The Position
The City of Oakland is an equal opportunity employer that values workforce diversity, inclusion, and equity. Oakland has a long history of activism around issues of justice and equity. Both oppression and this resistance to oppression have shaped the city’s historical roots and the lives of its residents to this day. As public servants in one of the most diverse cities in the nation, we strive to develop employees who understand the harm and impacts of systemic inequity to create lasting, meaningful outcomes for everyone. Oakland strives to establish an environment that embraces the richness of culture, community, and individualism of employees.
Why join the City of Oakland Cultural Affairs Division (CAD)?
The City of Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Division (CAD) is housed within the Department of Economic & Workforce Development. The Economic & Workforce Development Department works to bring about a vibrant, innovative, globally competitive economy in Oakland. Our mission is to increase investment in Oakland in a way that contributes to the growth of the City’s economy, fosters fiscal sustainability, expands job opportunities for all residents, and enhances the City’s sense of place and quality of life.
The Cultural Affairs Division
The Cultural Affairs Division (CAD) is responsible for uplifting the arts and culture communities across Oakland. The CAD leads with the value of “Belonging in Oakland” which informs our work, purpose and vision as public servants and a public agency.
Our core entities and programs include the following:
- Cultural Funding Program, which provides grants to support the arts in Oakland
- Public Art Program, which supports and facilitates public art installations across Oakland
- Cultural Strategists-in-Government Program, which seeks to co-create new ways of fulfilling equity aspirations by having City workers collaborate with cultural strategists from communities most impacted by inequities and who can bring a new lens to the work of building a fair and just city for all Oaklanders.
The CAD forms strategic alliances between businesses, government agencies, and private philanthropy, to promote programs that advance the civic life of Oakland, with support from the Cultural Affairs Commission and the Public Art Advisory Committee, volunteer advisory bodies whose members are appointed by the Mayor and City Council.
Cultural Funding Program Overview
The Cultural Funding Program (CFP) was established by Oakland City Council in 1985 as the City’s mechanism to support Oakland-based nonprofit arts and cultural organizations through an annual competitive application process. These grants infuse Oakland’s neighborhoods with arts and cultural activities that increase exposure to, understanding of, and respect for diverse cultural heritages, as well as support arts activities that engage the community.
The Assistant Cultural Funding Coordinator (Program Analyst II) position requires specialized experience in arts and cultural grants management; an understanding of the local, regional, and national philanthropic ecosystem; and current knowledge of Oakland and the Bay Area's cultural arts community. The Assistant Coordinator supports the Program Coordinator with grant program administration and contract management.
This role will be influencial in addressing meaningful and equitable cultural investment throughout the community.
This position offers a flexible/hybrid remote schedule, with a minimum of two days in office required. This public-facing position also requires availability to attend community events and conduct in-person day and evening public meetings.
We are looking for someone who is:
- Collaborative. You will work with a broad range of people, including City staff, community stakeholders, elected officials, the public, and a diverse community of local artists.
- Organized. You will be responsible for responding to multiple priorities and deadlines.
- Customer-focused. You will drive community engagement, help local artists, create equitable outcomes, and support under-served communities with a wide range of diverse stakeholders.
- A problem-solver. You will take the initiative to identify and address challenging issues, generate recommendations, and/or take appropriate steps to attend to those issues.
- Detail-oriented. You will assist artists with the creation and submission of highly detailed grant requests, ensuring that all submitted info is accurate and complete.
- Mission-driven. You will be responsible for driving civic engagement and will assist non-profit organizations and individual artists in grants management.
- Knowledgeable. You will leverage your knowledge of the Oakland/Bay Area arts and cultural community, local philanthropic institutions, trends in philanthropy, cultural arts organizations and their methods of organization and operation, to support local artists effectively.
What you will typically be responsible for:
- Administering grant contracts for Oakland-based cultural organizations and individual artists, working with multiple departments and stakeholders across the City.
- Providing customer service and technical assistance to grant applicants and grantees in preparing applications, grant contracts, reporting, and other City processes.
- Conducting community outreach to potential grant applicants within Oakland’s diverse communities.
- Conducting due diligence and review on grant applications and grantee final reporting.
- Researching, preparing, and analyzing reporting related to grant programs.
- Supporting the planning and implementation of grant programs.
- Assisting Cultural Affairs staff with program communications, newsletters, website updates, and other promotional efforts.