Job Description

On July 17, 2023, the Bezos Earth Fund (BEF) launched Greening America’s Cities, a new, multi-year, $400M initiative to invest primarily in community environmental justice organizations through 2030. In 2023, $50M will be granted to 24 urban greening organizations and 6 national partners providing technical expertise and support in five cities around the US, including Albuquerque (as well as Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Wilmington, DE). In every city, BEF will partner with a community foundation or local partner to place a jointly identified Community Fellow to serve as a resource to BEF-funded grantees in the community and to collaborate across other cities in the initiative.

As the only statewide community foundation, New Mexico Foundation’s mission is to steward community resources, build partnerships, and create opportunities that transform lives throughout New Mexico. Our priority fields of interest are healthy communities, rural infrastructure, educational opportunities, community resilience and environmental adaptability. Our values are centered on rural communities, equity and fairness, local leadership and experience, respect for traditions and culture, partnerships, sustainability and transparency.

New Mexico Foundation will host a Bezos Earth Fund  Community Fellow. The Fellow will work closely with BEF to ensure resources invested in the community have maximum benefit for the community. The Fellow will serve in a coordinator role, interfacing closely with the New Mexico Foundation and collaborating with and among community organizations such as those funded by BEF as part of the Greening America’s Cities initiative cohort, including Las Jardines Institute and Agri-Cultura Cooperative Network in Albuquerque. Under the coordination of the Fellow, these partners will help to design and build more green spaces in the community, liaise with local, state, and federal government to ensure policies are in place to protect and preserve the community’s green spaces and increase access to them, and connect with peers in other Greening America’s Cities sites to share best practices and exchange resources. This is a unique opportunity for a person who has a passion for and commitment to environmental justice, demonstrated excellence in community-building and engagement, and is excited to contribute creatively and strategically to the missions of New Mexico Foundation, Los Jardines Institute, Agri-Cultura Cooperative Network and the BEF’s vision of transforming communities through nature. This position will report dually to a New Mexico Foundation and the BEF Greening Americas Cities program manager.

Position Responsibilities

  • Serve as the primary liaison and relationship manager to BEF’s Greening America’s Cities (GAC) initiative in Albuquerque, working with and for BEF-funded grantees in Albuquerque and aligned organizations and initiatives connected to the New Mexico Foundation and its partners.
  • Support BEF-funded grantees in the Albuquerque market to develop a shared vision for success of the GAC Initiative in Albuquerque.
  • Facilitate technical support to Albuquerque grantees through BEF’s national experts to ensure effective delivery aligned with grantee needs and the goals of the Initiative.
  • Organize regular convenings and/or trainings responsive to the needs identified by grantees and in partnership with the New Mexico Foundation.
  • Build systems to ensure active information sharing between grantees in Albuquerque and across each of the other GAC cities, identifying where possible common areas of interest for cutting edge implementation, policy options and/or collaborative problem-solving.
  • Facilitate needed community engagement with elected officials at the local, state and national level in support of current and future project delivery.
  • Explore and advance potential funding opportunities to build upon the initial BEF investment in Albuquerque and to leverage existing government and philanthropic relationships to generate new dollars for long-term sustainability.
  • Work with grantees in Albuquerque to design a communications strategy, and with support from New Mexico Foundation, engage a communications firm or professional consultant to deliver on this plan.
  • Contribute to initiative-wide evaluation, impact assessment and strategy activities to support the evolution of the initiative over time.

Experience and Skills

  • Proven project management skills – from conception to design to implementation.
  • Minimum seven to ten years of experience delivering results in the community and relevant sectors, including experience working with diverse community-based organizations, community leaders, government agencies, and associated stakeholders in the Albuquerque area.
  • Demonstrated skills in facilitation, relationship building, partnership management and collaborative planning/delivery.
  • A well-developed network of relationships and deep understanding of Albuquerque’s environmental and climate justice and greening ecosystems.
  • Comfort and competency with working through adaptive challenges where solutions are not yet developed.
  • Possess some familiarity with the broad range of urban greening options available for implementation in the Albuquerque area.
  • Experience communicating effectively and working collaboratively with diverse people and communities.
  • Ability to collaboratively lead through networking, facilitating, and problem-solving.
  • Experience advancing policy and or structural changes in the public or private sectors.
  • Strong orientation and commitment to racial equity, equitable results, and community voice.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Ability to self-start with input from diverse interests.
  • Strong orientation to results, systems thinking, and learning.

Salary  range $80,000-$90,000

Benefits include New Mexico Foundation’s holiday time off, vacation and sick leave, health insurance, dental and vision insurance, life insurance, short and long-term disability insurance, and a 401(k) plan.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, send your resume and a one-page cover letter to Nancy Pope, Development & Operations Director, New Mexico Foundation, at npope@newmexicofoundation.org.

Application Deadline

Monday, November 20, 2023

Equal Opportunity Employment

NMF is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity.  It is our policy to encourage and support equal employment opportunity for all applicants without regard to gender, age, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, sexual preference or orientation, gender identity, spousal affiliation, marital status, military/veteran status, handicap or disability or membership in any other protected group.

Americans With Disabilities Act

Applicants as well as employees who are, or become, disabled must be able to perform the essential job functions either unaided or with reasonable accommodation. The organization shall determine reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case basis in accordance with applicable law. 

The New Mexico Foundation

Established in 1983, New Mexico Foundation (NMF) supports the diverse people, communities, and nonprofits throughout our state. As the only statewide community foundation, NMF has distinguished itself as a nationwide leader in philanthropy through our trust-based, grassroots approach. We work to improve the quality of life for all residents of New Mexico in three main ways:

  1. We establish funds to provide grants, partnering with local and national philanthropic organizations to build programs and provide community funding.
  2. We provide investment management and services for donor-advised funds and agency endowments.
  3. We sponsor 80 small community organizations as their fiscal agent while they focus on their mission and build capacity over time to stand on their own.

Bezos Earth Fund

The Bezos Earth Fund was announced by Jeff Bezos on February 17, 2020, with the goal of combatting the climate crisis and driving a nature-positive future. The $10 billion grant commitment will be disbursed by 2030, the date by which the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals must be achieved. The first grants were made in November 2020, and to date $1.63 billion has been disbursed.

As we deliver on our mission, we are focused on harnessing the best available science and assessing political, economic, social, and technological factors to identify barriers and opportunities where our support will have maximum impact. Implementing our ambitious goals will require new ways of working. No single set of actors can deliver success. We need all hands-on deck: governments, NGOs, communities, the corporate sector, and philanthropies. Science, evidence and a commitment to justice will drive our work.

Disclaimer:  The above information indicates the general nature and level of work performed by this position.  It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this position.  NMF has the right to revise this position description at any time.  This position description is not a contract of employment and does not alter employee’s at-will employment status.