Associate Director, Foundation and Grant Relations

About NBTS:

National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS) unrelentingly invests in, mobilizes, and unites our community to discover a cure, deliver effective treatments, and advocate for patients and their care partners. NBTS is a leading policy advocacy and research organization as well as a convener of brain tumor research leaders including industry, regulators, funders, clinicians, researchers, and patient advocates. We also provide resources and personalized support to patients and families, and we bring all members of the brain tumor community together each year through our walks, races, community events and Gray Nation Endurance programs. Our results include paradigm-shifting research discoveries, the development of new treatments, increased federal funding for brain tumor research, innovative new clinical trials, and opportunities for entrepreneurship and venture philanthropy to benefit brain tumor research and health care delivery.

While we have seen significant progress in terms of scientific understanding of brain tumor biology, we are unsatisfied with the status quo of today’s treatment options. NBTS is committed to investment in new ideas and research poised to incent the development and realization of treatments that dramatically increase survival and quality of life for patients.

Position Summary:

The Associate Director, Foundation and Grant Relations reports to the Senior Director of Corporate and Foundation Partnerships and CSR. This role is responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding a diverse portfolio of private, community, corporate and family foundations to secure philanthropic funding in support of the organization’s mission. The role requires strong skills in research, strategy, cross-departmental project management, and persuasive writing, and will ensure a high standard of cultivation and organizational strategy.

In addition, this role will be instrumental in laying the foundation for a scalable, mission-aligned corporate charitable giving program, helping to shape its strategy, messaging, partnerships, and long-term sustainability in close collaboration with the Senior Director and the Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships.

The ideal candidate must demonstrate sound judgement, professionalism, and an ability to manage complex projects independently while fostering internal collaboration. Proven experience in grant writing, relationship and moves management, and nonprofit development is essential. In addition, the Associate Director will work in collaboration with mission delivery teams to develop case-building and impact reports, and will lead project management to ensure grant deliverables are met.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Foundation and Grant Strategy and Revenue Generation:

• Lead strategy and execution for securing programmatic and operating support from private, community, corporate and family foundations.
• Achieve personal and departmental revenue goals, annual and long-term, by developing and executing institutional fundraising strategies that align with organizational priorities.
• Develop and implement multi-year growth strategies to expand institutional support and diversify the foundation and grant portfolio.
• Develop and launch a corporate charitable grants program in partnership with the Senior Director and Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships.
• Partner with the Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships to coordinate on cross-functional opportunities that span corporate charitable giving, sponsorship, and strategic philanthropy.

Portfolio Management and Fundraising Operations:

• Manage and grow a dynamic portfolio of currently 25+ foundations capable of giving an average of $30,000+.
• Research and identify new prospects, maintaining tracking and pipeline management systems.
• Maintain and manage a comprehensive grants calendar, including proposal deadlines, reporting timelines, and renewal cycles.
• Provide regular reporting and analysis to the Senior Director and leadership using Salesforce to assess the institutional funding pipeline, monitor progress toward revenue targets, and forecast fundraising performance to inform strategic planning and resource allocation.
• Continuously assess and improve internal systems and tools to support institutional funding effectiveness.

Grant Development and Stewardship:

• Write compelling grant proposals, reports, and supporting materials tailored to foundation guidelines and priorities.
• Develop and execute stewardship and renewal strategies to foster long-term relationships with institutional funders.
• Collaborate across departments to build compelling cases for support and develop impact-driven reports for funders.
• Ensure compliance with grant agreements, tracking progress toward deliverables and working with program staff to meet reporting requirements.
• Drives disciplined adherence to constituent relations management (CRM) tracking and scheduling, including general communications, stewardship, and recognition activities.

Collaboration and External Engagement:

• Collaborate with Senior Director and executive leadership to align organization’s priorities with funding opportunities.
• Proactively assess institutional funder relationships to identify opportunities for leadership engagement and strategic cultivation.
• Elevate funders to the Senior Director as appropriate, contributing to a co-managed portfolio of high-impact foundation and charitable grant partners.
• Serve as primary liaison for foundation communications, building and stewarding relationships with key foundation staff.
• Plan and coordinate site visits, funder briefings and other engagement opportunities.
• Lead project management for initiatives funded by corporate or foundation grants, ensuring cross-departmental alignment and timely execution.

Other:

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent prior experience required.
• 5-7 years Foundation Relations, Charitable Grant Management, and/or Development experience preferred.
• Experience working in a healthcare-related organization preferred.

Required Skills, Knowledge, & Abilities:

• Exceptional written and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to craft compelling grant proposals, reports, and donor communications.
• Strong strategic thinking and analytical abilities, with experience aligning funding opportunities to organizational goals.
• Demonstrated success in independently managing multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• High attention to detail and accuracy, with excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Proven ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment, diplomacy, and professionalism in all interactions.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional projects and collaborating with internal teams to ensure timely execution of grant-funded initiatives.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Gmail), and CRM systems (preferably Salesforce) for donor and grants management.
• Ability to develop and interpret fundraising performance reports, assess pipeline health, and support revenue forecasting.
• Deep understanding of institutional fundraising, including foundation and corporate giving trends, stewardship, compliance, and reporting requirements.
• Self-motivated and proactive, with a solutions-oriented mindset and the ability to anticipate needs and take initiative.
• Team-oriented and mission-driven, with a focus on productivity, outcomes, and collaborative success

Work Environment:

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Location: Remote/Telework, work will primarily be performed in a home office environment.
• This role requires a primary work location in the Eastern or Central time zone of the United States. Please note that remote work must be performed in the employee’s state of residence at time of hire.
• Normal hours for this role are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. Occasional attendance at NBTS events or meetings may be required on the weekend or outside of normal hours.
• Travel to headquarters and/or meeting locations throughout the US by car and/or plane may be required approximately 5% of the time.
• This role is largely sedentary and requires sitting or standing in a stationary position for extended periods of time. This role frequently involves communicating on the phone and operating a computer for at least 70% of the work day.

NBTS provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.