Awards Associate

About the Foundation

The mission of the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation is to support innovative people working in hands‑on science, art and craft, teaching and protection of the natural world.

The Foundation supports people who:

• Explore and ask through fieldwork in natural sciences.
• Create and captivate as they promote mastery in art and craft.
• Teach and try as they support students in public education.
• Conserve and connect as they encourage care for our food systems and the natural world.

Our current programs include Craft, Diversity & Inclusion in Art, Design and Computing, Earth Science, Field Biology, Food, Public School Teachers, and Resilient Ecosystems.

Learn more about us well-hanrahan.org.

The Awards Associate administers the Foundation’s growing portfolio of internally managed individual awards programs, which currently includes Earth Science, Field Biology and Food. All of our awards celebrate remarkable individuals working in under‑appreciated and hands‑on fields. The Foundation selects awardees for the impact and originality of their work to date, as well as the momentum an award could provide at a critical career junction.

The awards are one‑time and unrestricted, intended to provide awardees with funding, attention and support.

Reporting to the Executive Director and working closely with Program Officers, the Awards Associate leads project management and award operations for multiple concurrent awards cycles. Responsibilities include coordinating nominations, nominators, and selection committee processes; conducting due diligence; developing program materials and communications; organizing wraparound support for awardees; and improving our processes over time.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a growing, early‑stage family foundation. The team has the flexibility to experiment, refine and expand programs that directly support individuals making an impact in their fields.

For 3-4 or more internally‑managed awards processes

• Serve as point person and operational lead for our in‑house awards processes.
• Support the development of multiple, overlapping award cycle timelines. Create project management structures for multiple team members to contribute to awards processes, using  or other platforms, as needed.
• Project manage the nomination processes and serve as the primary point of contact for external nominators. In coordination with the award lead, draft nomination and review forms and supporting documentation using  or other platforms, as needed. Review nominations for eligibility.
• Organize the due diligence process for nominees and conduct additional research, as needed.
• Coordinate the review of nomination packets by selection committees and answer logistical and process questions. Coordinate selection committee meetings: create drafts of agendas, prepare materials, participate in meetings, oversee meeting logistics, and document minutes.
• Serve as primary awardee point of contact in gathering information from awardees and answering their questions, including coordinating award letters, communications materials, and survey responses.
• Collaborate with the awards leads in gathering input from internal and external advisors to adjust processes and documentation over time.
• Identify opportunities to improve design and efficiency across multiple in‑house processes, while sharing lessons and practices from awards administered by external partners.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for our current year and past years’ awardees.
• Organize, collaborate with internal and external partners, and help coordinate communications and announcements around each awardee cohort, including draft…