Media Relations Apprentice

Mellon Foundation

Media Relations Apprentice

The Mellon Foundation (“Foundation”) 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 our grants, we seek 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 Media Relations Apprentice for our Communications Team.

Team/ Program Overview:

The Mellon Foundation's team of communications professionals are responsible for building and stewarding the Foundation brand, telling its story, and driving outreach and engagement efforts both internally and externally. Our work strives to:

• Build broad brand affinity and connection with the Mellon Foundation's work
• Encourage appreciation, understanding of, and engagement with the work of our grantees
• Broadly advocate for the centrality of the arts and humanities in culture

Position Summary:

This position, reporting to the Media Relations Associate with oversight from the Director of Media & Public Relations, will support a wide range of media relations efforts within the Foundation’s New York-based Communications department. Responsibilities include administrative and organizational duties, research support, media monitoring, drafting materials, and outreach.

This is a 12-month position with a start date in June 2025.

Position Description:

Responsibilities may include, but will not be limited to the following:

• Support media and public relations efforts through a variety of projects, both internal and external facing.
• Provide support in developing press materials, including press releases, media alerts, pitches, bios, media and speaking engagement briefing documents, recap reports and media analysis/reporting.
• Assist with prep documents, including talking points and messaging to prepare Mellon spokespeople for external speaking engagements and interviews.
• Conduct preliminary review of grantee press materials based on Mellon’s established brand guidelines.
• Review and respond to inbound telephone calls and e-mail correspondence in a timely and appropriate manner.
• Track media coverage, reporters, industry news and peer organization activities.
• Maintain up-to-date media contact lists and editorial calendars.
• Contribute to PR planning and strategy ideation.
• Help maintain an organized system of tracking, monitoring, and prioritizing tasks using the Foundation’s primary project management tools: Monday.com and Box.com.
• Handle confidential and non-routine information with sensitivity

Qualifications:

• Strong interest in learning about communications and media relations in a nonprofit setting; demonstrated interest, through work history or expressed career objectives, in developing hands-on experience with media and public relations.
• Dedicated follower of news of the day, current events, and current trends in the arts, culture and humanities spaces.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with an interest in honing an ability to think about media relations from a strategic and creative perspective.
• Flexible, highly organized, and able to juggle multiple and competing tasks with exceptional follow-up and attention to detail.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• High level of interpersonal skills and discretion to handle sensitive and confidential situations.
• Ability to be highly productive working independently and as a member of a team.
• Either: currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program, or: within one year of graduation.

Preferred:

• Work history that demonstrates an ability to anticipate next steps, take initiative, exercise discretion, and apply sound judgment.
• Familiarity with Monday.com, Cision, LexisNexis and/or PR Newswire.
• Media pitching experience, especially on topics of arts, culture, and the humanities.

Mellon Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. Mellon offers a generous total reward package that includes base salary and a comprehensive benefits program, as well as an excellent working environment. Mellon is committed to providing compensation that is competitive and equitable within the philanthropic sector. The estimated salary for this year-long role is $27-30/hour, and the apprentice will be expected to work between 22.5 and 37.5 hours per week. The amount of pay offered will be determined by several factors, including but not limited to qualifications, unique skills, credentials, or experience that is expected to impact the candidate’s contribution to the role. We will also consider market data as well as the Foundation’s internal pay equity framework.

The Mellon Foundation is committed to access and inclusion for our applicants. If you have accessibility requests to support your participation in the hiring process, please let us know at your earliest convenience.

Please note that Mellon maintains a hybrid work schedule, with three days per week in person at the Foundation’s Manhattan offices.

Candidates should apply by submitting a cover letter describing fit for the position and a resume by Monday, March 31, 2025. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered.

The Foundation will consider each complete application carefully but only contact those individuals it believes are most qualified for the position.