Consultant for Funders Together to End Homelessness Los Angeles Chapter

Job Summary

SoCal Grantmakers (SCG) is a community of philanthropists working to make a difference in our communities. Our members include family, private, public, independent, community and corporate foundations and corporate giving programs, individuals, and government agencies.

We believe that a strong and informed giving community is essential to improving the quality of life for all Southern Californians. At SCG, we understand the region’s philanthropic community, we know our local nonprofits and civic partners, and we recognize the key issues they face. SCG connects grantmakers across Southern California through sector-wide conferences, trainings, networking opportunities and funder convenings—providing space for collaboration and coordinated action on critical issues. We support and advance effective grantmaking in eight Southern California counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura.

Our Vision

Philanthropy advances transformative change by collaborating with communities and across sectors to create a more equitable and thriving society.

Our Mission

SCG mobilizes philanthropy to learn and take bold actions by fostering an inclusive community of members and partners.

SCG Funders Group

SCG is committed to facilitating peer learning and collaboration within the philanthropic sector. We strive to serve as a convener and to elevate funder groups that are doing excellent work in our region.

SCG issue-based peer groups connect the broader philanthropic community to learn alongside one another. We convene these groups when we have a critical mass of funders interested in a given issue area, for example child welfare, arts, education, health, climate change, and more.

About this Project

Southern California is at a crucial moment in the fight to solve homelessness. The need to address housing and homelessness issues across our region demand collaborative efforts. Cross-sectoral partners are motivated and ready to collaborate, and the call to action is loud in both the public and private sectors. Many funders in our region are deeply engaged in this issue, while others are becoming increasingly interested due to the intersection of homelessness with other issues such as health, veterans affairs, economic well-being, etc.

The national organization, Funders Together to End Homelessness (FTEH), has long had a local chapter in Los Angeles and provides guidance and thought partnership for this work at a national level.

FTEH mobilizes its members to use philanthropy’s voice, influence, and financial capital to end homelessness by creating and advancing lasting solutions that are grounded in racial and housing justice, driven by love and disruption, and centering people with lived expertise. Recognizing that all politics is local, “regional networks” actualize FTEH’s national vision for housing justice in local space and time, embracing principles of solidarity to minimize institutional egos for the sake of true collaboration.

At a local level, our chapter is in need of additional capacity and support in order to better educate funders, deepen coordination, and make the most of this once-in-a-generation opportunity. We are excited to now have additional bandwidth with support from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to grow this body of work.

SCG seeks to retain a consultant to coordinate the Los Angeles chapter of Funders Together to End Homelessness. SCG will serve as the backbone organization, with a steering committee of SCG members to guide the work, including the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, United Way of Greater Los Angeles, the Weingart Foundation, California Community Foundation, and CSH.

With supervision from SCG, the consultant will manage steering committee operations (scheduling meetings, crafting agendas, taking notes) and execute activities as directed (primarily funder education sessions, with additional work and/or convenings TBD as necessary). The consultant will work to determine content topics, plan sessions, identify, secure, and prepare speakers, work with SCG’s communications team and the steering committee to draft communications, facilitate sessions, and collaborate with the steering committee and SCG to strategically develop the group over time based on members’ interests, capacity, and emerging opportunities.

Project Objectives

Produce engaging, meaningful events and other programming of interest to members of the steering committee as well as other funders whose work may relate to housing/homelessness, to increase understanding of and engagement with these issues in our region.
Explore and facilitate (as appropriate) scalable collective action opportunities for steering committee members to work together toward a strategic goal or set of goals, potentially including narrative change, policy/advocacy, etc.
Strengthen the connection between the local chapter and other organizations including Funders Together to End Homelessness national and United Way of Greater Los Angeles’ Home For Good Funders Collaborative, to ensure that Funders Together-Los Angeles is complementing and leveraging existing work and networks.

Duration

Through the end of 2025, starting as soon as possible. The contract may be extended pending resources and performance.

At the end of 2025, the steering committee members will determine the long-term sustainability of the group by assessing availability of/need to secure additional funds to keep the group active.

Responsibilities

Facilitation

Organize and facilitate all aspects of steering committee meetings, including scheduling, preparation of agenda and materials;
Maintain Action Log (in which the facilitator records who has agreed to do what and by when) and send frequent updates to all members;
Facilitate decision-making, seeking consensus and addressing dissent or conflict as it arises.

Program Planning (webinars, in-person events, etc.)

In partnership with steering committee, design, implement and evaluate quarterly educational events in the form of funder briefings, webinars, and/or in-person programming.
Serve as liaison with program speakers during program development.
Conduct research and stay abreast of current trends, to analyze implications for the philanthropic sector.

Partnerships with Philanthropy

Serve as a key point of contact between Funders Together-Los Angeles and partner organizations by attending meetings, making connections, and considering how best to leverage respective work and strengths.
Represent the voice of philanthropy at homelessness/housing tables.
Attend national Funders Together meetings on behalf of FTEH-LA, include the 2024 Funders Institute July 8-9 in Washington, D.C.
Participate in UWGLA’s bi-monthly Funders Collaborative meetings, and, where available and appropriate, addition UWGLA hosted homelessness and housing meetings/events to support alignment of effort and maximization of shared member experience.
Engage with individual philanthropic partners (approximately 4-5) through check-in calls periodically (e.g. quarterly)

Reporting

Prepare reports on accomplishments, including support for SoCal Grantmakers’ effort to provide timely grant reports to funders of the group;
Maintain records and archives of the group with the administrative assistance of SCG staff.

Other duties as mutually agreed upon.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will bring the following professional qualifications and personal attributes:

At least 5 years of experience related to the issue of housing/homelessness; lived experience is considered an asset;
At least 2 years of experience facilitating groups or managing diverse coalitions; strong knowledge and experience with facilitation techniques and tools and group process techniques;
A strong commitment to racial justice;
Strong interpersonal and communication skills , including public speaking skills and the ability to work with diverse personalities and bring them to consensus;
Ability to produce user-friendly and compelling written reports;
Diplomatic, professional approach to problem solving while working independently or on a team;
Ability to manage several tasks/projects concurrently and prioritize work effectively;
Must be a self-starter;
Knowledge of Southern California not-for-profit and social justice organizations and the Greater Los Angeles Region political landscape;
Experience in collaborative planning and/or budgeting;
Demonstrated emotional intelligence and a sense of humor.
Experience working with philanthropy

Salary & Benefits

This is a contract position for an independent consultant and will not be an employee of SCG. The budget is $40,000-$50,000 per calendar year for what is anticipated to be approximately 16 hours/month of work, though work may not be evenly distributed over the course of the year. The consultant’s budget should include any necessary technology, local travel, food, and materials. Additional funding is available to support travel to the national Funders Together to End Homelessness Funders Institute.

How to Apply

To Apply, Please Submit:

A summary of your interest and relevant experience/qualifications, not to exceed three pages.
A list of past clients and/or references.
Relevant background information on team members.