Program Director

Full time / $95,000-$125,000 annually / Foundation for Contemporary Arts / New York, NY

POSITION DESCRIPTION
Job Title: Program Director
Reports to: Executive Director
Status: Full-time, Exempt
Effective Date: January 2024

About the Foundation for Contemporary Arts
Since its inception in 1963, the mission of the Foundation for Contemporary Arts (FCA) is to encourage, sponsor, and promote innovative work in the arts created and presented by individuals, groups, and organizations. FCA was founded by and depends on artists and a community of like-minded supporters—including philanthropic individuals, foundations, and government agencies—to fund its programs. Over 1,000 artists have contributed artworks to help fund grant programs that directly support individual artists. FCA annually awards unrestricted, by-nomination grants to 23 artists working in dance, music/sound, performance art/theater, poetry, and the visual arts in recognition of their artistic contributions; and maintains a by-application emergency grants fund, decided and disbursed monthly, to help approximately 200 artists per year with unexpected presentation opportunities and project-related emergencies. Since FCA’s inception, more than 7,300 grants awarded to artists and arts organizations—totaling over $27 million—have provided opportunities for creative exploration and realization of new work.

FCA’s responsive support of its community was most evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which it pivoted to establish two COVID Relief Funds—raising and distributing over $5.6 million to more than 3,200 artists between March 2020 and June 2021. During the same period, FCA joined with six other individual artist funders to create Artist Relief, a national coalition that collectively raised and distributed $5,000 relief grants to artists totaling over $23 million.

In 2023, FCA celebrated its 60th year—commemorating its enduring core values, while looking at the ways in which artists have continued to redefine experimentality, and how FCA has and will adapt and rise to meet the needs and risks entailed in their work. An organization founded by artists, for artists, FCA has grown carefully over decades—and is focused today on strategic and sustainable growth to artist support through its core programs, and its capacity to meet the evolving needs of the experimental field. For more information about FCA and its programs, please visit https://www.foundationforcontemporaryarts.org/

Position Summary
FCA is seeking a creative, dynamic, and collaborative professional to serve as its next Program Director. The Program Director will steward FCA’s core grant-making programs and related initiatives, which recognize and support the contributions of experimental artists across five disciplines. This position reports to and works closely with the Executive Director to align FCA’s grant-making programs with its core values and strategic objectives, to develop related resources informed by artist needs, and to thoughtfully develop FCA’s role in the contemporary arts and arts funding communities—as a responsive and nimble artist resource and a meaningful collaborator. The Program Director plays a key role in FCA’s small team, supervising and mentoring a Program team of two, and contributing to organizational planning, fundraising and development.

Candidates for this position will ideally bring a minimum of five years of management or senior-level experience in a contemporary arts context, preferably in a nonprofit setting. The candidate will bring a deep understanding of the creative lives and professional landscape of experimental artists in one or more of the artistic disciplines FCA serves. They will be conversant in the diverse artistic practices and concerns of FCA grantees and hold expansive ideas of art and experimentality. Bringing a high degree of cultural competence and a demonstrated commitment to social justice and equity to the role, this individual’s passion and commitment will be matched with the knowledge, skills, and networks to realize programmatic vision with integrity.

Core Responsibilities
• Cultivate and oversee FCA’s grant-making programs, including its long-standing Grants to Artists and Emergency Grants programs, Ellsworth Kelly Award, and CVAS Scholarship, as well as new initiatives:
o Ensure that programs support and recognize a diverse range of artists across disciplines, in keeping with FCA’s mission, artist-centered values and strategic goals by leading its nomination, application, and selection processes
o Develop effective, values-aligned policies and procedures across programs
o Lead thoughtful planning and evaluation efforts to ensure that programs remain responsive to artists and their changing needs
o Ensure FCA’s by-application programs are widely known and accessible to the constituency they are intended to serve
o Produce an annual grant reception and publication to recognize new grantees
o Ensure that grant administration, payment, compliance, and reporting procedures are effective and streamlined
o Build and maintain effective approaches to grantee assistance, promotion, and ongoing engagement
• Maintain active networks in the artistic disciplines that FCA supports and in the artist support field; remain current on issues affecting artists; and represent FCA and its programs at relevant events and convenings
• Develop resources for artists and cultivate partnerships that can meaningfully extend and enhance FCA’s programs
• Contribute to strategic planning efforts and ensure the alignment of departmental and programmatic objectives with organizational priorities
• Develop clear and regular communications to engage staff, Board, and stakeholders on FCA program impact, changes, and outcomes
• Work cross-departmentally to develop meaningful approaches to grantee and program promotion; actively contribute program content for fund-raising proposals, reports, and events; liaise with donors and funders as needed
• Develop and monitor program budgets and operate within established financial and funding guidelines
• Manage and mentor a team of two and engage additional support as needed to build a sustainable, engaged, and accessible Program team
• Convene program-related committees, engage outside evaluators and consultants as needed

Requirements

Qualifications
• Minimum 5 years of manager-level or senior programmatic experience, preferably in an arts organization; prior nonprofit or grant-making experience a plus
• Bachelor’s degree in arts or humanities field or equivalent work experience
• Knowledge of the diverse artistic practices, environment, challenges, and opportunities of the experimental arts field; familiar with and conversant in the work of FCA’s grantees
• A demonstrated commitment to the core values and philanthropic philosophy of FCA; history of relationship building with artists
• Curiosity and ability to think creatively, strategically, and systemically about program policy, operations, and partnerships
• Strong project management skills with a solutions-driven approach, proven track record of programmatic delivery; ability to multi-task, prioritize, and deliver by deadlines
• Culturally competent with a professional track record of foregrounding values of diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Excellent and sensitive written and spoken communication skills
• Prior management experience with the ability to develop and motivate a team
• Excellent organizational and analytical skills; facility with data analysis and program evaluation methods
• Experience developing and monitoring budgets and resourcing departmental operations in a supportive and sustainable way
• Fluency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google platform equivalents required; proficiency with database systems, grant management software and workflow management software preferred

Compensation and Hours
The position is full-time, non-exempt. Compensation range is $95,000-$125,000 per year, commensurate with experience. FCA provides medical, dental, and vision insurance at no cost to full-time employees, paid holidays (including a winter break), 15 days of paid vacation annually, and a Simple IRA employer-matched retirement plan. FCA’s staff works on a hybrid schedule with three days in-person at FCA’s New York City office. This position involves periodic in-person events outside normal business hours.

Equal Opportunity Employment
FCA is committed to providing access, accessibility, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for disabled people and individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to access or participate in the job application or interview process, and/or to perform essential job functions please contact Ana Bloch, 212-807-7077, ab@contemporary-arts.org.

If you believe that you could excel in this role but do not meet 100% of the qualifications, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds.