Our nonprofit partners and and nonprofit leadership development has been a pivotal strategy for furthering our mission and KACF has invests in the development of leaders within nonprofits, the philanthropic sector and the Korean community at large.

In 21 years of grantmaking and providing organizational and leadership development support to the Korean American community, KACF has seen first-hand and heard from nonprofit leaders of the critical need for bilingual and bicultural nonprofit professionals. These leaders aspire to serve their communities with organizations that are equipped to provide high-quality programs, with sound board and staff teams that bridge the experiences of first- and second- generation immigrants. In 2013, the Foundation launched the Capacity Building Fellowship Program to strengthen Korean nonprofits with cultural and language responsiveness, as well as to develop a cohort of Korean American nonprofit professionals. 

 


KACF Capacity Building Fellowship

The Capacity Building Fellowship Program is a one-year paid position with competitive benefits. The individual will be working with the Director of Capacity Building and be equipped with leadership skills such as strategic decision making, project management, operations management, trust building and cultural responsiveness. This program is geared towards graduates with 2-3 years of work experience.

 

 


Fellowship Program Structure

Training & Shadowing (4 months): The Fellow is trained by KACF in best practice consulting and organizational development frameworks and learns how to adapt them within a specific cultural context. Additionally, the Fellow will have the opportunity to draw on the resources of KACF’s partner, Community Resource Exchange (CRE), a leading nonprofit management consulting firm in New York. 

 

Externship (8 months): The Fellow will be matched to work with two of KACF’s grantee partners from our network of dedicated nonprofit organizations that are on the front lines of making a difference for Korean Americans in the New York City area. The Fellow will work on a specific project on-site at a Korean nonprofit organization in New York or New Jersey for four months, and then will move to a second nonprofit to work on a project specific to that organization for another four months. In addition to the consulting projects, the Fellow will be spending a portion of his/her time on the day-to-day needs of the organizations to get deeper hands-on experience  Through this process, s/he will be supported and guided by the KACF Director of Capacity Building, as well as a supervisor on site. 

 

Timeline:  The externship begins after two months of training and shadowing at KACF, with a midway training month between externship sessions.  In the final month, the Fellow will prepare final reports and close out the Program.


Responsibilities

Under the guidance of the Director of Capacity Building, the Fellows will develop skills during the year and be expected to execute the following responsibilities: 

  • Learn how to conduct an assessment of the needs of the assigned nonprofit organization
  • Develop a project workplan and identify outcomes for the engagement with the organization
  • Provide support and guidance to organization’s staff and board on nonprofit management best practices on practice areas including but not limited to:
    • Strategic Planning
    • Board Development
    • Program Planning (Analysis & Design)
    • Talent Management
    • HR/Operations
  • Design and facilitate capacity building sessions for clients


Application Process

Qualifications:

  • Proficiency in Korean language
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills that spans across both cultures and across 1st and 2nd generation Koreans
  • BA/BS Degree (only applicable to the Capacity Building Fellowship)
  • Minimum 2 years of work experience; knowledge of or experience in the nonprofit sector and/or consulting is preferred but not required (only applicable to the Capacity Building Fellowship)
  • Understanding of the Korean American culture and community or an interest in learning
  • Knowledge of and point of view on societal and racial inequities that frame the challenges nonprofits tackle
  • Strong planning and organizational skills, with the ability to think and act both strategically and tactically in developing and implementing projects
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including an ability to articulate and present ideas effectively with presence 
  • Proficiency in MS Excel, Word and PowerPoint

Compensation: Competitive salary with excellent benefits, including free coverage for health, dental and vision insurance and 20 days of paid time-off for full-time employees

To Apply: Please send your updated resume and a cover letter explaining your interest via email with subject line “KACF Capacity Building Fellowship” to Brennan Gang at brennan@kacfny.org. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

The Korean American Community Foundation® (KACF) was founded in 2002 by a group of Korean American leaders in New York with a simple idea: an organization that helps fellow Koreans and gives back to the community. Our mission is to transform and empower communities through philanthropy, volunteerism, and inter-community bridge building. KACF pursues these goals through grantmaking that promotes self-sufficiency for the underserved and under-resourced, through raising awareness of needs and issues, and by fostering a culture of giving.

CRE is a 40-year old nonprofit consulting firm that provides the strategies and tools needed to build sustainable, high-performing organizations that improve people’s lives and drive social change. Annually CRE supports more than 400 organizations, large and small, that are working to reduce poverty and advance equity. This partnership between KACF and CRE provides the Fellows with invaluable resources and a support system that can be leveraged when working with a Korean American nonprofit that is assigned to them by the Foundation. For more information on CRE, visit www.crenyc.org.

The fellow will be housed under CRE but report to KACF’s Director of Capacity Building. By being housed under CRE, the fellow will have access to the wealth of resources from CRE’s past engagements as well as the knowledge of the many experienced consultants. The fellow will also have opportunities to be part of client engagements with CRE which will give them exposure to nonprofits and foundations outside of KACF’s grantee partners.

The start and end date of the fellowship is rolling. The total length of the fellowship will be 12 months from the agreed upon start date of the new fellow.

The Fellow will be working with the Director of Capacity Building as well as the other fellow (Capacity Building or Chi Family) as part of the capacity building team of KACF.

Through KACF, the Fellow will be embedded in Korean American nonprofits with missions ranging from organizing/advocacy to education, whereas, CRE engagements cover a wide swath of multi-ethnic organizations based in and around New York City, including large foundations to government-sponsored organizations.

The fellowship requires the Fellow to be flexible with their time as they are coordinating their schedules with KACF, CRE, and the organization in which they are placed for their externship. While it is possible to have a part-time or freelance position in conjunction with the fellowship, Fellows will be expected to be available for fellowship-related work during regular hours.

The fellowship is hybrid with days in the KACF office, the grantee partner’s office, or on-site at CRE engagements as well as days working from home.  At the minimum, the Fellows will be working from an office three times a week.  

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Korean American Community Foundation
135 East 64th Street, New York, NY 10065
Phone: 332-265-0508