Summary
Description
POSITION
Grantmaking & Program Manager (full-time, exempt)
WHO ARE WE?
Denver Public Schools Foundation believes our city is strengthened by every student who graduates ready to lead a successful life. As the strategic fundraising partner to DPS, we work alongside district leaders and educators to advocate for the highest impact investments and galvanize the philanthropic and community support necessary to ensure Every Child Succeeds. We strive to live by our Core Values and see them as a commitment to ourselves, to DPS, and to the students and families we have promised to serve. For additional information about our organization, please visit www.dpsfoundation.org.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Operations and Management
- Lead a monthly Student Advisory Group to support our student grantmaking and programming
- Strengthen partnerships with community organizations to assist families in navigating the My Spark application process.
- Work closely with the Impact Engagement Director and the Development Team to coordinate corporate volunteer opportunities including, but not limited to, service days and supply drives to benefit individual schools, the DPS Foundation School Partnership Program (SPP)
- Keep DPS Foundation grantmaking and program applications running smoothly, as well as assist in planning and executing evaluations, follow-up reporting, and awards
- Manage family communications, support resources, and program status for My Spark and oversee fund disbursement to families, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and alignment with financial policies.
- Collaborate with DPS Foundation financial team and DPS financial team to process and reconcile distributed funds efficiently.
- Monitor fund utilization trends and adjust outreach efforts to maximize participation and accessibility in DPS Foundation grantmaking and programs
Strategic Planning and Sustainability
- Partner with the Development Department to provide needs and align on goals, mission, and impact and to work with corporate partners/volunteers to directly connect to classrooms throughout DPS
- Collaborate with Gary Community Ventures, DPS, the City of Denver, and community stakeholders to ensure full transparency in planning, execution and reporting of DPS Foundation grantmaking and programs
Stakeholder Engagement
- Provide support, training, and resources to DPS central office and school staff to foster awareness and understanding of DPS Foundation grantmaking and programs
- Coordinate interpretation services for events to ensure inclusivity and accessibility for all families.
- Work with the Impact Engagement Director to provide training and informational opportunities for students, staff, and families of DPS
- Help provide updates and presentations for DPS Foundation staff and board of directors
Community Outreach and Communications
- Plan and execute outreach events within DPS and community events to promote DPS Foundation, our grantmaking and programs, and to support student, educator, and family engagement.
- Coordinate and attend grantmaking and programmatic award activities
- Collect and curate stories, photos, videos, and testimonials from educators, students, and families for the Communications Department
Technical Expertise and Proficiencies (preferred, but not required):
- Grant Management Software: Experience with tools like Foundant to manage applications, award letters, and follow-up reporting
- Data Management and Reporting: Familiarity with data collection, analysis, and reporting platforms to support metrics, assess impact, and inform decision-making.
- Project Management Experience
WHY WOULD YOU CHOOSE US?
We have a supportive work environment and strive to put our Core Values at the forefront of what we do. We value each team member and are excited to hear different perspectives and ideas. We offer a competitive salary range of $64,000 – $68,000 commensurate with experience and qualifications. We offer a generous benefits package including unlimited paid time off (PTO), paid holidays, 100% paid health, dental, vision, life, and short-term disability insurances, parking, and a fully-vested matching contribution to a 401(k) retirement plan after meeting eligibility requirements.
WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
- Bilingual English/Spanish
- Must have experience with volunteer management and/or community engagement
- A curious, intuitive, and persistent mindset who takes initiative and has incredible follow-through
- Ability to prioritize effectively and ability to organize and manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously from conception to execution
- Relationship building experience; enjoys connecting authentically with stakeholders and wants to nurture those relationships long-term
- Experience using Microsoft Office Suite and Google platform to accomplish daily tasks, projects, and meetings as well as ability to operate typical office equipment
- A high level of professionalism, integrity/ethics, and confidentiality
- Passion for breaking patterns of historic inequalities in education by creating opportunities through philanthropy for our most vulnerable students
- Occasional weekend and evening hours during events, as needed. This role will be required to be in-person for meetings, school visits, and tabling/outreach events.
HOW TO APPLY TO JOIN THE TEAM
Please send a resume and cover letter telling us about you, why this job would be a good fit for you, and specifically any experience you have in community/school outreach to jobs@dpsfoundation.org. To ensure your submission is considered, please include Grantmaking & Program Manager in the subject line. No telephone inquiries, please. Position will be open until filled. DPS Foundation encourages all qualified candidates to apply.
At the Denver Public Schools Foundation, we recognize that systemic barriers often deter qualified candidates, particularly women and BIPOC individuals, from applying if they don't meet every listed qualification. We want to assure all potential applicants that we value diverse perspectives and experiences, and we actively encourage candidates from underrepresented backgrounds to apply. Your unique skills, perspectives, and lived experiences are assets that enrich our organization and contribute to our mission of equity in education. Don't hesitate to apply, even if you don't meet every requirement listed. Your application will be considered with care and attention to the value you bring to our team.
COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING
In alignment with our Core Values, DPS Foundation is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Our human capital is the most valuable asset we have. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self- expression, unique capabilities, and talent our team members invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and organization’s achievement as well. We embrace and encourage differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make individuals unique. DPS Foundation encourages all qualified candidates to apply. All employment is decided on the basis of job related factors such as qualifications, merit, and business need.
