Associate Director of Institutional Giving

Associate Director of Institutional Giving

The Associate Director of Institutional Giving is responsible for growing and stewarding Ford’s Theatre Society’s foundation and government funding portfolio (corporate fundraising is organized in another team) by identifying new opportunities, developing compelling proposals, strengthening funder relationships and translating Ford’s programmatic impact into persuasive communications. Working closely with the Director of Development, Ford’s Theatre leadership and colleagues across departments, this role advances institutional fundraising strategies that increase revenue and support Ford’s strategic priorities.

The position is based in Washington, D.C. and is eligible to work within stated Ford’s hybrid work guidelines which includes up to 2 days a week remote. Ford’s is proud to be an equal opportunity employer where all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity or expression, family status, sexual orientation, disability, age, neurodiversity, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

• Partner with leadership to cultivate and solicit high-potential prospects while also growing support from current funders. Develop and execute a growth-oriented foundation and government fundraising plan to meet or exceed revenue goals with clear prospect strategies and a moves-management approach to cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.
• Research, identify, qualify and prioritize new foundation, government and institutional funding prospects, integrating opportunities into the annual grants calendar.
• Identify arts advocacy efforts at the local and national levels that advance Ford’s mission, public funding goals and role in the Washington, D.C. cultural community. Partner with organizational leadership to position Ford’s Theatre effectively in these settings.

• Write compelling proposals, letters of inquiry, applications, reports and acknowledgements that clearly articulate Ford’s impact and funding priorities across programmatic areas.
• Strengthen relationships with current and prospective institutional funders through thoughtful cultivation, timely stewardship and strategic engagement with program officers and partners.
• Manage grant deadlines, reporting requirements and stewardship deliverables, ensuring timely coordination across internal teams and with key organizational stakeholders.
• Partner with Corporate Relations team to support reporting and messaging to corporate foundations.
• Partner with finance and programming colleagues to monitor grant-funded activities and prepare accurate financial and supplementary materials for proposals and reports.

• Partner with programming, education, finance and communications colleagues to gather the information, outcomes, data and stories needed to support strong proposals, reports and stewardship materials.
• Track, analyze and communicate evaluation and survey data that demonstrates Ford’s programmatic impact and strengthens the case for institutional support.
• Maintain consistent approach to collecting and utilizing impact data for funder reporting, audience insights and development strategy.

• Synthesize programmatic information from across the organization into clear messaging frameworks, pitches and narrative tools that development colleagues can deploy in donor conversations, proposals and stewardship materials.
• Serve as the Development team’s primary resource for donor-facing communications and messaging, producing department-wide materials—including the annual impact report, funder e-newsletters and case statements—that strengthen relationships and support fundraising across all donor groups. Manage content, timelines and accuracy to ensure materials reflect Ford’s priorities and resonate with diverse donor audiences.
• Maintain and regularly update a centralized library of organizational…