Executive Director

Philadelphia, PA, United States

The Leeway Foundation supports women and trans

artists and cultural producers working in communities at the

intersection of art, culture, and social change. Through their

grantmaking and other programs, they promote artistic expression

that amplifies the voices of those on the margins, promotes

sustainable and healthy communities, and works in the service of

movements for economic and social justice. At a pivotal moment of

change with Leeway’s long-time leader moving on, Leeway now invites

applications and nominations for its next Executive

Director .

The Executive Director will lead an exemplary staff, in

partnership with a committed board, to continue to fund the

impactful work of cultural producers in the Philadelphia area,

expand resources deployed to support grantees and applicants, and

influence the field of philanthropy to shift power to artists and

communities they support.

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

Leeway believes that art is a vital tool for community building,

self-expression, and individual and collective transformation. Art

can bridge differences, center those who have been on the margins,

and challenge and connect communities and individuals to live in

peaceful coexistence. The organization and its people envision a

world in which art flourishes in many forms as the cultural life

blood of communities, where all have access to creative expression

regardless of who they are, and where art and art-making is

considered an essential element of our collective efforts to create

a more just, peaceful world where all can live in dignity. Leeway’s

guiding values are community, diversity, continuity, integrity,

opportunity, originality, and social impact, as further detailed on

its website.

At present, Leeway invests in artists through a range of

grantmaking programs and other supports, including:

Susan DiPronio (ACG'07, LTA'13)

Sistah Mafalda (ACG'13, WOO'17)

Rasheedah Phillips & Camae Ayewa (ACG'07, LTA'15), aka

Black Quantum Futurism

Sosena Solomon (ACG'13, LTA'14)

Art and

Change Grant (ACG) provides grants of up to $2,500 for

projects by women, trans, and/or gender nonconforming artists and

cultural producers living in Greater Philadelphia and working on

art for social change. Awarded projects must be supported by or in

collaboration with a change partner (person, organization, or

business that is part of the project).

Leeway

Transformation Awards (LTA) are unrestricted annual

awards of $15,000 to women, trans, and gender non-conforming

artists and cultural producers living in Philadelphia who have a

track record of creating art for social change that impacts a

larger group or audience.

Media Artist + Activist Residency (MAR) provides grants of

$25,000 (a $15,000 grant to the artist and a $10,000 grant to the

organization) for work that documents, reframes, and/or amplifies

the issues and campaigns addressed by the partnered organizations.

The aim of this residency is to reveal and extend the ways that

artists and the artistic process can work within organizations

working towards social change.

Window

of Opportunity (WOO) provides financial assistance of up to

$1,500 to previous Leeway grant and award recipients who use the

funds to take advantage of time- sensitive opportunities to support

their art for social change. Those opportunities could be training

or development workshops, conferences, residencies, travel, costs

associated with documentation of a project, rental of equipment,

purchase of materials, or payment of services for outreach or

distribution.

Community

Care Fund (CCF) provides financial assistance to Leeway

grant and award recipients experiencing emergency needs. While

planned to sunset, this fund grew out of Leeway’s COVID-19 Relief

Fund and is an example of the organization’s responsive and

holistic support for its community.

Funded by an initial gift from Philadelphia-based artist Linda

Lee Alter in 1993, Leeway Foundation was established “to promote

the welfare of women and to benefit the arts” in the five-county

Philadelphia area and “encourage their increased recognition and

representation in the arts community.” Through the leadership of

outgoing Executive Director Denise Brown, Leeway’s commitment to

funding women, trans, and gender-nonconforming artists and cultural

producers creating work at the intersections of art, culture, and

social change came about as the result of the foundation’s

intention of finding ways to more fully live out its mission, as

did its participatory grantmaking model. To learn more about

Leeway’s history, please visit: www.leeway.org/about/history .

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FACING THE NEW EXECUTIVE

DIRECTOR

As the Leeway Foundation looks towards the future, staff and

board have identified this leadership transition as an inflection

point between “Leeway 2.0” and “Leeway 3.0” and are excited about

how the next phase of the organization will build on and expand

support for people and work at the intersection of arts, culture,

and social change. As Leeway’s senior leader, the next Executive

Director will work with board and staff to maintain and steward a

healthy and welcoming organization, increase resources for local

grantmaking, and continue to influence shifts in national

philanthropy toward redistribution and ceding power. Areas of

opportunity for the next Executive Director include the

following:

Identifying Leeway’s Role Today

Just as Leeway has evolved, the set of circumstances in which

cultural workers and activists operate has changed over time. The

next Executive Director will likely bring an informed perspective

on what artists working on social change need at this moment and

how Leeway can support them, and then refine and further develop

that perspective as they move into the role and learn from Leeway

staff, board, grantees and awardees, applicants, and other

partners. While Leeway’s vision and mission are clear, there is

ample room for a new leader to advance the organization’s work in

ways that respond to the current context and anticipate future

needs and opportunities in the field and community.

Influencing Philanthropy to Shift Power

Under Denise’s leadership, Leeway has shifted from a family

foundation to a field- leading progressive funder where staff

support the professional development and personal wellbeing of

applicants and grantmaking decisions are made by peer artists and

cultural workers, activists, and organizers. This approach was made

possible by the founding family’s visionary decision to cede power

to artists and to make way for community stewardship of resources.

Now, Leeway is positioned to build on its existing national

reputation to influence other philanthropies to follow in its

footsteps or find other ways of grantmaking that meaningfully shift

decision making power and financial resources to grantees and

broader community. The next Executive Director will be able to

leverage their own network, Leeway’s current supporters, and the

many successes of the past two decades to influence, assist, and

potentially consult to other grantmakers undertaking their own

journeys of transformation.

Expanding Resources to Increase Impact

Currently, Leeway’s operations and grantmaking work are

primarily funded by returns from its endowment. In order to

increase the size and/or number of grants Leeway awards annually,

the next Executive Director will likely want to engage with

funders, potentially including individual donors and/or allied

philanthropies, who may be interested in funding the organization

as an intermediary supporting artists and arts for social change.

The Executive Director will serve as chief storyteller for Leeway

and take the lead in developing and stewarding these funding

relationships. They will need to identify (and, if necessary,

increase) organizational capacity to support partnerships and

resource development work over time.

Building a Hybrid, Place-Based Paradigm

Leeway is a place-based organization focused on funding,

supporting, and building the skills and capacity of artists working

to advance social change in six Philadelphia-area counties. A key

part of Leeway’s approach to building community has historically

been through offering grantmaking support, professional

development, and showcase events in person to help foster long-term

relationships between staff, board members, partner organizations,

and artist applicants and grantees. At the start of the pandemic,

the foundation pivoted to a virtual model, and has since adopted

hybrid formats for both its workplace and its community-oriented

programming. The next Executive Director will explore the question

of what it means to do place-based work in a “post”-pandemic

reality by developing flexible, inclusive, intentional strategies

for convening and working that uphold Leeway’s value of radical

hospitality while also making best use of limited resources and

responding to the current norms and community needs.

Stewarding Organizational Culture and

Development

Leeway staff and board members work together with respect,

appreciation, and shared commitment to the artist communities they

serve. As long-serving board members roll off, the next Executive

Director will need to invite the board to build its membership and

enter into new ways of working together. Honoring and fostering

organizational values and culture while further strengthening

governance muscles will be key to Leeway’s future.

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate will possess many of the following

professional and personal abilities, attributes, and

experiences:

A nuanced understanding of equity and justice values and

movements (including but not limited to gender justice, racial

justice, disability justice), with an analysis of and demonstrated

approach to work that centers on shifting resources and building

community

Understanding of the fundamental and unique role artists and

culture work play in social change work and ability to communicate

Leeway’s impact in this system to a wide variety of

Collaborative and responsive leader with deep respect for

others’ contributions, insights, and ways of working.

Experience leading organizations or people and programs through

change to new ways of working that deepen, broaden, or shift

impact. Appreciation of the importance of listening and

understanding and honoring history in transformation work and

balancing “what is” and “what has been” with “what could ”

Enthusiasm for place-based work and either appreciation for or

curiosity about the rich assets, diverse communities, and unique

context of the Philadelphia

Demonstrated ability to build organizational resources for

impact through development and/ or partnership

Strong oral and written communication skills, including

demonstrated capacity to represent an organization’s work with

authenticity and enthusiasm to external

Management experience, including financial management,

operational oversight, and staff management and

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The starting salary for the Executive Director is $130,000 –

$147,000 and is aligned with Leeway’s organizational salary bands.

Benefits include: employer-sponsored medical, dental, and vision

coverage, life and disability insurance, employer contributions to

a Savings Incentive Match plan for Employee’s account (SIMPLE/IRA)

– as well as generous paid time off, plus holidays, and two

organizational breaks each year (summer and winter).

TO APPLY

More information about The Leeway Foundation

may be found at: www.leeway.org

This search is being led by Cara Pearsall, Eva Rosenberg, and Chels Fryer of NPAG. 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 .

If you need assistance and/or accommodations during the

application or recruiting process, please email Chels at: [email protected].

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement & Invitation

from Leeway

At Leeway Foundation, we believe that a diverse, equitable, and

inclusive workplace makes us a more relevant, creative, and

resilient organization. We encourage people of all backgrounds,

ages, abilities, and experiences to apply. We are an equal

opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race,

color, ancestry, religion, national origin, sexual orientation,

age, citizenship, marital or family status, disability, gender,

gender identity or expression, pregnancy or caregiver status,

veteran status, or any other legally protected status. We will

ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable

accommodations to participate in the job application and interview

process, perform essential job functions, and receive equal

benefits and privileges of employment.

A Note to Potential Candidates

Studies have shown that women, trans, non-binary folks, and

BIPOC are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they

meet every one of the qualifications as described in a job

description. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive

organization, and we are most interested in finding the best

candidate for the job. That candidate may be one who comes from a

background less traditional to our field of work, and we welcome

the opportunity for new insight into our work. If you feel

resonance with this position description, we would strongly

encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every

one of the qualifications described.

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