Program Analyst, Jewish Community and Israel

About Crown Family Philanthropies and Henry Crown and Company

Henry Crown and Company/CC Industries is a Chicago-based, privately-held company that manages business, philanthropic, and family interests on behalf of a multi-generational family.  The business ventures fall into broadly-defined categories: wholly-owned operating companies, public and private equity investments, and real estate. The enterprise employs approximately 350 professionals in the areas of investment management, corporate development, financial operations, tax, research and innovation, human resources, information technologies, philanthropy, and legal.

Crown Family Philanthropies (“CFP” or the “Foundation”) is the philanthropic division of Henry Crown and Company and supports the Crown Family’s philanthropic and grantmaking endeavors. In 2009, after more than 60 years of family grantmaking under the name Arie and Ida Crown Memorial, CFP was developed to represent and facilitate an array of family grantmaking practices. Today the legacy of Arie and Ida Crown lives on in the work continued by their descendants, who remain dedicated to the Jewish tradition of tikun olam, or “repairing the world.” Supported by a professional staff, CFP is led by more than 50 family members across multiple generations who come together to set strategy and make grantmaking decisions.

About the Jewish Giving Program 

The CFP Jewish and Israel Giving area is committed to building a vibrant pluralistic Jewish community with diverse opportunities for individuals and families to deepen their Jewish identity and their connectivity to the community. The portfolio focuses on the following areas: 

Education: Ensuring a range of pluralistic educational pathways to enhance Jewish identity​ 

Experiences: Supporting intentional, “deep” experiences that promote Jewish identity formation and meaningful relationships with Jewish peers​. 

Strong Dynamic Sector: Investing in leadership development, innovation, capacity building, and research & evaluation to meet the evolving needs of the Jewish community. 

Antisemitism/Anti-Hate: Supporting education, training, advocacy, bridge-building, and security to combat hate and antisemitism and secure the Jewish community. 

Health and Human Services: Care for the needs of the Chicago Jewish community and beyond through access to mental health, wellness, food, medical care, and inclusion services. 

In addition, CFP is committed to a successful Israel, focusing its grantmaking work on ensuring pathways for underrepresented groups in Israel to have equal access to the high-tech sector.  

Position Description

The Program Analyst will report to the Director of Jewish and Israel Giving and be part of a 6-person team. The team works in coordination with trustees through a committee structure to execute the Foundation’s Jewish Giving portfolio. The ideal candidate will have an authentic personal interest in building a robust pluralistic Jewish community. Moreover, successful candidates will have a natural intellectual curiosity and appetite for learning, coupled with the maturity to ask key questions and take on responsibilities and duties with confidence.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

Grantmaking analysis: 

• Support the team by assisting with proposal review, site visits, and vetting of proposals and reports. 
• In consultation with fellow team members, analyze nonprofit financial statements, program data, operational conditions, and alignment with committee funding priorities to determine organizational strength and effectiveness of current and proposed grantee partners. 
• Attend community, grantee and funder meetings and discussions as a foundation representative. Participate in sector collaborations to enhance understanding of emerging developments in relevant fields. Some travel is required. 

Research and writing: 

• Prepare write-ups and other materials needed for review of funding requests. 
• Assist program team to assess data and conduct landscape analyses of priority grantmaking areas. Research issues relevant to the portfolios and prepare summaries of news events and field research as needed prepare regular memoranda outlining primary findings and relationships to the portfolio’s goals and team’s areas of interest. 
• Manage communications with assigned grantees. 
• Support communications with committee members 

Grant cycle management and grant administration support: 

• Support planning, development and production of portfolio materials for grantmaking and strategy meetings. Coordinate with program staff, consultants in Israel, associates at Crown Family Foundation, and the CFP Grants Management team to manage multiple deadlines in the proposal review and meeting preparation process. 
• Provide administrative support needed to facilitate impact grantmaking and grant oversight, and ensure consistency, efficiency, and effective grantmaking practices across program areas. 
• Communicate grant cycle process requirements to grantees and applicants, responding to inquiries as needed; exercise judgment regarding managing deadlines and level of information shared with and gathered from grantee and candidate organizations. 
• Serve as liaison between Jewish and Israel program team, the Grants Management team, CFF and CFP administration to ensure the grants database is accurately maintained by implementing proper processes for proposals, grant recommendations, grant reports, and grant agreements, thus ensuring a seamless transfer of data and relevant information. 
• Review grantee progress reports and work with relevant program staff to determine if grant requirements have been met. 
• Actively participate in, support and contribute to Jewish Giving team meetings. 
• Coordinate meeting planning, site visits and other learning opportunities to increase family engagement. 

CFP Wide Activities: 

• Play a collaborative role within the Program team, seeking and providing guidance with CFP colleagues on issues pertinent to the role.  
• Participate in cross-functional teams that advance organizational aims around social impact and family engagement. 
• Engage in initiatives that foster team collaboration, including meetings, trainings, retreats, and special projects, taking the lead where interest, expertise, and opportunity coalesce.  
• Represent CFP in the broader philanthropic field at community, grantee, funder meetings, and conferences and other professional development opportunities, as appropriate.  

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or commensurate experience is required 
• Minimum of two years of experience that demonstrates knowledge and familiarity with the Chicago/national Jewish community through research and analysis, nonprofit program experience, development work or philanthropy (significant volunteer or internship roles can be considered as relevant experience) 
• A personal belief in the value of building a more pluralistic and vibrant Jewish community 
• Curiosity and passion for the future of the Jewish community 
• Superb organizational skills, including ability to manage simultaneous priorities, execute multiple tasks, and manage conflicting needs  
• Meticulous attention to detail, particularly when tackling administrative tasks and data entry 
• Ability to problem-solve independently and in groups 
• Willingness to take initiative and bring new concepts to the team 
• Demonstrated ability to act with humility, sensitivity, and discretion 
• Ability to analyze complex and controversial issues with objectivity and to discuss and write about such issues in a neutral, balanced, and thorough manner 
• Excellent oral and written communications skills, including ability to ask effective questions, listen, observe, and synthesize multiple inputs from diverse stakeholders with sensitivity, diplomacy, and professionalism 
• Ability to problem solve independently and as part of a team 
• Understanding of financial statements and other key indicators of organizational performance 
• Mastery of Microsoft Office and proficiency of PowerPoint and database or grants management systems 

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, individuals experiencing disability and BIPOC are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Henry Crown and Company/CC Industries, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.