**We will only accept applicant materials submitted through the "Applicant Directions" listed at the bottom of this position posting. Please do not use LinkedIn's EasyApply feature.**
?GAR Foundation seeks an analytical, community-minded, and personable education consulting professional to network with K-12 classroom educators, recruit new educator grant proposals, conduct site visits, monitor grant progress, support grantees, and help design shared-learning opportunities for grantees. The Educator Initiative Grant Liaison works with prospective, current, and past grantees from GAR Foundation's Educator Initiative Grant (EIG) program.
About GAR Foundation and the EIG Program
GAR Foundation is a private foundation based in Akron, Ohio, with roughly $200 million in endowment assets. Established in 1967, our mission is to help Akron become smarter, stronger, and more vibrant. Each year, we make approximately $7 million in strategic grants across our focus areas: Education; Economic, Workforce, and Community Development; Arts and Culture; and Basic Needs.
We created the Educator Initiative Grant (EIG) program in 2004, as an effort to support high-quality teaching and engaged learning in Summit County. Each year, the EIG program receives proposals from Summit County educators who have an innovative idea on how they can improve classroom learning and address their students' needs more effectively. EIG is a vehicle to catalyze classroom innovation, share and replicate best practices, and inform GAR's system-level grantmaking. Since inception, EIG has funded over 730 teacher-initiated, classroom-based projects across Summit County.
Specifics of the Role
The "what": The EIG Liaison is a contractor consultant position that coordinates and manages GAR's Educator Initiative Grants (EIG) program and is focused on developing relationships with K-12 educators to support teacher-led innovation in Summit County classrooms.
Contractor Deliverables:
Relationship Management and Support
Serve as the EIG program's primary contact, relationship manager, and thought partner to educators interested in the program.
Help ideate projects and build confidence in educators to submit proposals.
Use technology and virtual engagement tools to recruit new grant applicants.
Provide technical assistance tools for applicants to submit concise, well-written grant proposals.
Identify support and resources that grantees need to succeed.
Facilitate collaborative conversations with diverse groups.
Identify, communicate, and address areas of improvement for grantees.
Work with grantees to identify, document, and collect relevant outcomes and learnings.
Cultivate and build partnerships to enhance recruitment, educator support, and replication of promising new practices.
Evaluation Team Facilitation and Grant Review Process
Facilitate meetings with the EIG evaluation team (a group of nine educators) and oversee the grant review process.
Oversee annual EIG funding recommendations to the GAR Foundation board, incorporating input from the evaluation team for grant recommendations.
Write concise and accurate memos and formal funding recommendations with the help of GAR program staff.
Continuous Learning
Conduct occasional site visits of funded projects to document progress, successes, and learnings.
Review and present lessons learned from grantees' end-of-grant reports.
Recommend concrete actions and resources to help grantees learn and grow.
Seek opportunities to learn from grantees and share lessons from funded projects.
Identify and promote ways to share best practices to inform the education field.
Community Building
Build and maintain community relationships with K-12 classroom educators.
Create opportunities to collaborate and network among grantees and foster connections across broader constituencies.
Work with the GAR team to develop and promote content about funded projects.
Conduct virtual and in-person meetings with grantees.
Facilitate in-person meetings with the EIG evaluation team.
Annual EIG Program Timeline
Summer - Grantee Recruitment Phase
Late Summer to Fall - Pre-proposal Phase
Late Fall to Grant Deadline - Proposal Phase
Spring - Post-Proposal Phase
Year-Round - Grantee Relationship Cultivation
The who: The consultant will possess:
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to create productive and healthy relationships with a wide array of individuals.
The ability to facilitate diverse groups and design meaningful dialogues.
Tactful leadership when case-making and driving consensus within group dynamics.
A growth mindset and flexibility in adapting to shifting conditions.
Excellent communication skills (oral and written) and ability to inspire and motivate others through compelling messaging and presentations.
Exceptional ability to distill project highlights into simple, clear descriptions.
A customer-service mindset to recruit new applicants and support grantees.
The ability to work independently, drawing on their expertise while remaining open to feedback.
A high degree of self-awareness relative to strengths and opportunities for growth.
Familiarity with online platforms for creating virtual shared learning environments.
Very strong computer software skills: proficiency with Constant Contact, Canva, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Outlook.
Additionally, we are seeking someone with the following education and experience:
A background as an independent contractor and consultant is preferred.
An undergraduate or graduate degree in a relevant field such as teaching, education leadership, instructional design, or other education-related fields is highly desirable.
At least six years of experience working in the K-12 education sector.
Successful project management experience in a school or nonprofit business setting.
Evidence of strong commitment to creating more diverse, equitable, and inclusive programs and organizations.
Experience working collaboratively with teams, preferably including partners internal and external to an organization.
The how: The EIG Liaison must be an organized self-starter who can work independently with minimal guidance, develop new relationships to recruit applicants, and steward existing relationships with grantees. This individual will give and receive clear, constructive feedback with diplomacy, professionalism, and humility. They can critically anticipate issues before they arise, proactively identifying and mitigating potential risks and problem-solving challenges.
We are looking to work with a consultant who shares our five core values:
Curiosity - We continuously ask questions and learn about community issues and people's experiences.
Equity - We deal fairly and equitably with all parties, meeting people where they are.
Humility - We are aware of our place and role (both its positives and negatives).
Collaboration - We work jointly with partners.
Innovation - We are original and creative in our thinking and our approach to the work.
The where: The consultant must be located in Northeast Ohio to attend in-person meetings as needed. As an independent contractor, the EIG Liaison will have a flexible remote work schedule while meeting pre-determined deadlines and deliverables with GAR staff. The contractor can host meetings and use GAR's flexible office space in Downtown Akron to perform contracted services.
Contractor Fees, Estimated Work Hours, and Reimbursement
This contracted consultant position is budgeted for up to $55,000 annually at $100/hour for up to 550 hours a year. Work can be invoiced monthly for payment. The initial contract term will be for 12 months: January 2025 through December 2025, with an expectation of annual renewal contingent on achievement of contract objectives.
Based on past contracted services, we anticipate work hours to fall within this range per quarter: Q1 - 230-250 hours, Q2 - 50-70 hours, Q3 - 60-80 hours, and Q4 - 100-120 hours.
A pre-arranged hospitality and travel budget will be provided on a reimbursement basis.
Position reports to: Laura DiCola, Senior Program Officer for Education, is the primary contact; Rob Lehr, Vice President of Programs, is the secondary contact.
Applicant Directions
Applicants should send a cover letter and resume highlighting their qualifications and interest in this position to applicants@garfdn.org.
We request that you combine your documents into a single PDF file and name it "EIG Liason YourFirstName YourLastName."
Attach the PDF file to your email with the subject line "EIG Liason YourFirstName YourLastName."
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
The first round of interviews will begin in October 2024.
We kindly request no calls or emails other than to the designated email address.
GAR Foundation is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability status, or any other applicable characteristics protected by law. We embrace and celebrate diversity and strive to create genuine belonging for all.