We believe a healthy arts and culture sector helps a city thrive. Do you want to help make Indianapolis a city that delivers on the promise of A Full Creative Life for All? The Arts Council of Indianapolis is seeking a Director of Community Investment who has a passion for grantmaking, and a deep understanding of best practices, to join our growing leadership team.
Position overview
The Director will oversee grantmaking investments for artists and arts organizations including general operating support, professional development grants, project support, capacity-building grants, and the fellowship awards. This includes developing guidelines, managing the grant review process, conducting site visits, and evaluating the impact of the investments on grantees and the Indianapolis community.
The Director will work with Arts Council staff and board members, arts and culture CEOs and grant contacts, artists, city officials, and local foundations. This person will be a strong arts and culture advocate with an ability to develop positive relationships with and influence senior- and executive-level leaders and a diverse range of community stakeholders.
The Director’s work will help inform the final grant decisions made by the Arts Council’s Board of Directors. This position will be based in central Indiana and will report to the Vice President of Community Impact & Investment.
Major Areas of Responsibility
ACI Leadership
- Serve as an advisor to the Vice President and President, and function as part of the Arts Council’s senior staff team.
- Support the ACI team in its annual advocacy campaign to support the growth of the City of Indianapolis and Capital Improvement Board funding for local arts organizations.
- Supervise one coordinator and several subcontractors for special projects.
Grantmaking (70%)
- Provide staff support for the Arts Council’s Board Grants Committee.
- Develop, implement, manage, and evaluate all activities relating to an annual grantmaking portfolio of $2.5 million that serves 70+ nonprofit organizations and hundreds of individual artists.
- Develop, implement, manage, and evaluate all activities relating to special and one-time-only subgranting program portfolios that can range from $150,000 to $10 million from national, state, and local sources–public and private.
- Counsel artists and arts organizations on Arts Council grant applications; review applications, coordinate panel reviews, and manage all grant reporting.
Outreach/Impact Reporting (30%)
- Identify, recruit, and coach new applicants: artists and arts organizations.
- Develops and convenes workshops for Arts Council grant opportunities, and also partners with other funders to promote their grant opportunities.
- Build relationships with grantees, funders, and arts-funding policymakers in ways that expand equitable access to Arts Council funding.
- Track and produce the annual impact reports of regranting programs supported by local foundations and the City of Indianapolis.
- Conduct quantitative and/or qualitative data analysis to identify and track grant investment impacts and identify disparities including those based on race, disability, and LGBTQ status within the 8-county central Indiana region.
Background/Experience
- Bachelor’s degree desired and Master's degree preferred. Extended experience applicable to this grantmaking role will be considered in place of a degree.
- Relevant experience as part of the leadership team of an arts and culture nonprofit, foundation, and/or public agency.
- Analytic and data management skills, ability to interpret social science research as it relates to arts and culture programs, as well as racial disparities.
- Grant writing experience.
- Budgeting, scenario planning, and data-tracking skills.
- Excellent contract compliance and quality assurance skills.
- Knowledge of grantmaking processes, systems, and best practices.
- Online grant application and grant database management experience.
- Bilingual in Spanish is a plus.
ABOUT THE ARTS COUNCIL OF INDIANAPOLIS
The Arts Council of Indianapolis is an independent nonprofit dedicated to fostering meaningful and equitable engagement in the arts by nurturing a culture where artists and arts organizations thrive. As the arts advocacy and service agency for Indianapolis, the Arts Council is responsible for promoting Indy’s arts and culture sector by growing our reputation, creative economy, audience, and community engagement in ways that sustain A Full Creative Life for All.
We offer a competitive annual salary plus benefits including 100% employee health insurance (which includes medical, dental & vision), 5% retirement fund contributions (after 1 year of employment), paid time off, and flexible work. Requires residence in the central Indiana area for access to the ACI office and performance of regular in-person obligations, subject to COVID safety protocols.
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