Philanthropy Officer

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: £34,882 per annum

Contract type:
Permanent

Band: E / Higher Executive Officer

Closing date:
Sunday 11th October 2026 at midnight

The Philanthropy Officer will sit within The National Archives’ Research, Grants and Academic Engagement department, the central locus for our:

• 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 enthusiastic and creative Philanthropy Officer to work within its newly established Philanthropy team. Reporting to the Head of Philanthropy and working closely with the Philanthropy Manager, the Philanthropy Officer will support income generation and help to strengthen The National Archives’ profile in the philanthropic community.

The Philanthropy Officer will manage a portfolio of donors and prospects at various stages to secure support for priority projects, working collaboratively with colleagues across The National Archives. They will also support the Head of Philanthropy and the Philanthropy Manager to develop proposals and reports for multi‑year programmes, and annual exhibition, digitisation and conservation projects.

The Philanthropy Officer will support the delivery of cultivation and engagement activities, work closely with the Projects and Process team to monitor funded projects and maintain accurate records on The National Archives’ CRM database.

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 the operational needs of the Department.

A combination of onsite and home working is available and applicants should be able to regularly travel to our Kew site for a minimum of 60% of their work time.

• Cultivate and manage a portfolio of donors, generating philanthropic income for The National Archives’ strategic priorities and meeting KPIs as agreed with the Head of Philanthropy.
• Identify, research and qualify prospects, keep up to date with funding calls and…