 

• continuously improves to meet families’ needs 
• creates the developmental foundation for long-term social, health, and academic success
• contributes to closing racial and opportunity gaps overtime

In this work, the Foundation supports collaboration with public and private partners to build statewide capacity in New Hampshire for leadership, advocacy, and effective public policies that support strong ECE systems. Specific strategies include:

• Enhancing advocacy and grassroots organizing to build coalitions focused on collaboratively shaping equitable policies to increase access to and the quality of ECE opportunities for the youngest Granite Staters
• Bolstering strong, coordinated local, regional, and state systems to equip ECE programs and providers across settings with the resources and tools required to promote children’s learning and development and support a well-prepared and compensated ECE workforce
• Strengthening administrative leadership and capacity to shape effective, data-driven, cohesive, equitable ECE policies at local, regional, and/or state levels
• Advancing research and innovation to further explore what works (or not) in how to build and scale equitable, high-quality ECE programs and systems

The Foundation also prioritizes supporting local nonprofit, direct-service organizations ensuring child and family well-being and promoting healthy communities in the Upper Valley and Martha’s Vineyard, communities in which the Trustees have cherished connections. The aim is to strengthen organizational capacity and services to:

• Enhance early childhood by supporting early learning and development, health and mental health, and family support services to promote the well-being of young children and their families
• Nurture vibrant communities by fulfilling a significant community need, addressing an emerging issue, or promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion

For more information on the Couch Family Foundation, please visit here. 

Location: This position is New Hampshire based with ability to travel throughout the state, and proximity to the Hanover, NH office; Flexibility for candidates in contiguous states may be possible. 

POSITION SUMMARY: 

The Program Partner, Movement & Coalition-Building, is a critical full-time position reporting to the Executive Director. This role holds responsibility for the identification, design, management, and evaluation of grant opportunities within a portfolio within the Foundation. The Program Partner actively contributes to the development of program strategy, cultivates positive relationships with community stakeholders and grantees, oversees grantmaking processes, offers technical assistance to applicants and grantees, assesses the impact of grants and programs, utilizes a data-informed approach to refine program and grant strategies, and identifies emerging needs and issues within the field.

The position will lead the Foundation’s advocacy and grassroots organizing efforts to amplify and fortify efforts to advance early care and education policy in New Hampshire. The work centers on shaping and implementing a grantmaking strategy to build individual organizational power and form coalitions to support movements for transformational systems change. The aim is to build a strong ecosystem of advocates and community organizers advancing early care and education policy in New Hampshire. In both advocacy and organizing efforts, a primary objective is to elevate voices and perspectives of communities of color, families with low-income, and members of the early care and education workforce. The Program Partner will primarily focus on the Foundation’s state-wide early care and education strategy, and, where aligned, provide support to initiatives within the cherished communities priority to enhance child well-being. 

CANDIDATE PROFILE: 

The Foundation is seeking a dynamic, collaborative, and strategic individual with experience in coalition and capacity building for advocacy and grassroots organizations. Candidates should demonstrate the ability to thrive in a mission-driven environment that promotes continuous learning. This entails skillful management of complex issues and effective problem solving, while maintaining a results-oriented and collaborative mindset. While the ideal candidate will be able to fulfill the position responsibilities, meet the requisite qualifications, and possess the desired characteristics, we invite you to express interest even if you do not meet all the criteria. 

Responsibilities:

General & Cross-Cutting:

• Incorporate diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in all aspects of the work
• Create grantee relationships based on respect and dignity grounded as collaborative partners 
• Collaborate with community partners to foster sustainable and positive change
• Build state-wide awareness and support for effective and equitable public policy
• Encourage creative-thinking and risk-taking to foster innovation
• Utilize research, data, and community engagement to inform the work

Grantmaking Strategy & Process:  

• Formulate and execute program strategy and objectives for the advocacy and organizing grant portfolio and assess grant initiatives and impact, aligned with Foundation’s strategic framework
• Develop grant recommendations that adhere to the Foundation’s mission, programmatic priorities, and strategies. Conduct programmatic and financial due diligence to determine organizational strength and effectiveness
• Collaborate with potential applicants to develop grant proposals,  co-designing rationale, purpose, activities, and outcomes, including development of  place-based grantmaking strategies
• Conduct landscape analyses and synthesize perspectives to understand relevant federal, local, and state contexts influencing the work 
• Assess grantee and programmatic performance through grantee communications, reporting, and site visits; develop methods to measure and demonstrate the potential impact of the Foundation’s work overtime

Partner Engagement & Development

• Cultivate, facilitate, and harness positive relationships and partnerships with grantees to promote collaboration and maximize impact 
• Collaborate with other funders and engage diverse external stakeholders that enhance Couch Family Foundation strategies to maximize systems change
• Support grantee partners with resources including connections to communities of practice, technical assistance, and non-financial resources
• Prioritize support and collaboration with advocacy and grassroots organizations rooted in the experience of impacted communities
• Clearly and consistently communicate with grant applicants, recipients, and other partners in a transparent, timely, and respectful manner

Organizational Leadership

• Prepare various Board materials, such as grant recommendations, dockets, write-ups, up-dates, and report summaries, and present them to the Board
• Manage the online grants process, including application guidance, grant evaluation funding recommendations, and reports
• Help organize and manage the program’s convening, research, and knowledge exchange activities internally and externally
• Serve as thought partner as part of Foundation team and leverage work across grant strategies in collaboration with Foundation colleagues 
• Assist in projects or efforts related to CFF’s strategic communications to promote the Foundation and its work
• Represent Couch Family Foundation publicly, sharing program approaches and grant making outcomes, and serve as an active participant and thought leader in the field

Qualifications & Desired Characteristics: 

In addition, strong candidates will offer: 

• At least 5 years of specific experience in advocacy and/or grassroots organizing; experience in early care and education is also preferred; experience in philanthropy is a plus
• Deep knowledge of advocacy and grassroots organizing geared towards policy systems change, including understanding systems and processes in legislative and/or administrative bodies
• Solid knowledge of early care and education is preferred; knowledge of grantmaking is a plus
• Demonstrated record of establishing, building, and nurturing relationships with and across advocates, organizers, policymakers, and stakeholder partners to support movement and coalition-building in networks and communities leading to policy and practice change
• Experience convening and collaborating with stakeholders through vision and strategy development and campaign execution grounded in consensus-based decision making
• Track record of navigating power dynamics across stakeholders while maintaining a collaborative approach responsive to diverse perspectives, cultures, and lived experiences
• Demonstrated commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice 
• High-level of emotional intelligence (self-awareness, empathy, and transparent communication)
• Excellent facilitation and relationship management skills and ability to engender trust with colleagues, grantees, and community partners
• Able to work independently and as part of a team