Foundation Partnerships Specialist chez Direct Relief

Summary Job Description

The Foundation Partnerships Associate plays a critical role in advancing Direct Relief’s institutional fundraising efforts by identifying, researching, and cultivating foundation funding opportunities to support the organization’s humanitarian programs in the U.S. and globally. This position emphasizes business development support, pipeline building, and strategic research, enabling relationship managers to focus on cultivating and stewarding foundation partners.

The role requires outstanding writing and analytical skills, with the ability to translate complex programmatic information into compelling proposals, reports, and donor communications. The Foundation Partnerships Associate will use data and technology resources to curate customized prospect lists, track opportunities, and inform team strategy. This position provides essential behind-the-scenes support to relationship managers, contributing directly to Direct Relief’s ability to secure institutional funding and sustain long-term partnerships.

As part of the foundation engagement team within the Partnerships & Philanthropy department, this position collaborates extensively with internal teams—including program, finance, and operations—to ensure the accuracy and quality of information shared with donors. This is a highly collaborative role that combines research, strategy, writing, and data analysis to strengthen Direct Relief’s philanthropic partnerships.

Primary Duties/Responsibilities

Research and Pipeline Development:

• Proactively research and identify foundation prospects aligned with Direct Relief’s programmatic priorities and geographic focus.
• Use data and technology platforms to develop curated lists and track funding opportunities, including RFPs and open calls.
• Analyze trends in institutional philanthropy to inform outreach strategy and prospecting priorities.

Proposal and Report Development:

• Write and edit a wide range of high-impact materials, including concept notes, proposals, letters of inquiry, RFP responses, grant reports, and donor communications.
• Translate technical program information into compelling narratives tailored to diverse foundation audiences.
• Ensure alignment with donor guidelines and organizational priorities.

Grant Management and Internal Coordination:

• Support the full grant lifecycle, including proposal development, submission tracking, and reporting.
• Maintain timely and accurate records in Salesforce and/or Raiser’s Edge: NXT to support pipeline development, forecasting, and reporting.
• Collaborate closely with program and finance teams to gather data, budgets, and narratives for proposals and reports.

Strategic Support and Collaboration:

• Join foundation engagement strategy discussions, contributing research and analysis to guide prioritization and team focus.
• Provide internal thought partnership on matching programmatic opportunities with donor interests.
• Support collaborative fundraising initiatives across the Partnerships & Philanthropy team with research, analysis, and written materials.

Donor Relations (Indirect Support):

• Provide relationship managers with timely research, backgrounders, and briefing materials to support external donor engagement.
• Contribute to stewardship by preparing customized communications, updates, and impact summaries.

Compliance and Reporting:

• Ensure adherence to grant requirements by producing accurate, timely reports.
• Track funded project outcomes with program teams and prepare data-driven donor updates.

Learning and Organizational Knowledge:

• Stay informed on philanthropic trends, funding strategies, and grantmaking practices.
• Build deep knowledge of Direct Relief’s program areas to craft tailored proposals and reports.
• Share learnings with colleagues to strengthen the foundation engagement team’s overall strategy.

Desired Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree required, advanced degree in business, communications, nonprofit management, public affairs, or related field preferred.

Professional Experience:

• Minimum 3–5 years of professional experience in business development, research, strategy, or institutional fundraising.
• Experience identifying and qualifying funding opportunities and managing pipelines of prospects.
• Background in grant writing or proposal development is preferred but not required.

Skills:

• Exceptional research, writing, and editing skills, with ability to produce compelling, tailored communications.
• Strong analytical and data management abilities to identify trends and inform strategy.
• Project management skills with attention to detail and ability to manage multiple deadlines.
• Effective collaborator with strong interpersonal communication skills.

Technical:

• Familiarity with CRM systems such as Salesforce or Raiser’s Edge: NXT strongly preferred.
• Experience with data and research tools to support prospect identification and analysis.
• Familiarity with generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) for research and drafting support.

 Other:

• Commitment to humanitarian values and Direct Relief’s mission.
• Ability to occasionally work nights and/or weekends.
• Clear background check and toxicology screening.

Travel Requirements: Periodic domestic and/or international travel by car or aircraft may be required.