Should I Seek a Job as a Grantmaker?

While DVG receives many inquiries about jobs in philanthropy, the reality is that very few foundations operate with paid staff. According to research by The Foundation Center, staffed foundations represent only 5.7% of the nation's nearly 56,600 active grantmakers. Among larger U.S. foundations, the number reporting paid staff continued to inch downward in the past decade, from 22.7% in 1992 to 16.1 percent in 2002. A regional analysis shows the Northeast below this average, with only 14.2 percent of larger foundations claiming paid staff. This research supports the notion that actual grantmaking jobs are relatively rare.

To read the Foundation Center's report, Foundation Staffing, 2002, link to:
http://fdncenter.org/research/trends_analysis/pdf/02sthlts.pdf

Types of Grantmaking Staff Positions
Below is a sample of the types of positions available at different types of grantmaking organizations.

Private Foundations:
Some sample job titles/descriptions at private foundations include:

•	CEO/President/Executive Director -The CEO/President/ED is responsible for the overall administrative and program functions of the organization. In smaller foundations, the Executive Director may be the only paid staff for the organization.
•	VP for Finance/Administration- Generally, only larger foundations will have someone on staff in this role, who is responsible for personnel, information systems, and/or investment management.
•	Program Officer - Responsible for investigating and evaluating grant proposals, grant tracking and post-grant evaluation.
•	Program Associate/Assistant: In larger foundations, often considered an entry-level Program Officer position.
•	Grants Administrator/Manager -Responsible for the tracking and reporting of the foundation's grant activity.
•	Managing Trustee- Sometimes small family or trustee-managed foundations will name a managing trustee to oversee the grantmaking and operations of the foundation. This may be performed by a paid consultant or a family member, who often contributes their time for little or no fee.

Corporate Grantmakers

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Corporate Foundations are subject to the same rules as any other private foundation and are run as a separate legal entity from the parent company. These organizations generally have an Executive Director, and may have additional program staff to support the foundation's grantmaking work.

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Corporate Giving Programs are established and administered within a for-profit corporation. Giving programs may be a separate division within the company, but more likely are part of a Public Relations, Communications, Marketing, or Government Relations department. Corporate giving officers are generally vice presidents, directors or managers of Community Relations, Public or Community Affairs, Community Involvement, or Corporate Contributions.

Community Foundations

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Grantmaking positions at Community Foundations are generally similar to those at private foundations. Community foundations often use Program Officers and Grant Administrators to handle their grantmaking activities. Depending on the organization's size and staff structure, they have additional executive staff, such as Program Directors, and other associates to handle special initiatives. Because community foundations also raise funds, other staff positions may include a director of Donor Services.

Grantmaking Public Charities:

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Because of the wide variety of grantmaking public charities - from federated funds and United Ways to faith-based organizations - it is difficult to name positions within these organizations corresponding to their grantmaking activities. Public charities or foundations also raise money, so may employ personnel in development or institutional advancement.