Director of Foundation Relations

Summary of position: Reporting to the Senior Director of Advancement for Foundation Relations, the Director of Foundation Relations is a key member of the Advancement team responsible for revenue generation through effective development and management of sustainable relationships with foundations, corporate charities, and other institutional funders. The Director of Foundation Relations will play a key role in developing a grant funding plan to sufficiently resource unrestricted, restricted, and capital projects and to help carry out the organization’s strategic plan to increase advancement revenue.

Core responsibilities include:

• Researching potential funding sources and developing funding concept ideas.
• Writing foundation, corporate, and other grant proposals
• Stewarding and managing funder relationships and writing grant reports
• Overseeing the grant spend-down process for all restricted grants in coordination with Walker’s finance team and program managers.

Essential functions:

• Build and Maintain Funder Relationships: Cultivate and manage relationships with foundations and other funders to support the organization’s programs and funding needs. Prepare and submit well-researched, tailored proposals that align with funder requirements and reflect organizational priorities. Act as a key point of contact for funder communications.
• Prepare Competitive Proposals: Conduct all necessary pre-submission activities, including attending bidders’ conferences, submitting written inquiries to clarify requirements, gathering internal data, and coordinating with stakeholders to strengthen applications.
• Identify and Cultivate Funding Opportunities: Research potential funders and funding streams through outreach, online tools, and networking to develop a robust pipeline of funding prospects. Monitor trends in public and private funding to identify emerging opportunities.
• Align Proposals with Organizational Goals: Collaborate with program directors and senior leadership to identify funding priorities, align proposals with program goals, and ensure applications address both operational and strategic needs. Incorporate relevant programmatic data and evidence-based practices into narratives.
• Foster Stewardship: Ensure funders receive timely and appropriate recognition, updates, and reports to maintain strong relationships and encourage continued support. Develop personalized stewardship plans for key funders as needed.
• Manage Deadlines and Deliverables: Oversee a comprehensive calendar of deadlines for proposals, reports, and funding-related activities. Proactively track internal and external deadlines to ensure timely and compliant submissions and deliverables.
• Coordinate Budgets and Compliance: Work with finance and program teams to develop accurate and competitive budgets. Track and document expenses as required by funders.
• Oversee Restricted Funding Management: Monitor and manage the spend-down process for restricted funds, ensuring alignment with program deliverables and organizational goals. Collaborate with program and finance teams to address any challenges.
• Contribute to Organizational Success: Support the Advancement team and organizational goals by taking on additional tasks as assigned. Actively contribute to cross-departmental initiatives, training sessions, and organizational priorities.
• All other duties, as assigned.

Education and Licensure: Bachelor’s Degree           

Skills & Qualifications:

• 5-7 years of proven grant writing experience with complex grant submissions and revenue results
• Exceptional writing skills and experience developing detailed, compliant budgets in collaboration with finance teams.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple high-priority projects and meet deadlines.
• Skilled at ensuring submissions meet funder requirements, with experience in post-award reporting.
• Proficient in researching funding opportunities and incorporating data and evidence-based practices into proposals.
• Strong interpersonal skills to engage with internal teams and external funders effectively.
• Proficiency in grant management software, online submission platforms, and Excel for budget preparation.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to respond to and follow through with requests quickly and professionally.
• Must be able to sit at workstation for prolonged periods of time, consistent with OSHA standards.
• Must have ability to access different building locations, equipment, mailboxes, etc.
• Must have ability to access off campus programs.

Supervision to be received: Senior Director of Advancement for Foundation Relations

Supervision to be exercised: N/A