Director Institutional Giving

The National Building Museum inspires curiosity about the world we design and build.

We are a private non-profit institution that transforms understanding of the history and impact of architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, and design. The National Building Museum educates, entertains, and engages people about the built environment and challenges them to advocate for a sustainable and equitable future.

Position Summary

The Director of Institutional Giving is responsible for leading and managing the National Building Museum’s institutional fundraising program, with a primary focus on foundation, corporate, and government support. This position plays a critical role in sustaining and growing philanthropic revenue by overseeing the full lifecycle of institutional giving, including proposal development, grants management, funder stewardship, reporting, and strategic prospect development.

Reporting to the Assistant Vice President of Advancement, the Director will manage a portfolio of institutional funders and oversee a complex calendar of proposals, reports, renewals, sponsorship deliverables, and deadlines. The Director will serve as the Museum's lead grant writer and institutional fundraising manager, partnering closely with colleagues across the enterprise to translate programs, exhibitions, education initiatives, and organizational priorities into compelling proposals, sponsorship opportunities, and funder communications.

While the role is focused on managing and strengthening the Museum’s existing institutional partnerships, the Director will also help identify and cultivate new opportunities for support, particularly through foundation partnerships, corporate foundations, and corporate sponsorships. The Director manages and mentors the Manager of Foundation Relations and Manager of Corporate Giving.

This position is ideal for a highly organized and collaborative fundraising professional with exceptional writing skills, strong project management abilities, and experience managing multiple institutional relationships and deadlines in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Institutional Fundraising & Strategy

• Lead the execution of the Museum’s institutional giving strategy in alignment with organizational priorities and revenue goals.
• Manage a portfolio of foundation, corporate, and government funders, overseeing cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, renewals, and reporting.
• Identify and pursue new institutional funding opportunities that align with the Museum’s mission, programs, and strategic initiatives.
• Support the continued growth of the Museum’s corporate partnerships, sponsorships, and membership efforts.
• Partner with the AVP of Advancement to implement institutional fundraising strategies and align funding opportunities with organizational priorities.
• Ensure the timely execution of all institutional fundraising activities, including proposals, reports, stewardship plans, sponsorship deliverables, grant compliance requirements, and funder communications.

Proposal Development & Grant Writing

• Lead the development, writing, editing, and submission of compelling grant proposals, sponsorship requests, letters of inquiry, and institutional communications.
• Translate complex programs and initiatives into clear, persuasive narratives tailored to funder priorities.
• Collaborate closely with program, finance, and leadership staff to gather content, budgets, metrics, and supporting materials for proposals and reports.
• Oversee institutional fundraising calendars and ensure timely completion of all submissions and deliverables.

Grant Management & Stewardship

• Oversee the administration and management of institutional awards and grants, ensuring compliance with funder requirements and organizational policies.
• Develop and maintain systems to track proposal deadlines, reporting schedules, grant deliverables, sponsorship benefits, and award requirements.
• Work collaboratively with Finance and Program teams to track grant implementation, expenditures, and outcomes.
• Prepare and submit timely, accurate, and thoughtful reports that demonstrate organizational impact and strengthen long-term funder relationships.
• Ensure institutional partners receive strong stewardship and ongoing engagement opportunities that deepen investment in the Museum’s mission.

Relationship Management

• Manage relationships with foundation representatives, corporate partners, government agencies, and other institutional funders, ensuring exceptional stewardship and engagement throughout the funding lifecycle.
• Coordinate and participate in funder meetings, site visits, presentations, and stewardship activities.
• Represent the Museum externally with professionalism, responsiveness, and strong relationship management skills.

Team Leadership & Operations

• Lead, mentor, and support the institutional giving team, fostering a collaborative, organized, and high-performing environment.
• Provide guidance, coaching, and editorial oversight on proposals, reports, sponsorship materials, and funder communications.
• Ensure strong internal coordination and accountability across institutional fundraising activities and timelines.
• Utilize Humanitru CRM donor database and other systems to maintain accurate records of proposals, grants, funder interactions, and institutional revenue tracking.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 7 years of professional experience in institutional fundraising, with a strong record of securing grants from foundations, corporations, and government agencies.
• Demonstrated expertise in grant writing and proposal development, with the ability to craft clear, compelling, and funder-aligned narratives.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with experience managing multiple deadlines, priorities, and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Experience overseeing grants management, compliance, reporting, and institutional stewardship processes.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across departments and with external partners.
• Ability to think strategically while also managing day-to-day execution and operational details.
• Experience with donor databases and grants tracking systems.
• Comfort with digital grant portals and submission platforms and experience navigating government and foundation portals.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word for drafting high-quality proposals, Excel for managing budgets and grant tracking, and PowerPoint for creating compelling funder briefings and presentation materials.

Full-time employees are eligible for the following benefits:

• Medical, dental and vision insurance
• Employer paid Life, AD&D, short and long-term disability
• 11 paid holidays
• Paid vacation and sick days
• 403 (b) plan with match
• Museum Shop discounts
• Free on-site parking