Summary
Description
The Director of Foundation Giving is a senior leader on Dental Lifeline Network’s Development Team, and a key architect of our future growth.
In this role, you’ll build and lead a bold, national foundation strategy that fuels life-changing dental care for people who are elderly, living with disabilities, medically fragile, or facing chronic disease. You won’t just manage grants, you’ll shape a portfolio of partnerships that expand access, reduce waitlists, and restore dignity and health in communities nationwide.
This is a hands-on, highly strategic role where big-picture thinking meets execution. From prospecting and proposal development to stewardship and impact reporting, you’ll oversee the full lifecycle of foundation funding—ensuring every dollar raised tells a clear, compelling story of return on investment and human impact.
You’ll play a critical role in advancing state-based funding strategies and national initiatives, including DLN’s work with veterans, chronic disease partners, and emerging collaborations. Working closely with the Vice President of Development—and in partnership with Programs, Affiliate Relations, Corporate Engagement, Finance, and Marketing…you’ll help ensure every proposal is accurate, aligned, and inspiring.
Created in response to growing demand nationwide, this is a high-impact, metrics-driven opportunity for a strategic fundraiser who thrives on momentum, collaboration, and results…and who wants to help shape the future of a mission that restores health, dignity, and hope…one smile at a time.
Key Responsibilities
1. Foundation Strategy & Leadership (30%)
- Design and lead DLN’s national and state-level foundation fundraising strategy, including multi-year goals for restricted and unrestricted revenue.
- Build and manage a diverse portfolio of national and regional foundation partners across priority states.
- Serve as a strategic thought partner to the VP of Development, tracking trends, surfacing new opportunities, and identifying risks within the foundation landscape.
- Partner with Programs to align proposals with DLN’s state playbooks (Restore / Stabilize / Prevent), emerging needs, and waitlist realities.
2. Grant Prospecting & Pipeline Development (15%)
- Proactively identify new foundation prospects aligned with DLN’s mission and strategic priorities.
- Build and sustain a robust pipeline of opportunities ranging from $10,000 to $1,000,000+.
- Lead fit assessments, qualification research, and early relationship-building with foundation decision-makers.
3. Proposal Development & Submission (30%)
- Own the full grant lifecycle, from concept and narrative to budgets, edits, and final submission.
- Collaborate cross-functionally to gather patient stories, volunteer metrics, program outcomes, and financial data.
- Ensure proposals are compelling, evidence-based, customized, and aligned with funder priorities.
- Maintain internal systems (DonorPerfect, grant calendars, dashboards) to keep deadlines, deliverables, and reporting on track.
4. Stewardship, Reporting & Partner Engagement (15%)
- Collaborate on the creation and delivery of high-quality stewardship reports that clearly demonstrate impact, outcomes, and ROI.
- Lead meaningful partner touchpoints, including program updates, volunteer connections, and patient storytelling.
- Ensure all recognition requirements, reporting obligations, and grant conditions are met with excellence.
5. Cross-Departmental Collaboration (10%)
- Partner with Affiliate & Government Relations to identify state funding gaps and opportunities.
- Work closely with Programs to translate real-world needs into fundable strategies.
- Collaborate with Marketing on storytelling assets, impact reports, and funder communications.
- Partner with Finance on budgets, outcomes tracking, and grant compliance.
- Provide leadership within DLN’s State Prioritization initiative and beyond.
- Lead cross-departmental “Huddle” meetings to ensure alignment, accountability, and smooth post-award compliance.
Key Qualifications
- 7–10+ years of progressive experience in foundation or institutional giving, grant writing, or nonprofit development, with a demonstrated commitment to building sustainable philanthropic partnerships.
- Proven success securing 5-, 6-, and preferably 7-figure foundation investments, including repeat and multi-year support.
- Exceptional writing and communication skills, with a passion for turning complex programmatic work into compelling, mission-forward narratives.
- Strong analytical and budgeting skills, with comfort using data, outcomes, and dashboards to inform strategy and demonstrate impact.
- Highly organized and accountable, able to juggle multiple deadlines and portfolios while maintaining momentum and follow-through.
- Experience in health care, human services, oral health, chronic disease, or related fields strongly preferred; especially where equity and access are central.
- Collaborative leadership style with a track record of cross-departmental partnership and relationship stewardship.
To apply, please send a cover letter with salary requirements and resume to Lara Womack at lwomack@dentallifeline.org
