The Organization
Gates Family Foundation celebrated its 78th anniversary in 2024. Since its creation, the Foundation has distributed more than $550 million in grants, with another nearly $60 million committed to impact investments in recent years. Representing a partnership of family and community representatives, the Foundation maintains a strong commitment through its grantmaking and other strategic efforts to four key areas:
In recent years, the Foundation has sought to increase its impact through more creative approaches to grantmaking, an expanded impact investing program, additional staffing and expertise, and an increased focus on convening, partnering, and where appropriate, leading in the community. Climate impact has become a lens through which all Foundation grantmaking, investments, and activity are viewed, and since 2018, the Foundation has made an intentional commitment to advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts internally and through its grantmaking and impact investing.
To learn more about Gates Family Foundation and its programs, visit the Foundation’s website at www.gatesfamilyfoundation.org.
The Position
Gates Family Foundation is seeking a Director of Strategic Communications and Informed Communities. This position will lead a comprehensive communications strategy aligned with the Foundation’s broader goals, support all program teams in leveraging strategic communications to deepen the impact of their work, and oversee the Foundation’s grantmaking efforts to ensure widespread access to reliable information and strong civic engagement across the state. The position reports directly to the President, regularly oversees contractors, and joins a team of 11 other staff members across programs, learning and evaluation, finance and grants management. Job responsibilities of this role include the following:
Strategic Communications Leadership
Informed Communities Program Leadership
Qualifications
Ideal candidates will bring:
Desired Mindsets and Orientations
Informed Communities Priorities and Strategies
Gates Family Foundation is committed to supporting community-based newsrooms and promising new ventures in Colorado that are building a more inclusive, responsive, resilient, and sustainable local news and civic information ecosystem. We support public-service journalism and communications that serve historically ignored communities and provide platforms for underrepresented storytellers. We work to fill civic news gaps in our core focus areas by supporting organizations that report on urgent issues in education, natural resources, and community development.
The priority strategies for Gates’ Informed Communities program are:
Evolve and Strengthen the Civic News Ecosystem
Catalyze and support innovations that help make Colorado’s civic news ecosystem more collaborative, resilient, inclusive and responsive to community needs.
Address Gaps in Civic News Coverage
Support civic news organizations that increase the amount and reach of high-quality reporting on Gates’ key focus areas of public education, natural resources and community development.
Build Inclusive News Leadership, Voices and Models
Engage a broader range of people and institutions in rebuilding the public square, with an emphasis on better service to underserved communities of color and rural areas.
A list of grantees and more information can be found on the Foundation’s website:
https://gatesfamilyfoundation.org/strategic-priorities/informed-communities/
Working at Gates Family Foundation
Currently, staff is expected to be in the Foundation’s downtown Denver office on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The balance of the week is flexible and each team and team member is free to decide what approach is optimal. This position is expected to require travel within the state, as well as occasional out-of-state travel.
Gates Family Foundation offers a comprehensive benefits package and paid parental leave. Our work environment is characterized by a culture of collaboration, a commitment to continuous learning, and an inclusive environment that empowers staff to bring their unique perspectives and skills to the work. We place heavy emphasis on the following values:
To Apply
To apply, please complete our online application (hyperlink: https://forms.gle/DodmNoWpbN17eSjc6). We will accept applications through November 17th, 2024, and we encourage early submissions. The application asks for a resume and, in place of a cover letter, responses to the following questions in 250 words or less:
Gates Family Foundation believes that diverse teams lead to better solutions, creative thinking, and greater depth in experiences and perspectives. We strive in our hiring to ensure that our candidate pool is diverse in terms of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, lived experience, socioeconomic background, physical or mental ability, origin, and religion.
Research suggests that women and people of color are more likely to self-select out of opportunities if they don’t meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who believes they have the skills and the drive necessary to succeed here to apply for this role.
The Organization
Gates Family Foundation celebrated its 78th anniversary in 2024. Since its creation, the Foundation has distributed more than $550 million in grants, with another nearly $60 million committed to impact investments in recent years. Representing a partnership of family and community representatives, the Foundation maintains a strong commitment through its grantmaking and other strategic efforts to four key areas:
In recent…
To Apply
To apply, please complete our online application (hyperlink: https://forms.gle/DodmNoWpbN17eSjc6). We will accept applications through November 17th, 2024, and we encourage early submissions. The application asks for a resume and, in place of a cover letter, responses to the following questions in 250 words or less:
Gates Family Foundation believes that diverse teams lead to better solutions, creative thinking, and greater depth in experiences and perspectives. We strive in our hiring to ensure that our candidate pool is diverse in terms of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, lived experience, socioeconomic background, physical or mental ability, origin, and religion.
Research suggests that women and people of color are more likely to self-select out of opportunities if they don’t meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who believes they have the skills and the drive necessary to succeed here to apply for this role.
To Apply
To apply, please complete our online application (hyperlink: https://forms.gle/DodmNoWpbN17eSjc6). We will accept applications through November 17th, 2024, and we encourage…