Program Director, Democracy and Civic Life

Program Director - Democracy and Civic Life

The Henry Luce Foundation seeks a Program Director to lead our Democracy and Civic Life grantmaking portfolio.

About the Henry Luce Foundation

The Henry Luce Foundation, established in 1936, is a private, nonprofit organization that seeks to enrich public discourse by promoting innovative scholarship, cultivating leadership, and fostering international understanding. With a focus on Democracy and Civic Life, Asia, theology, higher education, and public policy, the Foundation supports collaborative, community-engaged research and community-led solutions to the complex challenges that have created deep divisions and inequities in our society.

About the Democracy and Civic Life Initiative

The Democracy and Civic Life (DCL) Initiative works with grantees to reimagine and reinvigorate democratic culture and practice. The Initiative seeks to equip citizens for active citizenship, enhance and expand democratic participation, and disseminate promising new approaches. It has invested significantly in recent years in news and civic information, democratic innovation at the local level, and the defense of core democratic rights. The grantmaking budget in 2026 is $6 million.

Program Director Duties and Responsibilities

Working in partnership with the Vice-President for Programs, the Program Director, Democracy and Civic Life, is responsible for the overall direction of the program, its grantmaking, and assessment of its effectiveness. The Program Director develops program goals and strategies, identifies benchmarks, and tracks progress towards grantmaking goals. They also invite and assess proposals, design and launch special initiatives, represent the Foundation within the field of Democracy and Civic Life, and maintain deep awareness of trends and challenges within the field.

Equipping Citizens for Active Citizenship

• Access to news and information
• Education for the next generation of citizens
• Capacity building for communities and civil society organizations

Expanding and Enhancing Democratic Participation

• Development and testing of new democratic approaches
• Collaborative community-based visioning and problem-solving
• Defense of core democratic rights and privileges

Disseminating Successful Approaches

• Research and evaluation
• Convenings and publications
• Investment in successful models

Throughout the grantmaking cycle, the Program Director identifies potential grantee partners, recommends grants, and cultivates and maintains relationships with grantees and potential grantees. Specifically, the Program Director:

• Designs and implements initiatives, RFPs, and other strategies to elicit proposals that advance the program’s goals.
• Works closely with applicants and grantees as they develop, carry out, and evaluate projects.
• Selects proposals to be recommended for grants.
• Assesses the effectiveness of grantmaking strategies.
• Actively seeks to make connections among grantees and to connect grantees to resources they may need to carry out their work more effectively.
• Travels to deepen knowledge of the field, develop and maintain relationships, and explore new work and new partnerships.
• Communicates about the Program and its work to the Foundation’s Board, field leaders, and the public, including writing, making public presentations, and contributing to the Foundation’s communications channels.

Candidate Qualifications and Background

The ideal candidate has significant work experience in one or more of the fields of civic participation, civic education, democratic innovation, politics and government, news and civic information, community organizing, policy advocacy, community power building, etc. They should hold at least a bachelor’s degree, though a master’s in the social sciences, public policy, political science, labor studies, etc., is preferred. Experience in philanthropy is not required but practical experience as an organizational leader or project manager, or other kind of administrator is crucial, as it will help to demonstrate the candidate understands the challenges the grantees face.

Location and Travel

This position is based in our office in NYC; candidates are expected to travel within the US and internationally.

Benefits and Compensation

The Foundation provides a competitive benefits package, generous time off policies and optional hybrid work schedule with most employees on site on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The salary range for this position is $200,000- $230,000.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The Henry Luce Foundation is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.