About the Barr Foundation

The Barr Foundation’s mission is to invest in human, natural, and creative potential, serving as thoughtful stewards and catalysts. As stewards, Barr nurtures vital community assets. As catalysts, the Foundation advances breakthrough ideas to shape our collective future. We work in partnership with nonprofits, foundations, the public sector, and civic and business leaders to elevate the arts and creative expression, advance solutions for climate change, and connect all students to success in high school and beyond. Based in Boston, Barr focuses regionally and selectively engages nationally.    

Founded in 1997, Barr has grown to become one of the largest private foundations in New England and has contributed over $1.5 billion to charitable causes. With assets over $2.5 billion, Barr’s 2024 grantmaking budget is $130 million. We focus our grantmaking on arts and creativity, climate, and education – complemented by grants to strengthen New England’s social sector and targeted special initiatives. special initiatives.  

A set of core values defined by our founding trustees express our beliefs about what constitutes effective philanthropy and guide how the Barr Foundation carries out its mission. Barr is committed to strive for impact, act with humility, invest in leaders, take the long view, center racial equity, embrace risk, and demonstrate curiosity. These values also guide our hiring process and the workplace culture that we shape together. We aim to make Barr an inclusive workplace where all team members can bring their full and authentic selves and be supported to learn and grow. For more information about Barr, visit barrfoundation.org and follow us on LinkedIn.

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About the Climate Program

Since its inception, the Barr Foundation has prioritized the environment as a principal area of funding, and in 2010 focused its efforts on the monumental problem of climate change, through work on both mitigation and resilience. The Climate Program’s mitigation strategies focus on the two areas that produce the most greenhouse gas emissions: 1) how we generate and use energy across the Northeast (Clean Energy); and 2) how we move around in Massachusetts (Mobility). In addition, we acknowledge that even with concerted efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change, some of these impacts are inevitable. Our Climate Resilience strategy aims to increase the capacity of Massachusetts communities to prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change. We believe that while climate change is a global challenge, cities and states have become vital agents of change, and by focusing on these three areas, we can play an important role in helping to catalyze and advance equitable solutions.  

Across this work we seek to center racial equity. We do this by prioritizing communities that have suffered the most from the fossil fuel economy and focus on elevating the leadership of equity-centered climate organizations to grow their power and shape the climate field. Learn more about our work on racial equity here: Climate Program racial equity work.

The Climate team is comprised of a Program Director, three Senior Program Officers, one Program Officer, one Program Manager and this open Program Associate position. This position reports to a senior program officer.  

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About the Program Associate Position

The Barr Foundation is seeking a full-time program associate to provide programmatic and administrative support to the Climate team. The Climate team collectively manages grantmaking to over 150 organizations, administers contracts with approximately 40 entities, and facilitates external relationships, research and convening essential to advancing the program’s strategic goals. The Program Associate plays a key role in collaborating with the team to implement processes, manage tasks, and maintain datasets critical to executing the team’s work.  

The ideal candidate is highly organized and self-motivated, with strong attention to detail and the ability to prioritize and manage workloads across multiple workstreams and team members. Essential qualifications include proven project management skills, proficiency in Microsoft Office and data/task management programs, and strong written communication and interpersonal skills for effectively managing relationships with a diverse range of individuals and organizations.  

Key Responsibilities

Project Management and Grantmaking Support

Proactive Project Management:  

• Support the team to track and meet all internal deadlines and manage workloads related to grantmaking, budgeting, program planning, and foundation-wide cycles, including annual workplans
• Support team members in designing, planning, and implementing meetings, convenings, learning activities, and special projects that support Climate Program strategic priorities and “beyond-the-grant" support, by conducting research and data analysis, developing agendas, taking notes, synthesizing information, and coordinating catering and other accommodations; this work includes working with consultants who may provide event management or facilitation support  
• Facilitate Climate team engagements with the Communications and Learning and Evaluation teams by coordinating activities and projects, scheduling meetings, and engaging in initiatives  
• Prioritize and participate in bi-weekly Climate team meetings

Grantmaking and Contracts Support:  

• Manage external inquiries and conduct research about potential applicants.
• Implement processes that advance grants and contracts from concept to approval; this includes generating task lists for program officers, tracking grantee and contractor documentation, following up with grantees and contractors and supporting the submission of grants and contracts
• Maintain or implement processes to monitor and track contract invoices, grant payments, and grant reports to ensure accurate and timely delivery of information from grantees and contractors, and accurate record keeping in the Foundation’s systems

Process and Operations

• Serve as point person and coordinate with the Grants Management, Finance, and Information Technology teams on matters related to grants and contract management systems
• Manage data and conduct analyses related to grants, contracts, and grantee and contractor contacts and organization information
• Support high quality relationship management with grantees and external consultants; including contributing to and managing content on the online grantee network, and sending strategy, program, or foundation updates via an email distribution list

Foundation-wide Responsibilities

• Actively participate in foundation-wide activities, including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, internal culture building, and activities designed to support learning across teams
• Attend and actively participate in Climate team and Foundation-wide staff meetings and retreats; and in cross-functional work groups as appropriate

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Desired Qualities, Experiences, and Competencies  

While no single candidate may embody all the qualifications listed, an ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences.  

• A commitment to advancing racial equity and inclusion in your work and in our workplace
• An interest in reducing and further preventing climate change and prioritizing the experience of communities that are experiencing the impacts of climate change first and worst
• Demonstrated proactive project management experience
• Ability to work well independently, as part of a team, and with diverse communities; and self-motivated with strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and ability to track and meet multiple deadlines
• Comfort working with different types of quantitative data and budgeting tools
• Demonstrated ability to identify, collect, organize, and synthesize information from various data sources
• Effective communication and presentation skills, particularly in communicating with diverse constituencies in a variety of settings; ability to produce effective and clear writing, and materials for different audiences that are well designed and may incorporate visual elements
• Strong interpersonal skills to manage relationships with a broad range of people (internal and external) and organizations; and ability to collaborate with multiple people who may have different levels of knowledge related to the task at hand (e.g., supporting new grantees)  
• Knowledge of and proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office and Google applications
• Experience with project management tools (e.g., Asana, Monday.com, Smartsheet); and database systems (e.g., Access, Salesforce) is a plus  
• 2-3 years of relevant work experience; experience with nonprofit or philanthropic organizations is a plus
• Academic coursework or professional/volunteer experience in either clean energy, transportation, resilience, environmental justice, or public policy is a plus

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Compensation and Benefits

Barr is an equal opportunity employer, with a commitment to building and fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We are eager for candidates who believe in our mission and can contribute to our team in a variety of ways, not just candidates who check all the boxes.

The starting salary range for this role is $74,000 to $80,000 and will be determined by factors including experience, readiness for the role, and organizational equity. The Barr Foundation offers an attractive benefits package including generous health, dental, vision, and life insurance; strong retirement savings program; 15 vacation days to start and a parental leave and health leave policies.

Barr is a Compact Signer for the 100% Talent Compact, which is administered by the Boston Women’s Workforce Council, a unique public-private partnership between the Boston Mayor’s Office and Greater Boston employers dedicated to eliminating the gender and racial wage gap. We are proud to be part of this first-in-the-nation approach to reaching pay equity for women and people of color across our region.

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‍Flexible Work Environment‍

The Barr Foundation embraces a hybrid workplace that seeks to balance time in the office with colleagues, time in the community, and remote work. Located along the waterfront in Boston’s North End, Barr’s offices are in the historic Pilot House and adjacent Two Atlantic Avenue building. Our walls and halls feature the work of contemporary artists, and the office space is designed to provide bright, open, flexible spaces for collaboration and independent work, and to host meetings and events. With expansive views of Boston Harbor, Barr is steps away from Boston’s “Freedom Trail” and bike share and near to restaurants, shops, museums, and parks.