Senior Foundation Partnerships Manager

DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.

Since 2000, more than 6 million people and partners have contributed $1.8 billion to support 3 million teacher requests for classroom resources and experiences. Projects range from drums to teach music students new rhythms, to books that affirm students’ identities, to shoe-making materials for an unforgettable lesson in engineering. We proudly serve all US public schools, public charter schools, and Head Start centers, and work to direct donations to the schools facing the greatest barriers to opportunity.

DonorsChoose has been recognized as a best place to work by GOOD Magazine and the Nonprofit Times, while Fast Company named DonorsChoose one of the 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World—the first time a charity has made this list. Our dedicated team works from across the United States to bring classroom dreams to life.

Our team raises funds for classrooms by building and executing philanthropic partnerships with foundations and renewing and growing those partnerships over time. Read more about our partnerships.

DonorsChoose is seeking a Senior Foundation Partnerships Manager to manage and grow strategic partnerships with private foundations and donors that advance educational equity and expand support for teachers and students nationwide.

Success in this role requires more than excellent grant writing. Our strongest partnerships are built through thoughtful relationship development, deep understanding of philanthropic priorities, and the ability to connect foundation strategies and individuals’ giving priorities with meaningful opportunities to create impact. This role combines strategic fundraising, business development, and consultative partnership management to build long-term relationships that generate transformational support for classrooms.

As a senior individual contributor, you will own a portfolio of sophisticated foundation and donor relationships while helping strengthen DonorsChoose’s approach to institutional and individual philanthropy, identifies new opportunities, and grows long-term investments. This role will focus primarily on a portfolio of sophisticated foundation and major donor relationships, each contributing $250K+ annually.

• Own a portfolio of institutional and individual philanthropic relationships, developing long-term strategies that deepen engagement and increase investment over time.
• Build trusted relationships with program officers, foundation executives, trustees, individual donors, and other key decision makers.
• Consistently identify opportunities for renewals, increased investments, multi-year commitments, and expanded partnership scope.
• Contribute meaningfully toward annual fundraising goals by managing renewals and increased investments from a portfolio of sophisticated foundation and individual partners.

• Design compelling funding strategies that align funders’ philanthropic priorities with DonorsChoose's mission, programs, and long-term organizational goals while creating opportunities for deeper, longer-term partnerships.
• Develop persuasive grant proposals, concept papers, reports, and presentations tailored to foundations’ and individuals’ interests.
• Translate DonorsChoose's data, classroom insights, and impact into compelling cases for investment that connect to sector trends and philanthropic priorities.
• Stay current on philanthropic trends, emerging funding priorities, and evolving giving strategies to strengthen DonorsChoose's fundraising approach

• Serve as the primary relationship owner across complex foundation and individual partnerships from cultivation through stewardship and renewal.
• Partner closely with Marketing, Impact & Insights, Revenue Operations, Finance, and other internal teams to develop proposals, execute grant-funded initiatives, and deliver exceptional funder experiences.
• Anticipate challenges, coordinate stakeholders, and maintain momentum across multiple concurrent grant cycles and partnership commitments.
• Ensure outstanding execution across every stage of the partnership lifecycle.

• Share successful fundraising strategies and contribute to evolving fundraising best practices.
• Mentor teammates on strategy, proposal development, and relationship cultivation.
• Identify opportunities to improve fundraising operations, proposal development processes, and portfolio management practices.
• Bring an external perspective on philanthropy trends, helping the team continuously strengthen DonorsChoose's approach to institutional fundraising

You may thrive in this role if you:

• Have 8+ years of experience in foundation fundraising, institutional giving, philanthropy, business development, strategic partnerships, or consultative relationship management.
• Have successfully secured and managed complex six- and seven-figure partnerships.
• Are exceptional at building trusted relationships with foundation leaders and individuals and navigating sophisticated philanthropic organizations.
• Think strategically—you naturally connect organizational priorities with funder interests and identify opportunities for long-term partnership growth.
• Are an outstanding writer and communicator, able to translate complex ideas into compelling, fundable proposals.
• Balance long cultivation cycles with disciplined execution and thoughtful relationship management.
• Are a master of prioritization, who thrives on turning ambiguity into execution. You know how to scope a project, balance urgency with thoughtful prioritization across multiple high-value relationships, and keep cross-functional teams moving in the same direction.
• Enjoy collaborating across functions and are known as someone who makes teams stronger.
• Care deeply about educational equity and believe philanthropy can be a powerful driver of systemic change.

Senior Corporate Partnerships Managers independently own the organization's most sophisticated partnership portfolios and consistently deliver against ambitious fundraising goals. They shape partnership strategy, influence how the team approaches relationship management, and serve as mentors and thought partners to colleagues. While they do not directly manage people, they regularly influence cross-functional decisions, improve team practices, and help raise the overall quality of partnership work across the organization.

Candidates should expect to travel approximately 8-10 times per year, based on business need. Travel based on business needs includes, but is not limited to, internal events such as all staff gatherings, as well as external events such as partner meetings, conferences, and other events as necessary. All work-related travel expenses will be covered by the organization.

In this role, you’ll have the option to work a flexible hybrid schedule in our NYC office, or to work fully remotely from CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, MA, MD, MI, MN, NC, NJ, NY, OR, PA, TN, TX, VA, WA, or WI.

Candidates should expect to travel approximately 8-10 times per year, based on business need. Travel based on business needs including, but is not limited to, internal events such as all staff gatherings, as well as external events such as partner meetings, conferences, and other events as necessary. All work-related travel expenses will be covered by the organization.

DonorsChoose participates in E-Verify. We will provide the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization. 

An important note on communications: All messages from our hiring team will come from an official @donorschoose.org email address. If you ever receive a message about a role with us from a different domain, it’s not from us, and you should not reply or click on any links. We care deeply about your time, your privacy, and your experience—thank you for your interest in joining the DonorsChoose mission!

EQUITY
Combating systemic inequity is crucial to a brighter future for all. This reality fuels our ambitions and drives us to persevere.

INGENUITY
Complex problems require innovative solutions. We dream big, get creative, roll up our sleeves, and take action. We believe the best products can change the world.

HUMANITY 
People are the heart of our team and the communities we serve. Our compassion informs our goals and how we work together to achieve them. 

INTEGRITY
We strive to do right. We’re up-front about the facts. We boldly learn and grow from mistakes.

LEARNING
Education is the beating heart of our organization, inside and out. We’re curious. We listen. We know we don’t know everything. 

GRATITUDE
We begin and end with thanks. We take joy in our mission, our communities, and each other.

Please submit your resume and answer the application questions online. Since we’re trying to get to know you through our hiring process, we ask that you please refrain from using AI writing tools to craft your response to our application questions. A cover letter is optional and may be addressed to Ben Underwood, Managing Director, Foundation Partnerships.

A Final Note

The DonorsChoose team works toward a nation where students in every community have the resources needed for an excellent education. To do this we hire and support a diverse team of the best and the brightest talent available because it makes us more effective, high-performing, creative and resilient. If you are passionate about our mission, highly skilled in your field, and looking for a place where you can bring all of yourself to work, we want you.