ABOUT US

The New York Community Trust (“The Trust”) is one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the country. For the past century, The Trust has honored the wishes of donors who have entrusted them with their financial legacies to make lives better in the place they love. The Trust is a philanthropic leader in New York City, Westchester, and Long Island, delivering nearly $200 million in grants in 2023 and more than $2 billion in the past decade. Today, in addition to a distinguished competitive grantmaking program, The Trust hosts donor-advised funds (“DAFs”) that make grants throughout the United States and donor collaboratives that work on the leading edge of philanthropy to improve the lives of New Yorkers. The Trust has long been a leader in the field, with innovations ranging from establishing the first donor-advised fund in the 1930s to making landmark grants, including the first to fight AIDS, build the High Line, support immigrant communities, and respond quickly in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 

FELLOWSHIP ELIGIBILITY AND DETAILS

• Applicants must be in a full-time graduate program.
• Applicants must have existing authorization to work in the United States.
• This is a temporary and time-limited Fellowship. Fellows must start by June 3, 2024 (date flexible but most start between May 28 and May 30, 2024). The Fellowship ends in May 2025. Fellows must commit to the entire period.
• Fellows must remain enrolled as full-time graduate students for the entire Fellowship.
• Fellows’ field of graduate study must match an aspect of the Fellowship.
• Fellowships are intended as learning experiences to complement Fellows’ graduate study.
• This is not an entry-level position at The Trust or intended to lead to one.

POSITION DESCRIPTIONS

Promising Futures (Fellowship 1)

Trust grants build promising futures by helping young people prosper; provide job training and placement; make our educational and justice systems work for everyone; alleviate hunger and homelessness; improve family and child welfare services; strengthens arts education; and address the unique needs of girls and young women.

Thriving Communities (Fellowship 2)

Trust grants protect and create affordable housing, promote equity in the arts, improve civic engagement, and protect our environment. The Trust supports agencies working on these issues at the neighborhood level, as well as government and nonprofit institutions developing and influencing policy. Grants also support efforts to improve the functioning of nonprofits and government.

Healthy Lives (Fellowship 3)

Trust grants develop the skills, improve independence, and enhance the quality of life of older adults and people with disabilities. And, as health care changes, The Trust helps health and social service providers deliver efficient, cost-effective services to all New Yorkers. It also advances the practice of social work. Grants support projects that improve the quality of care, strengthen providers, and address costs and health disparities.

Marketing and Communications (Fellowship 4)

The Marketing and Communications Fellow is a dynamic role that allows the candidate to gain a deep understanding of nonprofit communications and marketing in a collaborative and fast-paced environment. They will be involved with social media production, press and media outreach, developing and executing communications strategy, event publicity, research on communications products and software, user experience optimization, and accessibility. They will work directly with a five-person team, and indirectly with our donor and grantmaking staff. The Marketing and Communications Fellow will help share and publicize The Trust’s work. Through a range of assignments, the Fellow will learn about promising work being done by leading nonprofits across a wide range of issues facing New York City and beyond.

Lorie. A. Slutsky Philanthropy Fellow (Fellowship 5)

This Fellowship is named for the third President of The Trust who retired in 2022 and endowed through contributions from Trust donors, board, and staff and other foundations. This Fellow will be housed in the General Counsel’s office but will work with other Trust departments. The Fellow will focus on significant issues affecting community foundations and the philanthropic sector (e.g., proposed changes in donor-advised fund rules, trends in philanthropy, assisting with collaborative funds, etc.). The Fellow will support Trust staff in specific administrative, programmatic, donor, and legal projects and work closely with other Fellows.

REQUIREMENTS

The three Program Fellows (Fellowship 1 to 3) will be exposed to all areas of The Trust’s competitive grantmaking: proposal review, grant investigation and analysis, site visits (virtual, if appropriate), writing grant recommendations, and reviewing reports. A major responsibility is monitoring grantee performance and writing of interim and final progress reports. Candidates must have strong writing skills; a background in one or more of the focus areas; an ability to communicate orally and in writing with nonprofit and/or grantee staff and leadership; the capacity to work independently and in a timely manner; and function within a professional office environment. Fellows work under the supervision of program officers for each area.

The Marketing and Communications Fellow’s (Fellowship 4) work will include, but not be limited to, producing social media content which may involve videography and video editing; conducting research related to marketing and communications; producing written content for print and online audiences, interviewing grantees and donors; and archiving content. The Fellow should have excellent writing, proofreading, and research skills; a commitment to detail and accuracy; strong organizational skills; an ability to work both independently and as a team member. Helpful skills include: photography, videography, and experience with website design, user experience, search engine optimization, and accessibility. The Fellow will work under the supervision of the marketing and communications team.

The Lorie. A. Slutsky Philanthropy Fellow (Fellowship 5) should have excellent research, writing, and proofreading skills; a commitment to detail and accuracy; strong organizational skills; an ability to work both independently and as a team member. Because much of the analysis that will be done by this Fellow will relate to philanthropic rules, regulations, and legislation, there is a preference for law school students with legal research and writing experience. This Fellow will work under the supervision of the General Counsel’s office.

COMPENSATION

Fellowship pay is $25 an hour. The position is on-site at our New York office and we provide several remote options (holiday remote week, summer remote, monthly remote days, etc). Fellows are eligible for paid federal holidays and state-mandated safe/sick leave. Fellows also receive pay for the one week at the end of the summer when The Trust is closed (August 26 to 30, 2024). Fellows work up to 35 hours a week from May 2024 through August 2024 and, to accommodate class schedules, 15 to 20 hours a week between September 2024 to May 2025.

The New York Community Trust is a qualifying nonprofit organization as defined by the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. As such, Trust employees may claim their employment time on their PSLF application.

HOW TO APPLY

Please apply through The Trust’s HRIS platform, Paylocity. Please upload your resume, cover letter, and a short writing sample as a single PDF document. Writing samples should be between 500 and 1500 words and solely authored by the candidate.

You may only apply for one of the Fellowships. If we conclude that your qualifications may fit a different Fellowship than the one for which you applied for, we will share your application with other hiring teams. We will consider each response carefully but will contact only those individuals whose candidacies we seek to pursue.

Applications must be received by 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 20, 2024.