Position Summary
The Director of Foundation Relations & Grants provides strategic leadership and day-to-day management of the foundation and institutional partners of the Greater Chicago Food Depository. This role shares responsibility with the Senior Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations for donor engagement, portfolio strategy, grant development, data-informed decision-making, and team leadership. This role is expected to supervise and mentor the Foundation Relations team in alignment with our organizational values and strategic goals.
Strategic Leadership & Thinking
- Create strategies that significantly increase foundation, government, and institutional funding through multi-year partnerships.
- Partner with the Senior Director to translate data, insights, and fundraising performance into clear plans, priorities, and results.
- Think broadly about donor engagement, grant strategy, portfolio performance, and revenue growth.
- Maintain a strong focus on impact and meaningful outcomes.
Team Leadership & Management
- Manage and mentor the Foundation Relations team, including grant-writing resources.
- Provide coaching, accountability, and strategic guidance.
- Support professional growth while ensuring execution against goals and standards.
- Monitor team progress through KPIs, portfolio performance, and revenue goals.
- Partner with the Senior Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations to foster a collaborative, results-oriented team culture.
Donor Engagement & Portfolio Strategy
- Manage a portfolio of approximately 50-75 foundation, institution, and government funding relationships.
- Lead cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, renewal, and recognition strategies for foundation and institutional partners.
- Recommend and support strategy development for foundation relationships in collaboration with the Senior Director and cross-functional partners.
- Oversee development and implementation of donor engagement and stewardship plans.
- Review and approve proposals, reports, grant agreements, and donor communications.
- Ensure all proposals and reports accurately communicate organizational impact.
- Track relationship activity and donor strategy in StratusLIVE.
Data Analysis, Insights & Executive Reporting
- Develop, analyze, and interpret fundraising data to surface insights and trends across pipelines, portfolios, donors, grants, and campaigns.
- Translate data related to budgets, forecasting, and pipelines into concise, actionable insights that support planning and decision-making.
- Work closely with the Senior Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations to create clear narratives that accompany data for executive audiences.
- Prepare high-quality reports and presentations for executive leadership and board audiences.
- Track foundation revenue goals and support annual budgeting, forecasting, and long-range revenue planning.
- Use portfolio and pipeline analysis to identify funding gaps, renewal risks, growth opportunities, and strategic priorities.
- Ensure data is used to shape plans rather than simply being reported.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with Individual Giving, Corporate Relations, Marketing & Communications, Community Impact, Finance, and other leaders to identify funding opportunities.
- Collaborate on donor engagement and stewardship strategies when funders have relationships across multiple fundraising programs.
- Support executive leadership, board, and team to address institutional funder reporting needs.