Director of Institutional Giving & Partnerships

Children At Risk, Inc.; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

CHILDREN AT RISK is seeking an experienced Director of Institutional Giving and Partnerships to lead and grow its foundation, government, and collaborative funding strategy in a Houston-based hybrid role.

You will build and manage relationships with funders, oversee the full grants lifecycle, and collaborate with senior development leaders to maximize revenue and impact for Houston area children. Regular travel across Harris County and Texas is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required, advanced degree a plus.
• At least 5 years of foundation/government/institutional fundraising with a track record.
• Proven grant writing and funder relationship success.
• Experience with CRM systems and grant reporting.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow institutional funding strategy across foundations, government, and partners.
• Cultivate and steward relationships with funders; manage proposals and reports.
• Collaborate with CDO, Major Gifts, and Development Coordinator for unified funder approach.
• Oversee AI-supported grant research and drafting with accuracy.

Skills

Grants fundraising

Foundation relations

Proposal writing

Donor cultivation

Relationship building

Travel coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree a plus

Tools

Donor management software

Bloomerang

DonorPerfect

Job description

CHILDREN AT RISK (C@R) is seeking an experienced, entrepreneurial Director of Institutional Giving and Partnerships to lead and grow the organization's foundation, government, and collaborative/institutional funding strategy. The Director will build and manage relationships directly with foundation, government, and institutional funders, and will partner with the Chief Development Officer, the Director of Major Gifts, and the Development Coordinator to ensure a unified approach across the full development team.

• •Candidates must have a demonstrated track record of foundation, government, and/or institutional grant fundraising, including direct cultivation of funders, proposal writing, and a record of bringing in new funders.
• •This is a Houston-based hybrid position requiring office time, remote work, and travel across Harris County and the state.
• •This position will report to the Chief Development Officer.

What We're Looking For:

We need an experienced grants professional who can hit the ground running and grow C@R's institutional funding. The ideal candidate is:

• A Proven Practitioner: You have done this work successfully before. You arrive with a track record of winning foundation and government awards and can point to the funder relationships you built and the dollars you secured.
• Innovative & Entrepreneurial: You spot funding opportunities others miss, such as new funders, emerging public funding streams, and collaborative proposals with peer organizations, and you act on them.
• A Self-Starter: You build your own pipeline, set your own priorities, and stay ahead of deadlines without needing to be managed to them.
• A Relationship Builder: You know grants are won through relationships, not paperwork alone. You would rather meet a program officer in person than send a cold letter of inquiry, and funders trust you.
• Energized by Being Out in the Community: You enjoy being C@R's face in Houston's philanthropic community at funder briefings, convenings, site visits, and community events.

General Responsibilities and Essential Functions:

• Foundation Relations: Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward relationships with private, family, and corporate foundation funders; serve as C@R's primary, in-person point of contact for foundation partners.
• Government & Institutional Funding: Identify and pursue government grants and other collaborative/institutional funding opportunities; manage related compliance and reporting requirements.
• Grant Management & Proposals: Own the full grants lifecycle — prospect research, proposal writing, submission, award management, and reporting — across foundation, government, and institutional funders.
• Cross-Team Coordination: Partner with the Chief Development Officer, Director of Major Gifts, and Development Coordinator to ensure a unified approach to shared or overlapping funder relationships.
• AI-Enabled Grants Efficiency: Use C@R-approved AI tools to speed up funder prospect research, first drafts of proposals and reports, and compliance tracking; review all AI-assisted content for accuracy before submission.

Key Responsibilities Include:

Foundation Relations

• Build and manage a portfolio of foundation prospects and funders, leading cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship through the full gift cycle.
• Serve as the organization's primary, in-person relationship owner for foundation meetings, briefings, and site visits.
• Develop and execute an annual foundation fundraising strategy and track performance against revenue goals.
• Proactively identify and open doors with new foundation funders, growing the portfolio and total foundation revenue year over year.
• Represent C@R in person at philanthropic convenings, funder briefings, and community events to raise C@R's visibility and build new funder relationships.

Government & Collaborative/Institutional Funding

• Identify, pursue, and manage government grants and collaborative/institutional funding opportunities.
• Track compliance requirements, reporting deadlines, and award conditions across all government and institutional funding.
• Build and maintain relationships with government program officers and institutional funding partners.
• Take an entrepreneurial approach to new revenue by tracking emerging public funding streams and designing collaborative proposals with peer organizations and coalitions.

Grant Management & Proposals

• Maintain a master grant calendar covering prospecting, proposal deadlines, reporting deadlines, and renewal cycles.
• Write, edit, and assemble compelling grant proposals, letters of inquiry, and funder reports in partnership with program staff.
• Ensure timely, accurate submission of all proposals and reports, and maintain complete records of awards and funder communications in the donor database.

AI-Enabled Efficiency

• Use approved AI tools to support funder prospect research and to produce first drafts of proposals, letters of inquiry, and compliance/reporting documentation.
• Review and edit all AI-assisted content for accuracy and funder-specific detail before submission.

Qualifications:

• Education and Experience: Bachelor's degree required, advanced degree a plus; at least 5 years of experience in foundation relations, grant writing, and/or government or institutional fundraising, with a demonstrated record of securing individual awards of $100k or more, growing, and managing awards, including from funders you cultivated yourself.
• Writing & Research Skills: Excellent grant and proposal writing skills; strong research skills to identify and evaluate new foundation, government, and institutional funding prospects.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency with donor management software; experience managing grant compliance, budgets, and reporting requirements. C@R is completing a migration from DonorPerfect to Bloomerang by the end of 2026, so prior experience with Bloomerang, DonorPerfect, or a comparable CRM is all welcome. Comfortable piloting AI tools to support prospect research and proposal drafting, with all AI-assisted content reviewed for accuracy before use.
• Communication and Organizational Abilities: Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills; strong organizational skills to manage a multi-funder pipeline and competing deadlines.
• Collaborative and Adaptive: Team player able to coordinate with the CDO, the Director of Major Gifts, and the Development Coordinator; comfortable taking full ownership of a complex portfolio with minimal day-to-day oversight.
• Ethics and Professionalism: Upholds high ethical standards, demonstrates sound judgment, and exercises discretion with funder information; passion for the organization's mission and community impact.
• Travel: Regular travel across Harris County and periodic travel across Texas for funder meetings, site visits, and convenings.

About CHILDREN AT RISK

CHILDREN AT RISK is an active research and advocacy group dedicated to improving the quality of life of children through research, public policy analysis, community education, and collaboration. Our focus is on the whole child with significant work to champion solutions that tackle poverty, education and health disparities, and child exploitation. We are the leading source of accurate information on children's issues and an advocate and catalyst for change concerning the needs of all children. The position offers competitive compensation and benefits package.

CHILDREN AT RISK is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, religion, ancestry, color, race, ethnicity or creed.

CHILDREN AT RISK receives a high volume of resumes and reviews every candidate closely. As such, candidates will only be contacted if they are selected for an interview.