Broad Reach Foundation is a private family foundation focused on promoting healthy ecosystems, coexistence, community resilience, and human well-being. The Foundation’s varied grantmaking priorities include toxic chemical reform, climate change, healthy ecosystems, the State of Maine, nutrition, careworker rights, the arts, and international human rights and diplomacy. Across its work, the Foundation seeks to nurture new ideas, champion underrepresented viewpoints, and advance innovative approaches that lead to sustainable change.

In 2025, the Foundation made approximately $49 million in grants across more than 550 awards. In 2026, the Foundation will increase its overall grantmaking budget to $60 million, reflecting both expanded ambition and deepened commitment across its core program areas. To support this growth while maintaining a high standard of strategic rigor, the Foundation is expanding its program team by creating two new full-time roles: a Program Officer for Climate and a Program Officer for Toxics.

Reporting to the Programs Director, the Climate Program Officer will play a central role in stewarding and evolving the Foundation’s Climate portfolio during a period of significant growth and complexity. The Program Officer will assume primary ownership of a defined subset of the Climate grantmaking portfolio, managing high-touch relationships with grantee partners and developing clear, well-reasoned recommendations for the Climate Grant Committee. The role is designed as a peer and strategic partner to the existing Climate Program Officer, with shared responsibility for advancing the overall Climate strategy and adapting the portfolio in response to a rapidly shifting policy, political, and field landscape.

Broad Reach Foundation is a fully remote organization with seven staff members and a Board of three family trustees. After operating quietly for its first twenty years, the Foundation hired its first program staff in 2022 and its inaugural Executive Director in 2023. Since then, Broad Reach has entered a period of meaningful growth: expanding its programs, budget, staffing, and public-facing presence while retaining the characteristics of a disciplined family foundation. The new Program Officer roles join the organization at a pivotal moment as it continues to sharpen its strategies and expand its impact.

The Opportunity

The Climate program funds ambitious, creative efforts to spur cities, states, national governments, public service commissions, farmers, investors, corporations, and other key actors to take urgent steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The program focuses on:

• Reducing methane emissions by addressing natural gas demand, utility accountability, and methane from agriculture, and by supporting strategies that accelerate a shift toward renewable energy.

• Expanding public awareness by supporting investigative journalism, lifting up the stories of the communities impacted by climate change, and countering climate disinformation.

The newly created Climate Program Officer position will work as a peer and strategic partner to the existing Climate Program Officer, who works part-time, and will play a central role in stewarding and evolving the Climate portfolio during a period of significant growth and complexity. Though this position reports to the Programs Director, who currently supervises program leadersfor multiple program areas, intellectual leadership and ownership of the Climate program will be shared by the two Climate program officers. The Climate Program currently includes approximately 68 grants annually, representing a mix of single- and multi-year awards for general operating support and targeted programs or projects. The Climate Program Officer will assume primary responsibility for a defined subset of the Climate portfolio, with an initial focus on methane- and natural gas–related strategies, including utility accountability, new load demand, reducing reliance on natural gas, and methane emissions from agriculture. The Program Officer will steward existing grantee relationships within this portfolio, identify new funding opportunities, and contribute to the ongoing refinement of Climate strategy in response to a rapidly shifting policy, political, and field landscape.

The Climate Program’s current 2026 budget is $7.1 million and is expected to grow in the coming years. As the portfolio evolves, the Climate Program Officer will have meaningful latitude to deepen the methane portfolio and/or explore adjacent areas of work aligned with the Foundation’s climate goals. In close partnership with the other Climate Program Officer, the role will help represent the Climate program internally and externally, build relationships with peer funders and field-level stakeholders, and develop clear, well-reasoned recommendations for the Foundation’s decision-makers.

Key Responsibilities:

• Get versed in the work: Become familiar with prior and current grantmaking in the Climate program and the underlying principles, strategies, and values guiding Broad Reach Foundation’s approach.

• Assume portfolio management responsibilities: Work closely with the existing Climate Program Officer and Program Director to assume responsibility for a subset of grants and relationships with a cross-section of grantees and other key stakeholders in the Climate field.

• Source new applicants: Identify and invite prospective applicants that advance the Climate strategy and complement the existing portfolio.

• Grant cycle preparation: Critically review proposals and budgets, conduct due diligence and gather external feedback, assess strategic alignment, and make funding recommendations. Prepare proposal summaries for grant dockets three to four times per year, as well as periodic “out-of-cycle” grants.

• Engage with the Climate Grant Committee: Prepare and present grant dockets to the Climate Grant Committee (comprised of Board members and external advisors). Develop context-setting memos and other materials that frame recommendations, articulate strategy pivots, share fieldlevel learning and grantee updates, and facilitate decision-making.

• Strategy development: Partner with the existing Climate Program Officer and Program Director to develop relevant strategy metrics, monitor progress of the portfolio and strategy over time, and advise on refinements to the strategy framework so the Foundation can have the greatest impact possible.

• Budget development and stewardship: Partner with the existing Climate Program Officer and Program Director to prepare the annual budget request, including outlining priorities for the coming year, highlighting accomplishments from the prior year, and capturing lessons learned that inform strategy evolution. Manage grant budgets throughout the year and support forecasting and internal planning as the program continues to grow.

• Grantee stewardship: Maintain trusted, productive relationships with grantees through informal and formal updates and check-ins. Serve as a sounding board, advocate, and connector. Provide constructive feedback on proposals and grant reports and solicit input to strengthen the Foundation’s strategy and grantmaking processes.

• Represent the Climate strategy to internal and external stakeholders: Provide periodic, candid updates to the Executive Director and Board that support informed decision-making and longterm strategic oversight. Publicly represent the Climate program and the Broad Reach Foundation within relevant field and funder spaces.

• Stay informed and engaged: Monitor current research, public policy, and nonprofit/philanthropic trends that influence the Climate strategy through engagement with professional networks, funder communities, and other field-level connections. Routinely engage in learning or professional development opportunities. Help identify periodic learning opportunities (such as site visits or guest speakers) for foundation staff and trustees.

• Convening and collaboration: Identify opportunities to convene grantees, stakeholders, and funding peers in support of shared goals, as appropriate to the Climate strategy.

• Understand and follow grants management processes for new applicants, existing grants, and renewals, including designing reporting requirements. Work closely with the Foundation’s Grants Administrator to ensure timely processing of grants, and with the program team as a whole to advise on process changes that will improve the grantee experience and reduce administrative burden.

• Maintain a strong working knowledge of rules governing private foundations and work with grantees and Foundation staff to ensure compliance with IRS rules, avoid conflicts of interest, and uphold the Foundation’s policies. Help coach applicants on the kinds of support the Foundation can or cannot provide.

• Invest in the success of the Foundation as a whole. Engage in organization-wide projects and planning, support colleagues as a thought-partner and collaborator, and bring a problem-solving mindset to organizational challenges. Identify cross-program opportunities for shared learning, improvement, and team connection.

Desired Qualifications

While no one candidate will embody all the qualifications enumerated below, strong candidates will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:

• At least 8-10 years of relevant experience and subject-matter expertise in climate or a closely related field. Demonstrated intellectual rigor and savvy across a range of relevant topics, as well as a working knowledge of major climate policy debates, the political context shaping climate work, relevant research, and key field actors, are important.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively and collaboratively across a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.

• Demonstrated analytical strength, including the ability to synthesize complex scientific, technical, and policy information and present clear, well-reasoned field-level or policy updates, learnings, and grant or strategy recommendations for decision-makers who are not immersed in the day-today work of the Climate program.

• Sound judgment and intellectual flexibility, including comfort advocating for a point of view while thoughtfully engaging with constructive feedback. A demonstrated willingness to stretch your thinking, explore new ideas, and seek out new perspectives.

• A disciplined yet hopeful approach to strategy and the Foundation’s potential impact, with the ability to adapt to new information, evolving contexts, and organizational shifts, and to navigate the current political headwinds and risks facing progressive funders and nonprofits.

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-volume environment with distributed leadership and significant autonomy.

• Excellent organizational and project management skills, with the ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with consistent attention to detail and deadlines.

• Cultural Competency & Relationship Building, including demonstrated ability to work effectively across diverse cultural, professional, and lived-experience contexts, including frontline advocates and organizers, scientists, tribal leaders, academics, and senior NGO leadership. Cultural humility, strong listening skills, and the ability to adapt communication and decision-making approaches to different knowledge systems, power dynamics, political beliefs, and community norms are important skills for this role.

• Experience working in or alongside the nonprofit sector; prior grantmaking experience and/or work with major donors or institutional funders is preferred but not required.

• Ability to work independently and thrive in a fully remote environment, balancing focused individual work with collaboration as part of a small, highly engaged staff team.

• A generous, curious, and collegial working style, paired with a sense of humor and grace under pressure.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook) and comfort learning new tools related to grants management and project coordination.

• High integrity and discretion, including the ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality, diplomacy, and sound judgment when representing the Foundation, its trustees, staff, partners, and grantees.

• Willingness to travel for two annual board and staff retreats, and with additional trips for site visits, convenings, and key field- or grantee-related meetings and conferences.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary and Benefits: Broad Reach Foundation offers competitive compensation with a salary range of $165,000 – $170,000, commensurate with skills and experience.

Comprehensive benefits include:

• Medical, vision, and dental insurance for the employee and dependents

• HSA contribution (for employees choosing a high-deductible health plan)

• 401(k) match of up to 5% of base compensation

• Long-term and short-term disability insurance

• 20 days of paid time off (PTO), 12 days of sick leave, and 13 paid holidays

• Professional development allowance to support ongoing learning and training

• Cell phone and home internet reimbursement

To Apply

Broad Reach Foundation is partnering with Allison Kupfer Poteet, Alejandra Villa, and Danielle Higa of NPAG on this search. Due to the pace of this search, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Candidates may submit their cover letter, outlining their interest and qualifications, along with their resume, via NPAG’s website.

Broad Reach Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and proudly values diversity. Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Broad Reach Foundation jobs

Program Officer, Climate Program