Program Officer, Emergent Fund

Hiring Process/Timeline

Only candidates who are considered a strong fit for this role will be contacted.   

To protect the integrity of our process, please do not call, email or message the Emergent Fund team about any open roles or consulting opportunities. We will only review applications submitted through the JazzHR portal as received and will invite a short list of candidates to schedule a video screening. All submitted inquiries and materials will be for the purposes of interviewing and hiring only, kept strictly confidential, and will not be used in Emergent Fund’s work. Use of AI in the application and recruiting process is strongly discouraged. We anticipate a high volume of applicants so please note that the below hiring timeline may be subject to change. The deadline for applications is September 28, 11:59pm EST, with an anticipated start date of December 1, 2026.   

About Emergent Fund  

Movements have long relied on creative collective responses to crises and catalytic moments as strategic opportunities to advance visionary organizing. Emergent Fund and Emergent Action Fund are movement rapid response funds led by and for organizers with intersectional, collective liberation values. As a nationally recognized philanthropy culture disruptor and praxis leader, Emergent Fund challenges power in who we fund as well as with how we fund. We serve as one of the few open, accessible trust-based, no strings attached grants for rapid response and emergent organizing led by frontline Black, Indigenous, and people of color. All our grantmaking is driven by the leadership of directly impacted communities who are committed to building movement and transforming sociopolitical catalysts into lasting social change. Our model demonstrates that people-powered philanthropy can move at the speed of trust and at a pace that meets movements’ needs. 

The need to build capacity for our work is clear. In the almost 10 years since our inception, the Emergent Fund has mobilized almost $20 Million directly into the hands of frontline organizers and thousands of movement organizations across the US and its colonized territories. The Movement Building Team is now in critical need of support and partnership to execute their vision for movement-aligned grantmaking and movement building. 

The Emergent Fund (501c3) and our sibling Emergent Action Fund (501c4) are respectively fiscally sponsored by Assets Under Movement (c3) and Organize Action (c4). 

About Program Officer Role

The Emergent Fund is hiring a Program Officer (PO) to play a critical role in the successful execution of Emergent Fund’s grantmaking and movement-building initiatives. This is a new role that will report directly to and work closely with the Co-Director of Movement Building in relationship-building with movement partners, coordinating the participatory grantmaking process, and building grantmaking systems, capacity building offerings, and infrastructure that prioritize care, equity, and accessibility for grantees.  

As essential movement funding infrastructure and one of the few rapid response funders who operate at our pace and scale, the Program Officer will be critical for our own organizational sustainability to protect and grow organizer’s access to trust-based, nimble rapid response dollars when it matters most.  

We are looking for someone who is energized by project management, systems and spreadsheets, data collection and analysis, organizing workflows, and keeping a lot of moving parts coordinated. This role will serve as the engine behind our grantmaking work, providing critical logistical, communications, and project management support across a wide range of grantmaking strategies. The ideal candidate is an independent, self-directed, and proactive project manager, well-organized, deeply values-aligned, and excited about supporting radical movement fundraising from behind the scenes. 

Key Responsibilities

Grantmaking & Movement Partner Support (50%)  

• Support the Co-Directors of Movement Building in facilitating Emergent Fund’s monthly participatory grantmaking cycles, including preparing materials for Advisory Council review and tracking decisions.  

• Assist in vetting and conducting due diligence on grant applications to inform Nomination’s Network recommendations and Advisory Council decision-making.  

• Coordinate communications with applicants and grantees, including timely responses to inquiries, updates on application status, and support throughout the grant process.  

• Ensure accessibility and clarity for grantee partners through the full grantmaking process.   

• Collect and maintain accurate grantee data for reporting, storytelling, and learning.  

Relationship Building & Field Engagement (25%)  

• Cultivate and maintain trusting relationships with current and prospective grantees, providing responsive support.  

• Assist in organizing virtual and in-person convenings, learning spaces, and capacity-building opportunities as guided by grantee partners.  

• Supporting the Co-Director of Movement Building in their broader philanthropic organizing to amplify grantee priorities in select funder and movement space.  

Learning, Evaluation, & Collaboration (25%)  

• Compile grantmaking activity data for reports to staff, Advisory Council, funders, and philanthropic peers.  

• Collaborate with the Director of Philanthropic Partnerships,  Director of Storytelling, and Development Manager to provide up-to-date grantee data and narratives for communications and fundraising.  

• Contribute to cross-team projects with the Director of Philanthropic Partnerships and Director of Storytelling to align grantmaking with fundraising and communications.  

• Support internal reflection, evaluation, and knowledge-sharing practices that strengthen Emergent Fund’s effectiveness and accountability to movements. 

Qualifications

Essential

• Strong demonstrated commitment to Emergent Fund’s mission and values, including, movement experience/background in grassroots labor, reproductive justice, racial justice, disability justice, climate justice, queer liberation, restorative justice, democracy, or other applicable social justice/movement arenas. 

• Demonstrated personal/professional commitment to social justice movements and the leadership of trans and queer people of color, women of color including embodying this in how you show up within the organization.  

• 2-4 years of experience in social justice philanthropy, grassroots organizing, or related movement work.  

• Demonstrated experience cultivating relationships in BIPOC-led movements and/or working in participatory, community-centered processes.  

• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.  

• Ability to manage multiple projects, meet deadlines, and work collaboratively across a remote team.  

• Ability to work remotely.  

• Comfort with technology and willingness to learn new systems.  

• Understands the unique real-time demands and responsiveness required at a movement rapid response organization, which can include at times unconventional work hours.  

Strongly Preferred

• Prior grantmaking or philanthropic advocacy experience, especially within participatory or trust-based models.  

• Experience in convening, facilitation, or community capacity building.  

• Spanish or other language proficiency in addition to English.  

• Experience with grantmaking databases. 

Location and Travel

We are a primarily remote, U.S. based workplace, that operates largely on East Coast Time. For in-person work travel, the utmost care and regard for access needs, childcare needs, and Covid safety will be prioritized. In 2027, this estimate is roughly 3-6 trips. 

Benefits, Salary, & Location

The Emergent Fund offers a flexible four-day work week in a disability justice-centered workplace, along with a comprehensive, generous benefits package that includes: 

• 100% employer-paid medical and dental benefits (employee + dependents). 

• Flexible Spending Account  

• Retirement savings account with employer contribution. 

• Paid time off: 20 days vacation, 10 sick days, 13 holidays 

• Remote work environment. 

• Professional development funds for growth. 

• Paid family leave (eligible after a year). 

This opportunity is a remote position open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States and able to work in the US Eastern Time Zone.  

The starting salary for this role is $100,000. For equity and internal parity, title and salary are non-negotiable. All staff can expect transparent and values-aligned annual performance reflection processes that center accountability to movement and our partners, to ourselves in our own joy, purpose, and power, and to each other in our shared work of resourcing our movements. Our team shares their time as needed between Emergent Fund (C3) and Emergent Action Fund (C4).   

Emergent Fund is a commitment to abundance, care, and community around resourcing our movements. We aim to create a values-aligned, sustainable, and effective movement organization that balances transparent, collective power with the autonomy and trust that allows you to show up in your full power for movement and to own your work. As critical movement infrastructure, our highest work accountability is to deliver real material change and resources that our frontline movement partners need to protect our communities and build a thriving world. Here’s how that looks in practice: 

• Proactive, not Reactive: We sustain emergent strategy, not urgency and emergencies, to stay in our power and value community over crisis to meet the needs of organizers facing extraordinary conditions 

• 4-day, 32-hour work week. Staff have agency in determining their specific schedules, with the expectation that they are available and responsive during core hours of 10am-4pm local time. 

• Occasional unconventional work times may be needed to meet the needs of frontline organizers, for organizational strategic retreats, fast proposal/report turnarounds, partnerships/critical relational organizing opportunities, or for work travel that may happen outside of business hours and on weekend. 

• Highly Iterative: We are not afraid to take risks, experiment with new ideas and shift when needed 

• Generative Accountability: We commit to principles of transformative justice and being in right relationship to address conflict and tensions directly both internally and with partners 

• Highly collaborative: We collaborate with clarity about our specific roles and responsibilities, and meet weekly to discuss organizational updates and development 

The work of our team is centered on the core values of Assets Under Movement: Collaboration, Accountability, People First and Impact. We share a commitment to curiosity, growth and respect and are a lean team of doers and problem solvers. We are proud of our work in supporting the collective effort to make the world a more equitable and kinder place. The AUM+ environment is curious, flexible, committed, and willing to learn and grow as part of a small, collaborative team. As well as joyfully able to work in a start-up environment.  

At Assets Under Movement, we value a diverse, inclusive workforce, and we provide equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws. We welcome applicants with a range of experiences and encourage you to apply, even if you don’t meet all qualifications listed.