Manager of Grants + Partnerships

National Children's Museum; Washington; Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 78,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health + dental insurance

403(b)

STD/LTD/Life

Paid time off

Job summary

National Children’s Museum in Washington, DC, seeks a Manager of Grants + Partnerships to cultivate funder relationships, craft compelling proposals, and manage awards through renewal while advancing STEAM education.

You’ll collaborate with internal teams to develop new initiatives, track deadlines, and ensure timely reporting. You’ll leverage Salesforce PatronManager to maintain donor data and generate reports that drive engagement and impact for thousands of visitors annually.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in nonprofit fundraising.
• 5+ years fundraising/advancement experience, preferably in museums or cultural institutions.
• Attention to detail, organization, and strong writing abilities.

Responsibilities

• Manage funder relationships from award through renewal, including internal kickoff meetings, deliverable and deadline tracking, proactive progress updates, impact reporting, and creative year-round stewardship opportunities that keep partners meaningfully connected to the Museum’s work.
• Cultivate prospective funder relationships and serve as an ambassador of the organization.
• Research and identify funding and partnership opportunities (with foundations, corporations, government), including grants and sponsorships for Museum initiatives, exhibits, programs, and events.
• Develop personalized, persuasive proposals and sponsorship packages that align funder interests with the Museum’s mission, highlighting mutual benefits and strategic partnership opportunities.
• Maintain clear, transparent, and responsive communication with current and prospective partners, ensuring successful fulfillment of partnership benefits, recognition, and other commitments.
• Maintain and update the Museum’s institutional grant calendar to ensure timely submissions and reporting.
• Track deadlines, guidelines, and historical data on past proposals, including recommended request amounts and program alignment.
• Collaborate with team members to ensure data integrity in the Museum’s CRM (Salesforce PatronManager), including gift entry, moves-management actions, and donor notes, and generate useful reports for donor engagement and stewardship.

Skills

Strong writing skills

Excellent communication

Team player

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Salesforce PatronManager

Job description

National Children’s Museum is a world-class institution that aims to spark the imagination

and encourage children to dream. Steps off the National Mall and Pennsylvania Avenue,

National Children’s Museum celebrates the joy of childhood through science, technology,

engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) exhibits and programs. As Manager of Grants +

Partnerships, you will help realize this vision for hundreds of thousands of in-person and

virtual visitors who engage with the Museum each year.

Reporting to the Vice President of Advancement, you will be a key member of the

Advancement Team. You’ll focus on building partnerships with funders, researching and

writing grant proposals and reports, coordinating with internal teams to develop new

initiatives and gather insights, and ensuring all deadlines are met. This is an ideal role for

someone who is passionate about playful learning and STEAM education and who

understands the crucial role of donor engagement and grant development in carrying out

mission-driven work and delivering impact.

what you’ll do:

• Manage funder relationships from award through renewal, including internal kickoff meetings, deliverable and deadline tracking, proactive progress updates, impact reporting, and creative year-round stewardship opportunities that keep partners meaningfully connected to the Museum’s work.
• Cultivate prospective funder relationships and serve as an ambassador of the organization.
• Research and identify funding and partnership opportunities (with foundations, corporations, government), including grants and sponsorships for Museum initiatives, exhibits, programs, and events.
• Develop personalized, persuasive proposals and sponsorship packages that align funder interests with the Museum’s mission, highlighting mutual benefits and strategic partnership opportunities.
• Maintain clear, transparent, and responsive communication with current and prospective partners, ensuring successful fulfillment of partnership benefits, recognition, and other commitments.
• Maintain and update the Museum’s institutional grant calendar to ensure timely submissions and reporting.
• Track deadlines, guidelines, and historical data on past proposals, including recommended request amounts and program alignment.
• Collaborate with team members to ensure data integrity in the Museum’s CRM (Salesforce PatronManager), including gift entry, moves-management actions, and donor notes, and generate useful reports for donor engagement and stewardship.

what we believe are important experiences and traits for this role:

• Bachelor’s degree and/or relevant experience;
• 5+ years of experience in fundraising/development/advancement within the non-profit sector, preferably at a museum, school, or cultural institution;
• High attention to detail and excellent organizational skills;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• Ability to balance multiple time-critical projects and pivot quickly;
• Team player who values a collaborative working environment;
• Strong writing skills with the ability to tailor messaging to different audiences;
• Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship; and
• Passion for the mission of National Children’s Museum.

what we value

We champion high-performing, creative individuals who dive into problems, challenges

and opportunities. We believe in people bringing their whole selves to work. We commit to

this through a generous paid vacation and benefits package. We celebrate an environment

of teaching and learning; we support one another in professional and personal growth. We

are a proud equal opportunity employer. We are strongly committed to building a diverse

team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive

we are, the stronger our Museum.

hours and location:

Full-time position located at the National Children’s Museum @ 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW.

Must be available to work onsite from 9 am to 5 pm at least four days per week, and remotely one day per week. Occasional evening, weekend, and holiday work required.

salary + benefits:

Range: $65,000 - $78,000

• health + dental insurance
• 403(b)
• STD/LTD/Life
• paid time off