ABOUT JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER
The mission of Jazz at Lincoln Center is to entertain, enrich and expand a global community for jazz through performance, education, and advocacy.
We believe jazz is a metaphor for Democracy. Because jazz is improvisational, it celebrates personal freedom and encourages individual expression. Because jazz is swinging, it dedicates that freedom to finding and maintaining common ground with others. Because jazz is rooted in the blues, it inspires us to face adversity with persistent optimism.
Jazz is one of America’s most profound and enduring cultural contributions, inseparable from the story of this country, its history, its struggles, its democratic ideals, and its continuing evolution. We are stewards of that legacy. The three pillars of our work—performance, education, and advocacy—are one mission expressed three ways, each reinforcing and requiring the other two. You cannot perform without honoring the history that gives the music meaning. You cannot educate without the conviction that what you are teaching deserves to outlast you. You cannot advocate without the lived experience of the art itself. We look for people who feel that wholeness in full, across all three pillars.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
Reporting to the Director, Foundations and working closely with the Associate Director, Institutional Giving, the Manager, Institutional Giving sits at the center of the Foundations team, combining grant writing with hands-on operations and supporting government and corporate funding as needed. The Manager writes the proposals and reports that make the case for Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) and its programs to foundation, government, and corporate funders, and keeps the team running as its lead for gift processing, donor crediting, and scheduling. With growing opportunities for direct contact with leading foundations, this role is an ideal next step for a detail-oriented grant writer ready to broaden their fundraising experience. The ideal candidate is a strong writer, clear communicator, and organized project manager who enjoys working across Development and the wider organization.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Keep JALC's funder relationships moving by serving as a day-to-day point of contact for program officers, following up on requests, sending materials, and coordinating meetings schedules and note taking, and set funder meetings and site visits up for success by drafting internal agendas and organizing preparation meetings with internal teams.
- Draft proposals, letters of inquiry, concept notes, decks, and interim and final reports tailored to each funder's priorities and maintain the team's grant calendar in Asana to ensure every submission meets its deadline.
- Request grant budgets and financial reports from Finance and review them for alignment with the narrative and each funder's requirements and deadlines.
- Serve as the Foundations team's liaison to Development Operations, coordinating gift processing and acknowledgment letters, maintaining funder plans in Tessitura, and ensuring gifts, pledges, and funder activity are recorded accurately and on time.
- Manage foundation donor crediting across print and digital materials, working with Marketing and Development Operations to meet brand and contractual requirements.
- Support Project Pioneer, a multi-year initiative to grow foundation revenue, by working alongside the Associate Director, Institutional Giving with prospect research and tracking outreach, cultivation, and stewardship.
- Prepare briefing materials and internal memos for leadership and help prepare prospect lists for Board Development Committee meetings.
- Support the Events team at events, assist with additional projects, and perform other duties as assigned by the Director, Foundations.
QUALIFICATIONS
REQUIRED
- Bachelor's degree.
- 5 years of work experience, with 2+ years of experience in grant writing and/or institutional giving.
- Excellent expository writing, research, copyediting, and communication skills.
- Ability to interact with funders and anticipate funder needs.
- Computer proficiency, including Microsoft Office, Asana, and Tessitura.
- Familiarity with prospecting tools such as Candid, Foundation Directory Online, and RelSci (Relationship Science).
- Understanding of complex budgets.
- Familiarity with grant portals, including Fluxx, Grants.gov, and SmartSimple.
- Keen attention to detail balanced with excellent time management.
- Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
- Results-oriented, with a passionate commitment to the performing arts and an appreciation for JALC's goals and mission.
PREFERRED
- Familiarity with local, state, and federal government and compliance policies.
- Knowledge of jazz.
WORKING AT JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER
The music is present here, literally and philosophically, and the people who thrive are the ones who feel that and lean into it. They are Fans, Advocates, Musicians, and Educators who know that you cannot shape what comes next without first honoring what came before — who ask why something is the way it is before they presume to know what it should become. They find their own work more meaningful because of its proximity to something larger, and they understand that excellence in any role, regardless of function, is connected to what happens on stage and in classrooms and communities around the world. The passion that runs through this organization can be felt on your first day, and it is the thing people miss most when they leave.
We are a live-events organization, and our schedule reflects that energy: we expect full presence when the work and the art call for it. Within that, we strive to create real flexibility for our people. Flex Mondays give staff the freedom to work from wherever suits them best, and Tuesday through Friday our teams come together in person, with the understanding that the work and the art will sometimes ask for more. We trust our people to know the difference, and we build around that trust.
Benefits reflect the same investment in our people: comprehensive health, retirement, and a seat inside the life of this organization. Staff have access to the breadth of JALC programming—from live performances to access at Dizzy's Club to world-class jazz education through Swing University and beyond—because we believe the people who do this work deserve to experience it, not just support it.
HOW TO APPLY
Click the button above to apply. Please include a cover letter and salary requirements with your application.
Jazz at Lincoln Center is an equal opportunity employer that affords equal opportunities to all applicants, employees, contractors, and other covered persons, and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. Jazz at Lincoln Center is committed to creating an inclusive, open, and respectful culture that reflects and embraces diversity.
Jazz at Lincoln Center, Inc. New York, New York, USA Office
New York, NY, United States
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