The Carmel Hill Fund is focused on helping young people in New York City, especially those growing up in vulnerable circumstances, become voracious readers who also have the skills, relationships, nurturing environments, and supports to thrive emotionally.

About the Organization

In 1986, The Carmel Hill Fund (CHF) was established and funded by William "Bill" Ruane, a respected investment professional, as a way to address educational inequities and to help young people receive the mental health support they deserve. Mr. Ruane was a hands-on, engaged philanthropist who worked closely with grantee partners, whom he considered to be the experts, to address issues of mutual concern. Each interaction ended with a question about what else he could do to be helpful.

Since his passing in 2005, CHF has strived to carry forward Mr. Ruane's vision and values-based approach to problem-solving by funding programs that encourage social and emotional learning, reading skills and motivation, and mental health supports. In the literacy space, this includes The Carmel Hill Fund Education Program (CHFEP), an initiative co-founded by Mr. Ruane with educators in Harlem to help students become avid readers that, in the past two decades, has been implemented across three cities: Monroe (Louisiana), Denver (Colorado), and New York City (New York).

In 2023, CHF launched a comprehensive, multi-year strategy planning process to maximize the generous resources Mr. Ruane provided to support the Fund's mission and to evolve our approach, systems, policies, and philanthropic model in support of our mission. This process is being led by CHF's newly appointed Executive Director with active support from our Trustees.

As part of the Foundation's new strategic direction, the CHFEP will sunset at the end of the 2024-25 school year and, starting in July 2025, we will focus our efforts fully on grantmaking in support of youth growing up in New York City, promoting literacy and supporting mental health initiatives in in systemically marginalized communities.

As we embark on our next chapter as a grantmaker, we will build on our founder and benefactor's legacy to deepen our impact in New York City by deploying more than $20M annually towards achieving our mission.

In the literacy field, we plan to deploy more than $5M annually in grants to support innovative efforts to address the systemic barriers that prevent many more young people from becoming voracious readers in a culture where their love of reading is supported at home, school, and in their communities. Through our grants and partnerships, we will seek to increase reading proficiency rates; help young people develop the motivation, confidence, and identity as readers; and provide access to culturally relevant and identity affirming reading materials throughout NYC. As a result, we hope more young people will be equipped to thrive in a knowledge economy and a pluralistic democracy.

Examples of current initiatives include:

Literacy Academy Collective's efforts to build and support a network of NYCPS schools to allow struggling readers to achieve academic success by bringing culturally relevant, structured literacy to students at the intersection of race, poverty, and disability.
The NYC Reads Initiative combines the collective effort of partner organizations with the strength inherent in the East Harlem, East New York, and South Jamaica communities to create a culture of literacy. At the heart of the NYC Reads Initiative is the belief that literacy is the key to all future learning and a shared commitment by all partners to work together to support children in attaining—and exceeding—reading proficiency.
Family engagement and evaluation efforts associated with NYC Public School's NYC Reads, a bold city-wide effort to provide all elementary school students with access to quality, research-based curricula that is supported by deep, intensive training and support.

Less about the Organization

About the Role

The Program Officer, Literacy, will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing the foundation's literacy initiatives in New York City. This newly-established position offers an exciting opportunity to identify, co-create, and steward the implementation of grantmaking strategies aimed at helping more young New Yorkers become voracious readers. As our point person in the NYC and national literacy community, you will assume leadership of executing CHF's literacy strategy, developing deep relationships with peers and partners, and will identify, manage, and support all active and potential partnerships. In collaboration across the CHF team and notably the Executive Director, you will source, recommend, and manage multi-year grants and philanthropic partnerships, establish co-funding opportunities with peers, develop and oversee impact measurement strategies, and provide additional support to grantee partners to help them succeed. Where possible, your efforts will be informed by and/or co-created with educators, parents/caregivers, and young people.

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Program Officer, Literacy will collaborate with the Program Officer, Adolescent Mental Health to develop and implement cross-functional programs and leverage opportunities focused on combating or dismantling systemic barriers. The Program Officers will also collaborate with the Grants Manager to design and implement grantmaking practices that align with the Fund's values and approach.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Program Development & Grantee Partnership

Lead the development and enhancement of innovative, evidence-based grantmaking programs that empower youth and young adults to achieve their full potential.
Develop multi-year strategic initiatives and build productive partnerships to advance literacy, particularly developing voracious readers, based on best practices, insights, as well as new ideas, through a combination of outreach, convening, and collaboration building.
Identify and/or design potential grantee programs; engage grantees through research, site visits and conversations using sufficient communication methods to establish interest and mission alignment.
Develop funding recommendations for the Executive Director and/or Trustee approval, execute the grantmaking process in partnership with the Grants Manager, and effectively steward approved grants to monitor impact and support the grantees' success.
Establish organizational priorities and goals as well as appropriate KPIs to monitor grant effectiveness and evaluate grants; synthesize and integrate the learnings to iterate CHF's program strategy.
Identify, prioritize, and explore key capacity building needs of grantee partners along with potential supports to elevate their impact and efficiency.
Stay up-to-date on the landscape of youth literacy challenges and opportunities in NYC, relevant public policies, and the latest research that may impact grantee programs and CHF strategy.
Nurture and promote thought leadership and, where appropriate, serve as a resource to grantee partners in their development of policy recommendations, advocacy efforts, and/or proposals to support programmatic goals.

Stakeholder Engagement & Field Building

Cultivate, nurture, and sustain trusting relationships with field leaders (NYC Public Schools and Library administrators, nonprofit leaders, researchers, elected officials, advocates, philanthropic peers, etc.) to inform program development, implementation, and management, as well as to learn and stay informed of field advancements and context.
Directly advocate with sector leaders, influencers, and government officials to advance CHF's mission and vision.
Represent CHF at community events, conferences, and meetings to raise awareness of the organization's mission and focus areas, periodically convening key coalition and working group meetings.
Develop and execute nimble communications tactics to share CHF's impact, insights, and the work of partners with other stakeholders.

Organizational Strategy and Leadership

Partner with the Executive Director in shaping organizational strategy, setting a bold vision for our literary programmatic strategy with input from the broader CHF team.
Facilitate opportunities for collaboration across CHF areas of focus, coordinating with the Foundation's other program to explore cross-program funding opportunities to support young New Yorkers.
Develop and monitor the annual budget for literacy grantmaking and associated expenses in collaboration with the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer.
Contribute to internal knowledge management through documentation of critical grantee work.
Contribute to the development of a grantmaking and grants management workflow that efficiently supports due diligence and the execution of grant agreements, payments, and reporting with an eye towards reducing the burden placed on grantee partners.
Serve as a culture builder and carrier helping to make CHF a best-in-class organization where all colleagues feel like they belong, are learning and growing with support from their supervisors and peers, and where their contributions are helping to advance our mission.
Provide leadership and mentorship to any future internal team members and/or external partners, promoting professional growth and development while fostering a collaborative and inclusive culture.

Who You'll Work With

As of July 2025, CHF will be a small, nimble, and highly collaborative team supporting NYC youth.

Internally:

You will report to the Executive Director.
You will work closely with your other colleagues (Program Officer, Adolescent Mental Health, Chief Operating Officer, Operations Manager, and Grants Manager) on organizational strategy and in support of our grantees.
You will interact with CHF's Trustees who approve organizational strategy, budget, and large grants.
This is not currently a supervisory position, though you will have the opportunity to provide input on potential future hires.

Externally:

In addition to the grantee partners and stakeholders referenced above, you will frequently collaborate with the working groups CHF is involved in to ensure our work aligns with broader efforts to achieve shared goals.

Prefered Skills and Experience

Deep understanding of the educational landscape and literacy challenges, preferably in New York City.
Passion for educational equity, a commitment to making a positive impact for historically under-resourced communities, and a track record of advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within an organization.
Minimum of 10+ years of professional experience, including 5 years of experience in program development and management, preferably in literacy or education-focused initiatives.
Strong leadership skills with experience in team building, management, and cross-sector convening.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage and inspire a wide range of stakeholders.
Demonstrated experience gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, and effectively communicating key ideas (in writing and presenting) from multiple sources to inform short- and long-term strategies.
Experience bringing an idea to fruition and working with multiple internal and external stakeholders to make it happen.
Bachelor's degree in Education, Public Administration, Social Work, or a related field; Master's degree preferred.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Carmel Hill Fund is committed to the inclusion of all qualified individuals in the hiring process, including but not limited to those with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodation(s) to participate in the application or interview process, please contact info@on-ramps.com.

Additional Details

Compensation

$180,000 - $205,000

The Carmel HIll Fund's compensation philosophy is based on our commitment to equity. Compensation for the role will depend on several factors including qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience.

Benefits

The Carmel Hill Fund offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical; 401(k) with employer contributions; paid time off; and additional optional pre-tax benefits.

Hybrid Work Model

On average, you will have the opportunity to work remotely 3 days per week, and are required to work from the midtown NYC office 2 days per week. This role will also require regular in-person touch points with external partners, site visits to grantee programs, and engagement in other community events. There are also opportunities to travel outside of NYC to attend professional conferences and observe other promising programs in action.

Equity at Organization

At our current inflection point, CHF is at the beginning of our organizational equity journey, though our executive leaders bring their own experiences with and commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Our promise is to champion diversity, build an inclusive culture, and actively participate in the creation of a more equitable world. We can't promise we'll always get it right, but we'll always put our people and our community first, striving for a sense of belonging for all.

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Program Officer, Youth Literacy