Institutional Relations Manager (MOHAI)

Museum of History and Industry; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental insurance

403(b) plan eligibility

Job summary

MOHAI is seeking an Institutional Relations Manager to lead MOHAI’s grant and sponsorship efforts, coordinating government, private, and corporate funding sources. You will write proposals, manage deadlines, and build relationships with funders to support unrestricted and project-based funding.

Working with museum leadership and program staff, you will develop compelling narratives, track outcomes, and ensure compliance with grantor requirements.

Qualifications

• Minimum three years of experience writing public and private foundation grant proposals.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite; familiarity with donor databases.
• Ability to research, organize, and present information clearly.
• Strong professional writing skills with emphasis on case statements and grammar.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments; proactive and independent.
• Multilingual candidates encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

• Manage and coordinate MOHAI’s grant and sponsorship proposals to meet revenue goals.
• Develop annual grant schedules, track submissions, and monitor progress.
• Identify funding priorities and match with potential sources.
• Research, write, and edit LOIs and proposals with program staff and partners.
• Facilitate sponsorship solicitations, invoicing, and fulfillment.
• Ensure compliance with grantor restrictions and report impact to funders.
• Develop prospecting plans and maintain donor stewardship across channels.
• Coordinate site visits and donor events; maintain donor records and reports.
• Collaborate with finance to report budgets and CFG contributions.

Skills

Grant writing

Proposal development

Microsoft Office

Donor databases

Research

Professional writing

Project management

Interpersonal skills

Multilingual (bonus)

Education

Nonprofit grant writing education (preferred)

Tools

Donor database

Job description

MOHAI is treasured locally and respected nationally as a vibrant resource where history inspires us to be our best, individually and collectively. By collecting and preserving artifacts and stories of our diverse history, MOHAI highlights our regional tradition of innovation and imagination. Through compelling exhibits, scholarship, education, public programs, and community engagement, MOHAI bridges the past, present, and future. MOHAI is a place and a community of people with histories of successes and failures that: bind us together; amuse, disturb, and inspire us; inform and guide us; and deepen our connection with our heritage.

Position Title: Institutional Relations Manager

Reports to: Chief Advancement Officer

Office Location: MOHAI Resource Center at Georgetown

Benefits include: Medical and dental insurance; eligible for participation in 403 (b) savings plan

Position Description:

The Institutional Relations Manager is responsible for partnership, sponsorship, grants, and other opportunities for generating unrestricted and project-based funding, to support the overall contributed income goals for MOHAI. The Institutional Relations Manager coordinates all activities associated with a growing grants and sponsorship program. Working cooperatively with museum leadership and program staff, this position enhances and builds relationships with funding sources, including government, local and national private, public and corporate foundations. The position supports a broad range of organizational goals by aligning the grants program with the strategic plan and by providing a positive experience for funders. This position is a member of MOHAI’s Advancement department.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage and facilitate MOHAI’s grant and sponsorship proposal process in order to meet targeted annual revenue goals for corporations, foundations, and governmental agencies. Coordinate annual grant schedule, track submission of all proposals, and meet all deadlines. Create annual and quarterly revenue projections and monitor progress.
• Identify internal funding priorities and match with prospective funding sources, including private foundations, corporate foundations, and local, state and federal grant sources.
• Ensure that all interactions are culturally responsive, respectful, and based on a foundation of MOHAI’s commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility.
• Research, write, and edit LOIs (letters of intent) and proposals. Work with program and exhibit staff as well as community partners to develop persuasive story lines, identify project goals, and report findings.
• Facilitate Trustee sponsorship solicitations, invoicing and benefit fulfillment.
• Ensure compliance with grantor’s restrictions and requirements, monitor internal grant spending in collaboration with department managers and prepare impact reports.
• Ensure donor recognition adheres to best practices, in partnership with Chief Advancement Officer.
• Develop an annual grant prospecting plan with benchmarks, goals, and cultivation strategies.
• Coordinate organization-wide efforts to target, track, and establish strong relationships with funders via clear communication and donor stewardship. Serve as first point of contact with corporate, foundations and government donors/prospects. Manage special exhibit-related Community Advisory Committees including member recruitment and engagement, meeting planning, communications, invitations and final reports.
• Work with finance/operations department to report accurate organization and project budget information and metrics to funders. Reconcile monthly CFG contribution totals.
• Maintain timely and accurate records in donor database, including donor/prospect interactions; develop queries and run reports, prepare gift acknowledgements.
• Coordinate site visits and tours for funding sources.
• Attend donor stewardship and fundraising events and assist as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum three years of work experience writing public and private foundation grant proposals for a nonprofit organization.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite; familiarity with donor databases.
• Ability to research, gather, and disseminate information in an organized and logical format.
• Strong professional writing skills, with emphasis on creating case statements, sentence formation, grammar, and spelling.
• Sound organizational and project management skills; ability to prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Interpersonal skills, to cooperatively work with a variety of staff across departmental lines.
• Ability to work independently and proactively in a creative business environment.
• Ability to coordinate and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Dedication to customer service and donor satisfaction.
• Bilingual/Multilingual candidates encouraged to apply.
• Enthusiasm for MOHAI’s exhibits, programs, and mission.

For more than 60 years, MOHAI has been dedicated to enriching lives by preserving, sharing, and teaching the diverse history of Seattle, the Puget Sound region and the nation. With a collection of nearly 4 million artifacts, photographs, oral histories and archival items, and an expansive schedule of exhibits and programs, MOHAI is the region’s premier history center. MOHAI operates a dramatic and award-winning museum in Lake Union Park in Seattle’s vibrant South Lake Union neighborhood, and a Resource Center in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood. MOHAI also hosts the Bezos Center for Innovation, focusing on the history and future of innovation in the Puget Sound region.

MOHAI is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and is an official affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. For more information, please visit www.mohai.org.

MOHAI is a 501(C)3 Organization and an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility and building a diverse staff. We encourage candidates of color to apply.