Supporting a Sector, One Grant at a Time: A Conversation With Environment Program Officer Rosalind Erwin

For Rosalind Erwin, being a program officer in the environment sector is about more than making grants to organizations. It’s about continually tapping into those organizations’ needs and opportunities, then adapting foundation strategies to help nonprofits solve their most pressing challenges.

Here, Roz shares a bit about the professional milestones that led her to the Onion Foundation, the responsibilities of her role, and the values she brings to her grantmaking work everyday.

What has your professional journey looked like so far?

I always wanted to do something related to the environment, but I didn’t quite know what. After earning my master’s degree in environmental science, I landed a job at the Helmsley Charitable Trust in New York City, a foundation that, at the time, made grants for biodiversity conservation internationally.

I learned a lot there — the basics of grantmaking, how to be a program officer, how to partner effectively with nonprofits, and how to think about grants as a portfolio that works toward a bigger strategy. The role taught me about expenditure responsibility, rules around lobbying, foundation governance — things that would serve me throughout my career. Later, as a program officer at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, I was also thinking through how to honor the intentions of donors, both living and deceased, through the grants we made. That really set me up well for working with a family foundation.

How does the average grant cycle kick off?

Before and after we open up the application, I’m inviting conversations with prospective applicants to learn about recent developments that inform their goals for the next few years.

Those touchpoints are so important for the grantmaking process because they allow me to articulate the Onion Foundation’s environment strategy and the type of work that we’re interested in supporting. Having conversations with applicants about those key areas helps them emphasize the parts of their work that align with our priorities and put their best foot forward in their grant proposals. It also helps me learn about what’s happening in the field so that I can be responsive to emerging needs through our grantmaking and capacity-building activities.

What happens after those conversations take place?

Sally [Onion Foundation Grants and Office Manager] and Ben [Environment Program Associate] do the hard work of ensuring applicants have submitted everything and importing the materials into our grants management system.

Then, I read every word of every proposal, and I reach out to grantees with clarifying questions as necessary. That review process takes about four to five weeks, and it ends with me writing up a recommendation to the board for every proposal. After we review and revise the recommendations internally, I write a cover memo that describes the trends we’re seeing across nonprofits in that particular strategy. Since I do that every year, it becomes an ongoing narrative that builds context over time.

Finally, we have a long meeting with the board where I walk through the grant recommendations and invite questions, after which the board members make final decisions.

Why do you think it’s important to connect each grantee organization’s context to the larger picture of Maine’s environmental sector?

My job is to think through how our strategies (equitable outdoor access, advocacy and movement building, and nature learning) can move us toward statewide goals. There’s a lot more to a foundation strategy than just the grants, though that’s a big part of it. We also commission research to understand the field better. We use our website to explain our strategies to the public through different types of content — from spotlights on exemplary grantee programs to longer explainer pieces. And we regularly meet with stakeholders and other funders to build support for this type of work.

The state is small enough that we can do a pretty good job staying on top of everything that’s going on and see the value of what even a relatively modest grantmaking budget can do statewide. Staying aware of the bigger view also helps us prepare for what might come next.

What other responsibilities do you have as a program officer?

I read and respond to grantee reports, and I offer thought partnership and support to grantees if they request it. I like to do a number of site visits every year so I can meet staff, board members, and volunteers in person and see their work in action. Sometimes that means staying overnight to meet up with several grantees in a more distant part of the state. This year, I’m also participating in committee work for two environmental funder affinity groups, and I work with the whole Onion Foundation team on our ongoing learning agenda.

Right now, we’re also doing a lot of reflecting, researching, and thinking to prepare for refreshing our programmatic strategic plans. As part of that process, I’ve been conducting mini focus groups with grantee partners to learn what they’re seeing and how the Onion Foundation can help make a positive impact. In addition to that, I’ve been diving into some recent research about outdoor access and nature learning.

What do you think are the top responsibilities of an environment program officer?

First, I see myself as an advocate for the grantees. If their work is well-aligned with our strategies, it’s important for me to stay up to date on their priorities and challenges so that I can represent them well and make a sound case for support.

Along those lines, we have this 30,000-foot view, which enables us to help catalyze partnerships. If I see that an organization has an aspiration that is similar to that of another group, I can easily make those connections. For example, one of our grantees, Hirundo Wildlife Refuge, has been working with high schools to allow students to recover credits during the summer by learning about nature at the refuge. I’ve always thought that this program is such a unique and creative approach to partnering with schools. When I heard of another organization looking to do something similar, I immediately suggested they connect with Hirundo to learn about its process, and they did!

I also work with partners who can provide technical assistance to strengthen the nonprofits beyond the grant itself. There are already some great technical assistance providers in the environmental field, like the Conservation Capacity Project, and we direct our grantees to their offerings. Other times, we may offer something more specialized — like a training series on the Next Generation Science Standards with Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance or a six-month training cohort on developing a mission-aligned earned revenue stream with the Roux Institute.

What are the biggest rewards you’ve experienced in this role?

It’s so rewarding to follow grantees’s stories. Two years ago, some of the work we supported were just pilot projects. But this past year, I really noticed how much they’ve matured. They have big followings now of people who are so fulfilled by participating in them. I love to see that evolution and know that our grants play a small role in it. I have a front-row seat to track that story, and, to me, that’s such a gift.

Where do you see the environmental sector heading, and how do you hope to be a part of that?

I hope we’re moving in a direction where everyone in Maine can enjoy and learn about the state’s natural landscape. What a gift to live in this beautiful place with such varied ecosystems — there’s so much to discover! Being in nature also increases joy, wellness, and connection. The grand vision is that, through those experiences outdoors, everyone in Maine can become stewards and advocates for nature, whatever that means for them. That grand vision animates our grantmaking strategies for the Environment Program.