Philanthropy New York's Essential Skills and Strategies (ESS) program helps new program officers and directors develop the skills they need to navigate the world of philanthropy with confidence and purpose.
The program focuses on two key areas:
- The “art” of philanthropy: Participants strengthen their ability to understand their role, build self-awareness, and recognize the myriad ways they can contribute to social change.
- The “science” of philanthropy: Participants gain practical tools and techniques to become effective grantmakers and philanthropy professionals.
Through highly interactive sessions over the course of two months, ESS encourages participants to align their work with their personal values and vision for change, setting a strong foundation for their careers in philanthropy.
We intentionally keep the class size small (25 participants) so attendees can build relationships with peers and develop a peer learning framework that will enhance their practice going forward.
Intended Outcomes
Each module of ESS dives into an area of a grantmakers work and supports participants to approach their roles with awareness, intention, and contextual understanding. Upon completing ESS, participants will be able to employ reflective practices, tools and skills learned to:
- Apply reflective practice in their philanthropy careers, including:
- A personal strategy: how to recognize and analyze the interplay between role, self and the systems context
- Relationship building: how to approach and grow relationships authentically, with colleagues in philanthropy and with grantees
- Explore how program officers move from strategy to funding recommendations
- Identify legal and ethical issues
- Communicate effectively as directors and program officers
- Discuss evaluation and learning methods used in philanthropy
- Recognize variables that help or hinder capacity to maximize grant impact
(Since PNY offers an extensive financial series, this course will not cover financial analysis.)
What Members Say
Each year, folks tell us how much ESS supported them as professionals.
“ESS was like two years of work experience condensed into two months. It has helped me approach my role with more contextual awareness and understanding of the dynamics I’m navigating.”
“The ESS faculty team created a space of connection, inquiry, and joy. The sessions supported me in building relationships with colleagues in expansive ways - both in our roles and as people working in this sector.”
“I deeply appreciated being invited to reflect on our roles and the larger environment we operate in. PNY's approach, which involved critical analysis and proactive efforts to enhance the philanthropic system from within, was exactly what I needed to delve further into philanthropy and my work in it.”
Faculty and Facilitation Team
- Manuela Arciniegas, Executive Director, Communities for Just Schools Fund
- Stephanie Boarden, Chief of Staff, Philanthropy New York
- Kenya Bryant, Program Officer, Citi
- Alli Jernow, Vice President of Social Justice, Arcus Foundation
- Carolyn Peters, Manager, Learning, Philanthropy New York
- Jason M. Price, Assistant General Counsel, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- Altaf Rahamatulla, Program Officer, Racial Justice, Wellspring Philanthropic Fund
- Kristen Ruff, Senior Vice President, Philanthropy New York
- Kelly Shipp Simone, Senior Associate General Counsel, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- Leela van Balkom, Program Officer, The Cricket Island Foundation
- Donita Volkwijn, Senior Director, Member Engagement, Philanthropy New York
Schedule
The program is delivered via a mix of in-person and virtual sessions. Virtual sessions will be 9:30 am - 12 pm ET. In-person sessions will be 9:30 am - 4:30 pm ET at Philanthropy New York's office (320 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017).
- Tuesday, February 4 (In-person)
- Wednesday, February 12 (Virtual)
- Friday, February 14 (Virtual)
- Wednesday, February 26 (Virtual)
- Friday, February 28 (Virtual)
- Wednesday, March 5 (Virtual)
- Friday, March 7, 2025 (Virtual)
- Wednesday, March 12 (In-person)
- Friday, March 14 (Virtual)
- Tuesday, March 18 (Virtual)
- Thursday, March 20 (In-person)
Eligibility
The curriculum is designed for and open to program officers and directors who have the following responsibilities:
- Relationship stewardship with grantee partners.
- Aligning grantmaking with strategic priorities (i.e., sourcing grants, making grant recommendations and/or decisions)
- Communicate funding recommendations and decisions to foundation stakeholders (i.e., CEO and/or Board, grantees)
- Some level of responsibiility around assessment of grantmaking portfolio for learning and decision making
Please apply only if grantmaking is the core component of your position as the curriculum focuses almost exclusively on grantmaking. ESS is ideal for program officers/directors who have been through a grantmaking cycle at their foundation since the curriculum relies heavily on knowing your own institution's grantmaking practices. Priority is given to individuals who have been in their roles for more time.
We suggest members take PNY's Philanthropy 101 course before taking ESS.
ESS is open to current Philanthropy New York members. When there is space, we open up a few spots to non-members and adjust the fee structure accordingly.
Program Fee
| Organization's Total Grantmaking | Member Fee |
| Up to $2 Million --------------------- | $750 |
| $2 Million to $5 Million ------------- | $850 |
| $5 Million to $10 Million ------------ | $1,000 |
| $10 Million to $20 Million ---------- | $1,250 |
| $20 Million to $50 Million ---------- | $1,500 |
|
More than $50 Million -------------- |
$1,750 |
** In 2024, we began charging a sliding-scale program fee for participation in ESS based on an organization's grantmaking budget. ESS has evolved into an in-depth and extensive professional development experience for newer grantmakers. Resources from PNY’s Fund for 2025 made it possible to deepen and expand this program and initially offer it to members at no additional cost. Now, we must transition to a more sustainable financial model to ensure this program remains a core professional offering for Philanthropy New York members.
Application Process
The application includes a candidate application and a supervisor statement of support. Applications are now open and will be due on Monday, January 6, 2025. We will notify applicants of decisions on Friday, January 10, 2025. Applications are available in PDF format at the bottom of this webpage for those unable to access applications via the links below.
ESS 2025 Candidate Application
ESS 2025 Supervisor Statement of Support
Given the high demand for this program, ESS is usually only open to Philanthropy New York members. Space is limited to 25 individuals. We limit participation per organization in order to accommodate as many member organizations as we can and support folks in building relationships outside their organization
Additional Info
Questions? Contact Carolyn Peters and Kristen Ruff.
The Essential Skills & Strategies curriculum was developed through a national partnership between regional grantmaking associations, the United Philanthropy Forum and the Council on Foundations in 2005-2006. For more background information on the original curriculum and design team, see http://www.cof.org/node/1269. Philanthropy New York has since adapted the curriculum in partnership with PNY members who have served as ESS faculty and refreshed the entire curriculum in 2016 with the support of Anna Pond.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 ESS 2025 Candidate Application | 26.18 KB |
| ESS 2025 Supervisor Statement of Support | 24.14 KB |