About The George Gund Foundation
The George Gund Foundation is one of the leading foundations in the Midwest and is looked to as a national leader on how a foundation can help shape the landscape of a region. The Foundation is known for its strategic partnerships in the Cleveland area and its justice-centered, interdisciplinary approach to strengthening community. Established in 1952, the Foundation’s core city focus extends to the illumination of public policies and support of nonprofit public policy advocacy at the local, state, and national levels.
The history of the Foundation reflects a deep commitment to the Greater Cleveland community that was home to its founder, George Gund. The Foundation’s philanthropic stewardship derives not just from its history, but also from a belief that Cleveland can continue to develop original responses to core city issues and from an understanding that collaborations across sectors, issues, and communities can lead to breakthroughs in all fields of endeavor. Moreover, the Foundation’s emphasis on core city work stems from a belief that thriving cities are best suited to address existential threats such as climate change, inequality, affordability, and attacks on U.S. democracy. This focus is especially vital in an era of rising global temperatures, diminished state and federal government funding, inflation, bigotry, political violence, authoritarianism, and an artificial intelligence tech boom.
Over the years, the Foundation’s program objectives and emphases have been modified to meet the changing opportunities and issues of our society, but the Foundation’s basic goal of advancing human welfare remains constant. Today, the Foundation’s program areas consist of Climate and Environmental Justice, Creative Culture and Arts, Democracy Building, Economic Justice and Community Power, Public Education, and Thriving Families and Social Justice. Due to the increasingly complex interrelatedness of these issues, the Foundation’s work has become ever more interdisciplinary.
The Foundation has approximately $629 million dollars in assets, a 2026 grantmaking budget of $32 million, and a typical staff size of 12. The Foundation’s twelve-member Board of Trustees is comprised of Gund family members as well as independent trustees from the Cleveland community.
The George Gund Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and pursues equity in all of its work, including hiring.
For more information on The George Gund Foundation, please visit their website at https://gundfoundation.org/.
The Opportunity
Our climate and environmental justice work recognizes that the climate crisis is inseparable from racial justice, health justice, gender justice, economic justice, and democracy building. The Foundation seeks an experienced, strategic, and collaborative Program Director to lead our climate and environmental justice grantmaking strategy.
The Program Director, Climate and Environmental Justice will have the opportunity to shape and evolve the Foundation’s climate and environmental justice grantmaking portfolio; bring new voices and perspectives into the Foundation’s work; make strategic investments in community-led solutions; forge partnerships across philanthropy, government, business, academia, and the nonprofit sector; and connect local leaders to broader regional, state, and national efforts.
This is not simply a grantmaking role. The Program Director will be a key leader in Cleveland and committed to shifting resources and decision-making power to frontline organizations and people most affected by climate change. This leader will be regarded as a thought partner, convener, field builder, and trusted adviser and will leverage strategic partnerships to help address climate change well beyond the scope of the Foundation’s grantmaking.
This opportunity is especially well-suited for a leader who brings both strategic imagination and humility: someone who can identify and connect issues across various systems while simultaneously remaining deeply attentive to the lived experience and expertise of people and communities most affected by environmental injustice. The successful candidate will be energized by working across differences, building authentic partnerships, and translating a commitment to racial, health, gender, economic, and environmental justice into action.
The anticipated grantmaking portfolio under this position ranges from approximately $3–4 million per year, depending on market value and payout.
Candidate Profile
We recognize that there is a spectrum of lived and professional experience that will set candidates up for success in this role. While no one candidate will have every experience outlined in the position description, ideal candidates will display the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:
A Passion for the Mission
The Program Director, Climate and Environmental Justice will have a true passion for the values, priorities, and goals articulated in the Foundation’s What We Believe statement and will have or will acquire a commitment to strengthening the Greater Cleveland community. Working in close collaboration with the staff and board, this leader will help to achieve the greatest possible impact through the Foundation’s grantmaking and will work tirelessly to advance equity and justice in the region. They will have a broad understanding of the tools of community-building, including organizing, issue framing, advocacy, and impact investing. The Program Director will seek to implement creative and strategic grantmaking to enhance the impact of those tools. This leader will inspire and motivate others and exhibit a wide-ranging curiosity and interest in the lives of older industrial cities, particularly Cleveland.
Critical Thinking
The Program Director, Climate and Environmental Justice will have a deep understanding of the key issues surrounding climate and environmental justice. They will have a demonstrated ability to navigate these issues diplomatically and an understanding of the policy-making process and the political dynamics of government. The Program Director will have strong analytic skills and will have the ability to think creatively and collaboratively about the broad goals of the Foundation, while remaining focused on details and follow-through.
Cultural Fit
The Program Director, Climate and Environmental Justice will have a seriousness of purpose and a deep appreciation for the Foundation’s work. They will be joining a strong, healthy team, with a dedicated board, and will embrace and contribute to the Foundation’s collegial culture. The Program Director will have a deep appreciation for the role of the Foundation and will actively seek partnerships for the betterment of the community, avoiding bureaucratic hurdles to achieve shared missions. They will have an effective balance of confidence and humility, a sense of humor, and will work extremely well with others.
A Relationship Builder and Collaborator
The Program Director, Climate and Environmental Justice must be able to build and sustain excellent relationships both internally with the Board of Trustees and Foundation staff, as well as with key community members and other stakeholders. The Program Director will be a demonstrated team player and will be a key leader in Cleveland and in the national foundation community. This leader will be seen as a trusted advisor to grantees and other organizations, working to support sustainability efforts in Cleveland and beyond. It is imperative that they treat others with respect and always stay true to the values of the Foundation. Moreover, the ideal candidate is an individual of unquestioned integrity, ethics, and values; and someone who can be trusted without reservation. The Program Director will have insight about the power dynamics that exist in a foundation’s relationship with its stakeholders and will have experience navigating relationships with uncompromising integrity, transparency, and respect. They will have broad experience building strong working relationships across lines of differences, including race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, and class.
Communication
The Program Director, Climate and Environmental Justice will be an exceptional communicator. They will have superior written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to write clearly and succinctly under time pressure and to make well-organized, strong verbal presentations. The Program Director will have an ability to listen to others and learn from their best ideas and exhibit an intellectual curiosity, approachability, and openness to input from all levels of staff. This leader will be able to work independently and as a team member in a collegial atmosphere where differing viewpoints are expected and encouraged.
Compensation and Benefits
Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience, with a salary range starting at $150,000. The Foundation offers a comprehensive benefits package.
Contact
DSG | Koya has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Alexandra Corvin and Maleka Pensky. Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile or emailing the search team directly at [email protected]. All inquiries and discussions are strictly confidential.
DSG | Koya is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
The George Gund Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, LGBTQ+, and people with lived experience.