Director, Foundation Relations

The African American Policy Forum (AAPF), an innovative think tank that connects academics, activists and policy-makers to promote efforts to dismantle structural inequality, is entering an important phase of growth and professionalization, and strong institutional partnerships are essential to its next chapter. The Director, Foundation Relations will manage all aspects of AAPF’s foundation portfolio, from strategy and prospecting to proposal development, grant administration, and stewardship. Reporting directly to Executive Director Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw, this role will serve as the operational and strategic lead for foundation fundraising, ensuring that institutional relationships are well-managed, opportunities are maximized, and funders experience AAPF as a thoughtful, accountable, and visionary partner. This position reflects AAPF’s commitment to building internal capacity for fundraising excellence. The Director will be instrumental in strengthening systems, processes, and relationships that translate AAPF’s thought leadership into sustained institutional investment.

The Director of Foundation Relations will play a pivotal role in sharpening and communicating AAPF’s case for support and strengthening foundation relationships. They will assume some existing relationships, primarily foundation donors and prospects and some corporate relationships, while also conducting independent exploration of new funding opportunities. They will be directly involved in the identification, cultivation, and solicitation of institutional support; lead the development and submission of proposals; and steward grants through timely administration, budgeting, and reporting, providing the program team with funder-related guidance as needed.

AAPF has previously relied on external consultancy to support fundraising and stewardship. The organization is now building internal capacity to own and advance this work from within. The Director must be energized by the opportunity to build this function from the ground up, designing the systems and workflows that will create a lasting foundation for AAPF’s future.

Success in this role will require the ability to manage multiple complex fundraising activities simultaneously; coordinate solicitation strategies across internal stakeholders; and demonstrate the confidence, judgment, and diplomacy to engage senior leaders and funders alike.

Select Qualifications & Characteristics

• A skilled institutional fundraiser with 7+ years of experience managing foundation portfolios, preferably within social justice, advocacy, or policy environments.
• Extensive experience with all phases of institutional fundraising including grant proposal and report development, exceptional writing, editing and execution, including effective collaboration to produce excellent results.
• A strong writer with the ability to synthesize complex and conceptual ideas into persuasive, accessible language for diverse audiences.
• Deeply aligned with AAPF’s mission and intellectually curious about the ideas that shape its work.

Select Responsibilities

• Deepen and expand existing institutional relationships across foundation, corporate, and government funders.
• Lead grant strategy and proposal development in collaboration with the Executive Director and Program staff, and ensure thoughtful stewardship, reporting, and compliance.
• Identify and develop effective approaches for seeking new sources of funding including researching and analyzing relevant philanthropic opportunities and remaining informed of trends in related social justice movements and philanthropy serving organizations.

• This position is a full-time hybrid role based in New York City. The expectation is for this person to be in office three days a week, with Monday and Friday being remote days.
• Salary Range: $130,000-$150,000.
• Comprehensive Health Insurance: medical, dental, and vision.
• 401K Plan with Employer Match to invest for your future.
• Generous PTO Package: 10 days of vacation, 3 personal days, 7 sick days and 12 holidays each year.
• Paid Parental Leave: for employees with more than 6 months of service, we provide 12 weeks of time off.
• Professional Development: AAPF hosts professional and educational development events. We also provide a budget for external training and time off per quarter to attend.