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Description

POSITION: Program Fellow (3 positions available) - One-Year Fellowship

REPORTS TO: Vice President, Programs and Grants

LOCATION: New York, NY

FLSA STATUS: Non-Exempt

WEBSITE: www.thenytrust.org

START DATE: Monday, June 1st 2026

ABOUT US

As New York's largest community foundation, The New York Community Trust (The Trust) fosters and engages in enduring and innovative philanthropy, making grants that bring together the local knowledge and expertise of its team, nonprofits, and partners to help donors fulfill their vision for the causes they love. From education and the arts to health care and the environment, The Trust seeks to improve every aspect of the cultural and civic life of New York City, Long Island, and Westchester.

The Trust is a regional philanthropic leader. In addition to a distinguished competitive grantmaking program, The Trust hosts donor-advised funds (DAFs) that make grants throughout the United States as well as funder collaboratives that work on the leading edge of philanthropy to improve the lives of New Yorkers. In 2025 it made close to 11,000 grants totaling close to $230 million and has made more than $2 billion in grants in the past decade.

Having celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2024, 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 some of the first to fight AIDS, build The High Line, support immigrant communities in the region, and respond quickly in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Program Fellow (3 Positions available)

The Trust seeks three Program Fellows to work with The Trust’s New York City grantmaking staff (program directors) on The Trust’s competitive grants program that supports efforts to advance healthy lives, promising futures, and thriving communities. Specifically, Trust grantmaking covers the following areas: Accessibility; Animal Welfare; Arts, Culture, & Historic Preservation; Civic Affairs; Community Development; Environment; Gender Equity; Health, Behavioral Health, and Biomedical Research; Human Justice; Human Services; Jobs and Workforce Development; Older Adults; Social Work Practice; Technical Assistance; and Youth Development.

Each Program Fellow will be assigned, based on their topics of study, experience, and interest, to work with grantmaking staff responsible for several of these areas. The Fellows will review and summarize grantee reports, attend site visits, collaborate in writing grant recommendations, and assist with other grantmaking activities. The Fellows will work directly with teams of three to four program staff, and indirectly with donor and communications/marketing staff.

Requirements

FELLOWSHIP ELIGIBILITY AND DETAILS

• Applicants must be a student in a full-time graduate program. Typically, applicants are candidates for the following degrees: MA, MS, MPH, MPA, MPP, MSW, MEd, JD.
• Applicants must have existing authorization to work in the United States without visa sponsorship.
• This is a temporary and time-limited Fellowship. Fellows start on Monday, June 1, 2026. The Fellowship ends in May 2027. Fellows must commit to the entire period.
• Fellows must remain enrolled as full-time graduate students for the entire duration of the 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.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The three Program Fellows 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 of The Trust’s competitive grants; 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 the ability to function within a professional office environment. Fellows work under the supervision of program directors for each area.

COMPENSATION

Fellowships pay is $25 an hour. The position is on-site at our New York office, and we provide several remote options (holiday remote week, August remote month, monthly remote days, etc.).

Fellows are eligible for paid federal holidays and state-mandated safe/sick leave. Fellows also receive pay for the week when The Trust is closed (August 31 to September 4 2026).

The Fellowships start on Monday, June 1, 2026. Fellows work up to 35 hours a week from June 2026 through August 2026 and, to accommodate class schedules, 15 to 20 hours a week between September 2026 to May 2027. Fellows must commit to the entire year.

HOW TO APPLY

Please apply through The Trust’s HRIS platform, Paylocity. Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, February 25, 2026.

Please upload a resume, cover letter, and a short writing sample as a single PDF document. Please specify in your cover letter which program areas best match your areas of study and interest. Writing samples should be between 500 and 1500 words and solely authored by the candidate.

You may only apply for one of the Fellowships (Program Fellowship, Marketing & Communications Fellowship, or the Lorie A. Slutsky Fellowship). 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.

The Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on age, color, national origin, ethnic origin, citizenship status, disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law in its employment policies. We are committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and accessibility ("DEIBA") initiatives and identifying qualified candidates to support The Trust's mission, vision and values. The Trust will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified candidates with disabilities.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.