Program Officer

van Beuren Charitable Foundation is a Rhode Island-based private family foundation dedicated to investing in the quality of life and quality of place on Aquidneck Island and in its surrounding communities. The Foundation invests its grants across four portfolios that support Healthy Lifestyles for all residents, Strong Starts for children and youth, Community Prosperity generated by economic opportunity and planning for the future, and Excellence in the Commons, those shared landscapes and built environments critical to quality of life and quality of place.

In 2016, the Foundation adopted a strategic framework that intentionally seeks connectivity between its priority program areas, supports learning and adaption, and increases emphasis on impact. As a place-based funder, the spirit of partnership with our grant partners is critical to our success. The Foundation’s grantmaking is not restricted to Aquidneck Island, as the levers for change are not determined by geography. For more information on van Beuren Charitable Foundation, please visit: www.vbcfoundation.org

As the Foundation’s grantmaking budget increases, the organization is hiring a third Program Officer. In support of the connected portfolio approach, Program Officers operate primarily as generalists, working across the four portfolios. Each team member brings their own unique experience and skills to bear in support of the whole team. These types of grants the Foundation makes range from operating support, project/program, capital, and occasionally loans. The Foundation’s grants support planning, implementation, and learning from the work. Because the Foundation seeks to have an impact, it encourages and supports local collaboration when appropriate.

Program Officers help build and manage the grants pipeline, maintain communications with grant partners, and articulate to the board and external partners lessons learned from the various initiatives the Foundation supports. Staff Colleagues like one another and exhibit a collaborative spirit, a team-first mentality, and a can-do attitude infused with humor and flexibility. Everyone feels respected and empowered to share points of view and perspectives in a safe way.

The most compelling candidates come from grantmaking and/or nonprofit arenas, and possess a mix of domain experience and credibility across one of the four portfolio areas; administrative, operations, and organizational experience; intellectual curiosity; an embrace of cultural competency and inclusion; and excellent relationship, communication, and teamwork skills.

van Beuren Charitable Foundation has retained the services of Lincoln Leadership (www.lincolnleadership.co) to conduct this search. For those interested in the search or to recommend someone for the role, please confidentially contact Andrew C. Wheeler, Founder & President, at (267) 257-1910 or awheeler@lincolnleadership.co. For best consideration, please apply by March 1, 2022.