Legal Advisor (The Racial Equity Advancement and Defense Initiative (READI))

Company Name

The Racial Equity Advancement and Defense Initiative (READI)

Company City

Remote

Company State

Remote

Job Location

Remote

Company Information

ABOUT READI

The Racial Equity Advancement and Defense Initiative (READI) is a partnership between ABFE, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, Hispanics in Philanthropy, and Native Americans in Philanthropy to promote, expand and defend race-explicit grantmaking and programming. READI was formed in the Spring of 2023 as a response to the then-pending Supreme Court of the United States decisions in the Students for Fair Admissions cases where The Court ruled that the use of race as a determining factor for higher education admissions is illegal.

Job Description

READI is seeking a seasoned civil rights or nonprofit attorney(s) [or law firm] with at least 10 years of experience counseling and representing institutional foundations or other grantmaking entities on social justice-related matters to serve as its legal advisors.

READI’s four-part strategy is as follows: 

1. Creation of accessible legal resources that nonprofit organizations can use if challenged on their race-explicit work. The READI Legal Support Fund is housed at Tides Foundation and provides grants to nonprofits with a focus on advancing racial equity, racial justice or race-explicit programming that are facing legal challenges designed to limit their ability to conduct their work.  
2. Development and maintenance of a resource repository that provides tools and strategies for nonprofits and foundations to navigate the current (and forthcoming) backlash on racial equity. The READI Resource Bank is active on ABFE’s website. 
3. Implementation of a communication strategy to help build a narrative as to why philanthropy must sustain its investments in racial equity and justice. Communication efforts help funders and nonprofits understand how to navigate the current political climate after the SCOTUS rulings. The READI Communications Campaign is being designed and implemented in partnership with RALLY Communications.  
4. Support civil rights groups and the legal defense community in defending nonprofits and advising foundations on these issues. This includes organizing pro-bono support for foundation grantees and peer conversations among foundation legal counsel and civil rights attorneys about foundation strategies to invest in racial equity and justice.   

The contracts for the READI Legal Advisors will be held by ABFE and ABFE staff will serve as the primary point of contact for the legal advisors. 

TIME COMMITMENT 

We estimate that the time commitment for this role will be approximately 8 – 10 hours per week for the initial three weeks of the engagement, and approximately 4 -5 hours per week for the remainder of the agreement.  

Job Qualifications

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 

• Must have experience advising executive-level leaders (i.e. CEOs, COOs, Board Members, and General Counsels)    

• Must understand the unique context of the legal attacks against race-based grantmaking and programming currently impacting the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors. Should have direct experience with foundations – and the unique legal landscape for funders. They should understand the legal challenges funders face. 

• Should have experience communicating with executive-level leaders (i.e. CEOs, COOs, Board members, and General Counsels).  

• Relationships with foundation decisionmakers (board of trustees, living donors, etc.)  is a plus, but not a necessity.  

Legal Advisor Responsibilities

• Must be comfortable presenting a range of legal strategies and tactics that promote, expand and/or defend race-explicit grantmaking and programming. 

• Must be comfortable identifying, discussing, and disseminating legally permissible activities for funders without being retained counsel. 

• Must be comfortable demystifying general legal risks and legal defense strategies for various funder activities without being retained counsel. 

• Must be willing to serve as legal advisor for READI partners (ABFE, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, Hispanics in Philanthropy, and Native Americans in Philanthropy) and participate in regular touchpoints with READI partners & RALLY communications staff as it relates to the READI Communications Campaign. 

• Should be comfortable offering legal trend analysis to READI audiences (i.e. discussing and analyzing local, appeals, and Supreme Court decisions and what they may mean for our work). 

• Should be comfortable adapting legal advice and points of view in response to landscape developments. 

Public Facing Responsibilities 

• Must be willing to have a public presence as a legal expert associated with the READI campaign – and must be willing to work with a communications team to build it.  

• Must be willing to conduct legal briefings sharing expertise and analysis for a variety of audiences looking to understand a complex and evolving landscape, including: 

• • Reporters and editors  

• • Foundation lawyers & external counsel 

• • Foundation leaders 

• • Nonprofit leaders 

• Must be willing to have a media presence, which includes: 

• • Talking to reporters 

• • Being available for “on background” and “on the record” interviews 

• • Comfort being pitched as an expert source in breaking news moments (e.g. Fearless Fund decision)

• Willingness to maintain relationships with other attorneys and legal experts who also are engaged on this issue is a plus, but not a necessity.  

• Experience with using strategic litigation as a tool for advancing civil rights, LGTBQIA rights, women’s rights, disability rights or other social justice causes is a plus.

COMPENSATION 

In your cover letter please include the rate which you will charge for rendering the services described above.  

How to Apply

Please submit a resume with a cover letter to with “READI Legal Advisor” in the subject line. 

There will be two attorneys selected to fulfill this role. Thirty minute, virtual interviews will be held via Zoom on Friday, August 23, 2024 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET. Please hold this time window when you apply for the position. 

Our goal is to have one Legal Advisor begin on September 2, 2024 and to have the second Legal Advisor under contract by mid-September 2024.