Program Director, Democracy; HJF

About the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund

The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund (HJF) works to advance equality and justice so every person can thrive and to live life with dignity and hope. Rooted in the Bay Area, the Haas, Jr. Fund is guided by an enduring set of core values. These values reflect the founders’ vision and shape everything HJF does.

• Inclusion: HJF celebrates the rich differences in human identity and embraces the perspectives of all people.
• Respect: The Haas, Jr. Fund is guided by the wisdom and voices of people and communities working for change.
• Collaboration: HJF believes in the transformative power of working together to advance a shared vision.
• Courage: The Haas, Jr. Fund takes a stand to make a deep and lasting difference on urgent social issues.

HJF focuses on a set of issues it believes are at the core of advancing equality and opportunity in its home state of California and the broader society:
Democracy, College Success, Immigrant Rights and LGBT Equality.

The Haas, Jr. Fund aspires to build a culture that’s inclusive and allows all of us to live and breathe our values and lean into the Fund’s core strengths. It believes deeply in its staff and works to develop their skills and help them grow. The Haas, Jr. Fund collaborates to lift up good ideas and diverse perspectives, they take care of each other, and embrace innovative solutions to the challenges at the core of their work.

The Haas, Jr. Fund has a full-time staff of about 20 professionals and assets of approximately $450 million. Located in downtown San Francisco, it has awarded over $600 million in grants since its founding in 1953. For more information, visit us online . For more information, visit us online .

The Program Director for Democracy will lead the Haas, Jr. Fund’s efforts to advance fair and representative democracy through increasing civic engagement of historically marginalized populations and removing structural barriers to ensure every person has an equal opportunity to positively shape the future of California and the nation.

Democracy in the U.S., California and locally is at a crossroads due to a range of issues, which include consistently low civic participation and voter suppression; outsized influence of special interests and dark money; persistent barriers to achieving representative leadership; and rampant misinformation. The Haas, Jr. Fund is seeking a Program Director who can work creatively to respond to challenges and capitalize on opportunities in partnership with civic advocates, community leaders and other partners to advance fair and inclusive civic values and policies.

At this critical time for the health our nation’s democracy, the Program Director will have an opportunity to build on the Haas, Jr. Fund’s past accomplishments, reputation, and strengths to implement a bold vision for a new program. This unique opportunity is suited for an ambitious leader who is willing to take risks, exhibits strategic agility, and thrives by continually learning from successes and setbacks.

The Program Director for Democracy reports to the Vice President of Programs and is responsible for:

Strategic Grantmaking and Partnership

• Providing strategic partnership and supporting the efforts to achieve a fair and representative democracy at the local, state, and national levels as thought leader, alliance builder, strategist, and fundraiser;
• Directing the development and implementation of the Fund’s democracy program priorities, identifying levers for impact, establishing goals and objectives, and directing grantmaking;
• Playing an influential role beyond grantmaking by providing grantee partners, civic advocates, foundation representatives, and allies with strategic advising, resource…