Program Officer Wellness
Position Title: Program Officer, Wellness
Position Type: Half-Time, Exempt
Compensation: $35,000 to $45,000 annually, plus benefits, PTO and 403(B) retirement match.
Organization Description
Rooted Philanthropic was founded in 2014 as Runyon Family Foundation by Charles (Chuck) Runyon and Shannon Runyon. The foundation provided a limited number of grants in its first few years, the most significant of which was to establish the Future Leader Scholarship program at Hill-Murray High School in 2019. Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the founders decided they could and should do more to support their community making the commitment to expand the work of the foundation and increase their annual grantmaking. In 2023, the foundation was renamed Rooted Philanthropic. The foundation is focused on the neighborhoods of Saint Paul’s East Side and the surrounding communities. These neighborhoods radiate with potential and are filled with innovative and entrepreneurial efforts to improve people’s lives.
Our Mission: Rooted Philanthropic supports the people of Saint Paul’s East Side communities to unlock their potential by investing in their capacity, growth, and innovation.
Our Vision: By deliberately and thoughtfully engaging the communities of Saint Paul’ East Side, building on the innovation and entrepreneurship already there, partnering with others to build capacity, and investing with revolutionary tools and resources, Rooted Philanthropic will be an innovative leader in philanthropy in the Twin Cities and beyond.
Learn more about the foundation at www.rootedphilanthropic.org.
Position Purpose
This position will utilize a strategic and wholistic approach to oversee and facilitate community impact efforts and grantmaking in the foundation’s Wellness funding pillar. This funding strategy will initially provide $600,000 in grants and other support in 2025. The total funding is projected to grow in subsequent years. The Program Officer will work with the foundation’s Advisory Board and Executive Director to finalize the funding strategies, measure its impact, and revise strategies as new data is collected and information learned.
Major Job Responsibilities
Program management
- In consultation with the Executive Director, fully build out and implement the Wellness funding pillar focus area, utilizing all possible tools available to maximize the foundation’s available funds and impact.
- Oversee and direct grantmaking in the Wellness funding pillar area, advancing the foundation’s interests as defined through community engagement efforts.
- Identify opportunities for funding through community engagement, one‐on‐one efforts, and follow-up on requests and inquires that come to the foundation.
- Design and support evaluation efforts within the Wellness grantmaking pillar to develop and complete a regular and meaningful impact report.
- Build consistent relationships with organizations receiving funding from the foundation and be in regular communication with them. Convene grantees as appropriate.
- Working with the Executive Director, develop and implement an annual program budget.
Community Engagement and Partnerships
- Design and implement a regular community engagement and feedback process to help inform and guide the work, working with the Advisory Board as appropriate.
- Seek out and participate in community meetings/events, conferences, existing groups, and funder collaboratives related to your job responsibilities that inform and promote our philanthropic interests.
- As deemed necessary and appropriate, seek out opportunities to engage other funders and raise funds from other philanthropic sources to support the work in this funding area.
- Build relationships with other foundations, government officials, community leaders, business owners, philanthropy membership groups, and the like to advance wellness interests on the East Side.
Analysis and Due Diligence
- Perform necessary due diligence on all requests for funding and prepare written analysis and recommendations for Board of Directors’ consideration in accordance with established protocols. Assess the financial health of organizations requesting funding by reviewing all appropriate financial documents. Follow up as needed.
- Review final grant reports to assess whether reporting, performance criteria and proposed results have been met. Follow-up as appropriate.
- Make reports and presentations to the Advisory Board (meets quarterly) and Board of Directors (meets three times a year) as needed and requested.
Ancillary Job Responsibilities
- Respectfully represent the foundation within the public community and the larger philanthropic community, which may include public speaking or presentations.
- Working with the Executive Director, design learning opportunities for the Board of Directors to further their knowledge of issues and matters of concern to the foundation.
- Work with the Executive Director to explore and take advantage of opportunities to share our work to a larger audience through blog posts, workshop presentations, panel discussions, and the like.
- Participate in all foundation sponsored learning activities, including retreats and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
- Conduct special research projects as assigned.
- Design or participate in professional development activities to enhance and grow skills and competencies appropriate to the work responsibilities.
- Participate in foundation communication activities including developing web content, writing blog posts, written reports, capturing foundation learning, etc.
- Other duties and special projects as needed to support and enhance the work of the foundation.
Preferred Requirements
- A minimum of 3-5 years of work experience in positions that align with the job functions of this position.
- A college degree and/or comparable work experience.
- Knowledge of wellness, both as an individual goal and a community-wide effort.
- Ability to listen and learn from a multitude of voices working on wellness issues on the East Side of Saint Paul, while continually fine-tuning funding strategies.
- Knowledge of or lived experience of the East Side of Saint Paul.
- Ability to successfully build relationships and partnerships, including working with advisory committees.
- Ability to analyze and understand financial statements and reports.
- Critical thinking skills.
- A strategic mindset.
- Analytical writing skills, while also being concise and precise.
- Ability to manage multiple responsibilities at once, prioritizing as needed to successfully complete the work.
- Self-motivation, flexibility and humility.
- Excellent communication and public-speaking skills.
To Apply:
Email your cover letter, resume and credentials to patrick@rootedphilanthropic.org. Please put “Program Officer Application” in the subject line. All applications should be converted to PDFs before being emailed to the foundation.
Review of applications will begin February 20, 2025, with interviews with selected applicants to begin in late February and early March. Optimally, the person will begin employment in April/May 2025. Review of applications will be ongoing until a candidate is selected and hired.
Rooted Philanthropic is deeply committed to equity in all its practices. We strongly encourage Persons of Color, women, LGBTQIA+, and people with disabilities to apply. It is the policy of Rooted Philanthropic to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified persons and to recruit, hire, train, promote, and compensate persons in all jobs without regard for race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or sexual orientation.