Senior Director of Foundation Relations

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; United States; On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is seeking a Senior Director of Foundation Relations to lead and grow foundation fundraising, report to Development Team, and supervise four fundraising professionals.

This role will translate organizational priorities into compelling funding opportunities, build enduring partnerships with funders, and oversee grant proposals, reporting, and CRM maintenance to ensure strategic alignment and sustained impact.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in institutional foundation fundraising.
• Ability to translate priorities into compelling funding opportunities.
• Strong collaboration across program, finance, and development functions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive foundation fundraising strategy.
• Oversee proposal development and grant reporting.
• Lead cultivation and stewardship of foundation funders.
• Coordinate grant budgets and revenue forecasting.
• Supervise a team of four fundraising professionals.

Skills

Strategic fundraising

Donor stewardship

Team leadership

Foundation program management

Tools

CRM systems (Salesforce)

Job description

The client seeks a highly experienced and strategic Senior Director of Foundation Relations to lead and grow foundation fundraising efforts. The role is part of the senior leadership on the Development Team and will collaborate to develop and implement a comprehensive approach to deepen existing foundation relationships and secure new foundation grants and partnerships. The position will supervise a team of four fundraising professionals and will leverage deep institutional giving expertise to prospect, develop, and steward funders and donors.

The Senior Director of Foundation Relations will translate organizational priorities into compelling funding opportunities and build enduring partnerships that advance The client’s mission. They will bring strong institutional fundraising judgment and a collaborative approach to work across programmatic, financial, and development functions, ensuring that foundation relationships are strengthened through thoughtful engagement, clear communication, rigorous stewardship, and an understanding of funder interests and philanthropic trends. The role will help expand opportunities for investment and support sustained organizational growth and impact.

Key responsibilities includes developing and executing a comprehensive foundation fundraising strategy, aligning foundation relations efforts with the organization’s mission and programmatic goals, and participating in strategic planning to identify new funding opportunities. The Senior Director will collaborate on prospect research, creative outreach, and executive-level funder briefings, oversee proposal development and grant reporting processes, and manage the grant deliverables calendar to ensure timely submissions. They will serve as the primary Development Team point of contact for foundation officers, lead cultivation and stewardship and professional communications (including negotiation of terms for complex grant agreements within organizational policies), ensure accurate tracking of grant funds and revenue forecasting, coordinate grant budget development with relevant leaders, and oversee maintenance of foundation records in the organization’s CRM system.