News

Needmor Fund News

2025

 POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT: PROGRAM CONSULTANT

The Needmor Fund for Social Justice seeks a Program Consultant to assist with grantmaking and program development.

Over the past thirty years, the Needmor Fund for Social Justice (Needmor) has invested more than $53,000,000 in supporting nearly 480 grassroots organizations. Community organizing is at the core of Needmor’s theory of change, whose purpose is “to support the work of organizations that engage people in building power to challenge systemic barriers to the practice of democracy, hold officials accountable for their actions, and participate in shaping public policy.”

After decades of operating as a national funder, Needmor examined its grant-making strategy in 2018. Needmor adopted a Midwest strategy because of the region’s rich tradition of grassroots, labor, and electoral organizing and the need for long-term funding strategies that support long-term power building — disrupting electorally focused ‘boom and bust' funding strategies. Currently, the Needmor Fund for Social Justice does grantmaking in eight states: Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. 

After a reflective board meeting in October of 2023, Needmor board members decided to make a catalytic investment of an additional $1 million a year for the next two years to support the development of an organizing ecosystem in the Midwest. Needmor has played a leadership role in forming an exploratory steering committee to develop pooled and aligned strategies to galvanize more funding for the Midwest region. For Needmor’s current grantee lists and new initiatives please visit Needmor’s website needmorfund.org

The candidate for the program consultant role should have the following skills and expertise:

  • Deep knowledge of the field of organizing in one or more of the states Needmor has prioritized in the Midwest region

  • Grantmaking/review experience

  • Innovative approach to identifying opportunities to strengthen the organizing field in the region

  • Expertise in developing collaborative strategies with funder allies and grantee partners

Responsibilities

Programs:

  • Collaborate with the Executive Director to provide portfolio analysis, support new initiatives such as the Midwest Catalytic Collaborative, and identify opportunities to strategically expand Needmor’s impact.

  • Monitor and document the Midwest Catalytic Strategy progress.

  • Analyze the context, organizing infrastructure and needs in two of Needmor’s priority states and identify potential grantees in the region that engage in power building in Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and working-class communities in the Midwest.

 

Grantmaking:

  • Work collaboratively with staff in the implementation of grant cycle activities, including reviewing applications, scheduling, conducting site visits, and written recommendations for grant awards

  • Monitor and assess the progress of a small number of continuing grantees.

 

Key Qualifications and Requirements:

  • Minimum of five years of experience in community organizing and/or public policy advocacy

  • Experience in grantmaking and/or experience serving on grant review or program development committees (including serving on boards of philanthropic institutions)

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills

  • Able to manage and meet competing deadlines

  • Experience collaborating to design projects and strategies pertaining to the field of organizing

Position Structure:

The Program Consultant role is a part-time, 24-hours-a-week, contractual position.

 

Contractual Period:

Effective April-December 2025

Annual Contract Rate:

$45,000-$51,000

Location:

Needmor has offices in Perrysburg, Ohio and Chicago, Illinois. We are open to the position working remotely in one of the eight states we fund: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri.

To Apply:

Send your resume to our Operations Manager Cathie Slabaugh at cslabaugh@needmorfund.org

Applications will be accepted until March 1st, 2025.

2024

Grantee Partner News

2025

2024