Executive Director at Confidential Family Philanthropy

Our client is a philanthropic enterprise undergoing a transformative generational evolution. Building on a rich history of multi-generational grantmaking, this new entity bridges tradition and innovation—honoring proven strategies while developing new program areas and approaches to drive impact.

For decades, our client's philanthropy centered on health, sustainable agriculture, and Jewish life and continuity. Since establishing their philanthropic work, they have distributed more than $160 million in grants to over 300 organizations supporting these missions. As the family grows, they are shifting course to build on newer program areas, grantmaking structures, and investment vehicles. Their philanthropic approach is grounded in humility, seeking to be of service while continuously working toward a deeper, more holistic understanding of the areas they support.

As Executive Director, you will support the family as they navigate a thoughtful start-up process and partner with them to co-create a strategic vision for the new entity. Central to this start-up will be preserving the sun setting foundation's legacy, embedding Jewish community life and health investments from the current entity into the new strategic direction for the start-up.

As the new entity takes root, you will work closely with its Principals to design and implement an evolving grantmaking strategy across two generations of family leadership. You will be responsible for translating the Principals' vision into actionable program areas, advising on grant structures, and supporting strategic planning around the management and investment of foundation capital. This is an ideal opportunity for a leader steeped in family philanthropy and/or family impact investing organization to play a strategic role in building a new and impactful institution.

• Oversee the distribution and administration of the foundation's grant portfolio, balancing legacy focus areas with expanding programs in arts and culture, environmental sustainability, wealth equity, and sustaining democracy.
• Working closely with the Principals / Trustees, co-designing strategy, core programmatic focus areas, and long-term impact goals.
• Evaluate and explore a range of modern grantmaking structures (e.g. multi-year general operating support, recoverable grants, and PRIs) to maximize impact.
• Translate the Principals' and Board's vision into actionable, high-impact programmatic frameworks, establishing clear metrics for learning and evaluation.
• Facilitate the development of the overarching frameworks for the generational transition, helping the family build a sustainable approach to philanthropy that honors tradition while embracing innovation.
• Embed a continuous learning agenda into the foundation's DNA, staying ahead of emerging trends in philanthropy to continuously refine giving strategies while staying current on the institutions and research within each programmatic field.

• Oversee the full lifecycle of grantmaking, including rigorous due diligence, financial vetting of grantees, and the creation of high-impact agreements.
• Serve as liaison to the family office, leveraging and helping to further develop shared services for streamlined accounting, HR, IT, and legal support.
• Direct external partners, legal counsel, tax advisors, and philanthropic consultants to ensure seamless execution during the entity transition and ongoing operations.
• Manage the annual operating budget, grant payout compliance, regulatory filings, and tax reporting in full compliance with federal and state private foundation regulations.
• Establish clear operational policies,…