Philanthropy Manager

As the living, growing home of our national story, The National Archives is a special place to work. We’re an institution nearly 200 years old with a collection spanning 1,000 years of history.

We’ve set ourselves the challenge of becoming the 21st Century national archive – a different kind of cultural and heritage institution:
Inclusive, Entrepreneurial, Disruptive. We won’t become this overnight. It will take time, focus, effort and daring.

That’s where you come in. Because we can’t do this without you.

Salary: £40,853 per annum

Contract type:
Permanent

Band: F / Senior Executive Officer

Closing date:
Wednesday 7th October 2026 at midnight

• Research strategy and delivery
• Research impact, culture and engagement
• Grant fundraising and philanthropy
• Management and assurance of external funding
• Grant-making to the archives and GLAM sectors.

The National Archives has a strong track record of securing external funding and holds a grant portfolio of over £16m. Our per-annum grant income has grown by nearly 500% since 2022‑23, and in April 2026, we consolidated our fundraising operations with The National Archives Trust. The National Archives has a strategic priority to secure new charitable and philanthropic funding, and this post is one of three new roles being advertised in Autumn 2026 to deliver on that goal.

We want to grow our research income, including particularly beyond the arts and humanities; reach a wider breadth of funders both nationally and internationally; and raise our profile, through more creative and targeted public engagement and learning programmes with national reach.

The National Archives (TNA) is looking for an experienced Philanthropy Manager to work within its newly established Philanthropy team. Reporting to the Head of Philanthropy, the Philanthropy Manager will play an important role in shaping this new business function, working to grow the profile of The National Archives in the philanthropic community and generate donor income. They will build meaningful and sustainable donor relationships that enable exceptional projects across the breadth of The National Archives’ work.

The Philanthropy Manager will independently build and manage a portfolio of donors and prospects at various stages of cultivation and stewardship. Working collaboratively with colleagues across a range of disciplines, the Philanthropy Manager will develop compelling proposals to secure major gifts that support The National Archives’ strategic vision. This will include generating income for strategic multi‑year programmes, as well as annual priority projects, such as exhibitions, digitisation and conservation.

Working closely with the Grant Development team, the Philanthropy Manager will coordinate approaches and share intelligence to ensure a strategic approach to achieving shared goals. The Philanthropy Manager will develop and deliver cultivation and stewardship activities to bring donors and prospects close to The National Archives’ collection, activities and staff expertise. They will identify bespoke opportunities to steward and recognise donors during delivery of funded projects, develop engaging and timely progress reports and work closely with project teams to monitor projects and ensure accurate financial reporting.

The postholder will work closely with The National Archives Trust, a registered charity that supports The National Archives to engage and educate the public, and conserve and preserve the collection. The Philanthropy Officer will also work with the Grant Development team to achieve shared goals. This is a full‑time post. However, requests for part‑time working, flexible working and job share will be considered, taking into account at all times…