Program Assistant

The Andrew W Mellon Foundation•New York, NY

7h•$80,000 - $85,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Mellon Foundation is a not-for-profit, grant making organization that believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and we believe that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom to be found there. Through its grants, the Foundation seeks to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. The Foundation makes grants in four core program areas - Higher Learning, Arts and Culture, Public Knowledge, and Humanities in Place - and through its signature Presidential Initiatives. The Foundation seeks a Program Assistant for our Arts and Culture team.

Requirements

1-3 years of relevant professional experience
A keen understanding of and interest in the arts, culture, and humanities
Familiarity with the literary arts, including literature and creative writing across genres such as creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry, as well as with experience with literary arts organizations including nonprofit presses and publishers, poetry or book festivals, residencies, fellowships and reading series
Ability to manage multiple projects, while being a committed team player
An orientation toward self-starting, proactive anticipation of team needs, and creative problem solving
Superior written communication skills; excellent analytical, critical thinking, and organizational skills with precise attention to detail
A high degree of competency in the MS Office suite, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, Adobe Suite, and the ability to learn new applications quickly

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree, preferably in the arts or humanities, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
Experience working in a not-for-profit environment and/or grants administration
Ability to read and understand organizational budgets, and/or financials
Flexibility, curiosity, integrity, as well as a willingness to learn from mistakes
An empathetic manner grounded in compassion, grace, and humility

Responsibilities

Serving as a liaison for prospective and existing grantees alongside the Senior Program Associate and the Program Director, by participating in meetings and site visits
Participating in building a grant portfolio of new and renewal funding proposals under the direction of the Senior Program Associate and their supervising Program Director
Monitoring the progress of proposals from first receipt to approval, including their timely tracking and management in Fluxx, the Foundation’s grants management system, and communicating with grantees as directed about the progress of their proposals in line with Foundation deadlines
Carefully reviewing grant reports and requests for modifications, extensions, and transfers, correspond with grantees about successes as well as challenges, alert program colleagues regarding key activities or difficulties, and follow up as appropriate
Working with other Foundation departments to ensure timely delivery and processing of grant-related information for proposals, reports, and modifications, and facilitate rapid response to internal questions as they arise
Traveling to site visits, conferences, and other engagements, as needed
Keeping grant files in the Foundation's file management system up to date as well as resolving inconsistencies and preparing reports
Undertaking general office and grant-related work, such as electronic filing, maintaining program records, preparing correspondence, responding to requests for information, scheduling, etc.
Assisting with information gathering regarding the development of new grant initiatives and the review of existing programs as requested by program leadership
Participating in team-level process-improvement projects, as assigned
Representing the Arts and Culture program in cross-functional meetings and collaborating with other departments to advance program goals
Offering administrative support for convenings, gatherings, and events, as needed