About Us (and You):

At State Policy Network, we’re building an America where personal freedom, innovation, and opportunity empower everyone to thrive. We’re a national nonprofit—but more than that, we’re the connector and champion behind a growing movement of state-based think tanks and partners working toward a freer society.

That’s where you come in. In this role, you won’t just be a spectator—you’ll be in the thick of it, working alongside bold leaders to ignite durable, state-level freedom movements. Together, we’ll help high-performing, independent think tanks make a real impact—one state at a time.

How you’ll make impact:

State Policy Network is seeking a Senior Director of Foundation Relations to lead and scale our foundation fundraising efforts. This is an exciting opportunity for a strategic, collaborative, and highly relational fundraiser who thrives in complex environments and is motivated by building systems, developing people, and securing significant philanthropic investment.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned institutional fundraiser with a strong track record of securing and stewarding five-, six-, and ideally seven-figure gifts, and who brings sounds judgment to evaluating which opportunities are financially and operationally viable. The right person for this role will lead a high-performing team and develop compelling funding opportunities that align donor interests with SPN’s priorities.

This role requires comfort navigating complexity, facilitating internal alignment, and maintaining clarity around scope, expectations, and resources. They will ensure that proposal development, reporting, and donor stewardship are executed at the highest level.

The Senior Director of Foundation Relations will report to the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, serve as a senior leader on the development team, and manage a foundation relations team.

This role includes a competitive salary commensurate with experience, plus benefits. Much of SPN’s staff works remotely, and this position is eligible to work from a virtual office anywhere in the United States.

Your Day-to-Day:

Team Leadership and Grant Management

  • Lead and manage the Foundation Relations team, overseeing workflow, writing and editing support, and coordination with program colleagues to create funding opportunities
  • Coach and develop team members to increase ownership and expand responsibilities over time.
  • Delegate effectively to build team capacity and strengthen execution across grant processes.
  • Oversee grant management systems to ensure proposals and reports are accurate and on time.
  • Partner with internal colleagues to ensure reporting expectations, timelines, and funded activities are clearly understood and achievable.
  • Coordinate across development to maintain strong writing, editing, and information-sharing processes.

Foundation Donor Strategy and Relationship Management

  • Manage and grow a portfolio of foundation donors and prospects through cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and renewal strategies.
  • Drive significant donor moves, including proposals, meetings, stewardship updates, and event engagement.
  • Partner with executive leadership to deploy them strategically in donor relationships.
  • Support and mentor team members in taking on direct donor-facing responsibilities.
  • Ensure donor strategies, interactions, and commitments are accurately tracked in Salesforce and reflected in reporting.

Moves Management and Stewardship Systems

  • Establish and oversee consistent moves management processes across the foundation portfolio.
  • Ensure each donor has a strategic moves plan with a mix of engagement touchpoints.
  • Monitor effectiveness of systems and refine processes to improve performance.
  • Ensure stewardship is timely, personalized, and aligned with donor intent.

Major Proposal and Project Development

  • Identify and advance high impact funding opportunities that support SPN’s mission without creating unfunded scope or misaligned program commitments.
  • Partner with program staff, finance, and leadership to develop mission-aligned funding opportunities. Collaborate closely with program, finance, and leadership teams to assess feasibility, costs, risks, and sustainability of proposed initiatives.
  • Lead development of complex proposals from concept through submission, ensuring alignment between donor intent, program design, and available resources.
  • Coordinate internal communication to ensure alignment and responsiveness.
  • Ensure internal stakeholders understand donor intent and project expectations following award decisions.

Senior Development Team Leadership

  • Serve as a senior leader contributing to development strategy, problem-solving, and continuous improvement.
  • Support leadership colleagues in strengthening systems and team performance.
  • Act as a mentor and role model across the development team.
  • Represent development across SPN, promoting a strong culture of philanthropy.
  • Build strong cross-functional relationships with program staff, finance, and leadership.

TLDR? We’re looking for…

  • 10+ years’ experience in foundation relations or institutional fundraising
  • Proven success securing and stewarding five-, six-, and ideally seven-figure gifts
  • 5+ team leadership and coaching experience
  • Ability to travel approximately 30%
  • Exceptional writing, editing, and project management skills
  • Experience working cross-functionally with program, finance, and executive leadership
  • A clear understanding of nonprofit cost structures, restricted funding, and the financial implications of grant-funded programs
  • Sound judgment in evaluating funding opportunities through both a mission and sustainability lens
  • Experience with Salesforce or similar CRM systems

Are YOU a good fit?

  • Are you Mission-Bound? Everything we do at SPN is in service to the restoration of individual rights and self-governance. We pursue excellence in our work and set aside our pride and differences to commit ourselves to this end.
  • Are you Candid and Humble? We give and receive honest and respectful feedback with the assumption of positive intent. We deal with problems and conflict directly with the individuals involved. We are open to challenges, eager to learn, and willing to acknowledge mistakes to improve.
  • Are you Entrepreneurial? We seek opportunities, embrace innovation, and take prudent risk with a bias toward action. We test, fail small, and scale our successes. We’re resilient but also nimble, looking for the potential in every challenge.
  • Are you Relational? Trust and respect are built over time through competence, reliability, and integrity. We establish credibility through meaningful relationships, demonstrating value before expecting influence or partnership.

To Apply

Qualified candidates should submit the following application materials (in order) in one PDF document:

  • Cover letter including:
    • An introductory paragraph(s) describing three distinct reasons you are drawn to the SPN mission and how you came to those beliefs
    • Compensation requirements and travel availability
  • Resume

Applications should be submitted to Talent Market via this link: talentmarket.org/apply-for-your-dream-job/.

Questions can be directed to Katy Gambella, Director of Outreach at Talent Market, who is managing the search process: [email protected].

There is no application deadline for this position. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. This job will remain posted on our site until it is filled.

While we thank all applicants in advance for their interest in this position, we are only able to contact those to whom we can offer an interview. Only direct applications will be considered. No phone calls, please.

Talent Market is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting liberty by helping free-market nonprofits identify talent for critical roles. We provide consulting and recruiting services at no cost to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations that clearly and directly focus on advancing the principles of economic freedom, free enterprise, free trade, free speech, property rights, rule of law, and limited regulation.