SVP, Foundation Relations
About this role
Overview
Since 1972, Covenant House has served and advocated for youth and young families experiencing homelessness, human trafficking, and exploitation. Our overarching goal is to end homelessness among youth and young families by helping them achieve housing stability, heal from trauma, tap into their innate resilience, and hone their interests and skills to forge new pathways to independence. This work is carried out across Covenant House sites in 34 cities in the US, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.
About the Role
The Senior Vice President, Foundation Relations is a strategic and entrepreneurial fundraising executive responsible for leading Covenant House International's foundation fundraising program and securing transformational philanthropic investments from private foundations. Reporting directly to the Chief Philanthropy Officer, the SVP will focus primarily on identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major commitments from foundations capable of making seven- and eight-figure investments.
The SVP will expand Covenant House's foundation portfolio by developing and securing significant new funding relationships with international, national, regional, family, and private foundations whose priorities align with Covenant House's mission and strategic objectives. The successful candidate will be a proven fundraiser with extensive experience securing multiple multi-million-dollar commitments and multi-year grants from leading private foundations.
This leader will manage a team of frontline foundation relations officers and grant writers responsible for prospect development, cultivation, proposal development, reporting, and ongoing foundation engagement. The SVP will establish ambitious revenue goals, implement best practices across the foundation relations function, and build a high-performing team capable of sustaining significant growth.
As a senior leader within the revenue organization, the SVP will help shape fundraising strategy, foster cross-functional collaboration, and model Covenant House's values of unconditional love, absolute respect, and relentless support. This position requires a self-starter with exceptional judgment, initiative, and accountability who can operate independently and achieve ambitious goals with minimal supervision.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Foundation Fundraising Strategy and Revenue Growth
Develop and execute a comprehensive foundation relations strategy focused on securing transformational seven- and eight-figure investments from international, national, regional, family, and private foundations
Build and maintain a robust pipeline of high-capacity foundation prospects capable of making significant multi-year commitments
Personally manage a portfolio of the organization's most significant foundation prospects and funders
Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward new foundation partners whose philanthropic priorities align with Covenant House's mission and strategic plan
Develop strategies to secure support for core operations, programmatic initiatives, capital projects, endowment opportunities, international programs, policy initiatives, and other strategic priorities
Lead complex funding discussions and negotiate major grant awards and multi-year commitments
Establish annual revenue goals and performance metrics for the foundation relations program
Monitor trends in institutional philanthropy and identify emerging opportunities for strategic foundation investments
Foundation Relationship Management
Build trusted relationships with foundation presidents, executive directors, trustees, program officers, philanthropic advisors, and family office representatives
Design and implement customized cultivation and stewardship strategies for major foundation funders
Coordinate foundation site visits, executive briefings, funder meetings, and strategic engagement opportunities
Ensure exceptional stewardship and grant reporting that demonstrates impact and strengthens long-term relationships
Position Covenant House as a preferred philanthropic partner among leading foundations nationwide
Leadership and Team Management
Lead, mentor, and develop a team of foundation relations professionals, including frontline foundation relations officers and grant writers
Establish clear performance expectations, accountability measures, and professional development plans
Build a collaborative, high-performing culture centered on excellence, innovation, results, and continuous learning
Create systems and processes that improve proposal development, grant management, prospect tracking, and foundation stewardship
Ensure effective coordination between frontline fundraising activities and grant writing functions
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partner closely with colleagues across donor relations, corporate partnerships, affiliate relations, marketing and communications, finance, programs, and executive leadership.
Coordinate institution-wide strategies involving major funding opportunities that require collaboration across multiple departments and subject-matter experts.
Work closely with program leaders to develop compelling cases for support and foundation funding opportunities.
Collaborate with donor relations colleagues when foundation trustees, family members, or family offices present opportunities for individual major gifts.
Partner with corporate partnerships colleagues when foundations and corporate philanthropy initiatives overlap.
Engage executive leadership and board members in cultivation and solicitation efforts when appropriate.
Organizational Leadership
Serve as a key member of the revenue organization leadership team and contribute to overall fundraising strategy and organizational growth.
Represent Covenant House with credibility and professionalism among foundation leaders and external stakeholders.
Model Covenant House's values and demonstrate a commitment to mission-centered leadership.
Promote a culture of collaboration, accountability, integrity, inclusion, and shared success
Provide strategic insights regarding philanthropy trends, institutional funding opportunities, and long-term revenue diversification
Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Deep expertise in foundation fundraising and institutional philanthropy
Strong understanding of the foundation landscape, including major family, independent, regional, national, and international foundations
Proven ability to identify, cultivate, and close new foundation funding relationships
Expertise in developing comprehensive institutional fundraising strategies aligned with organizational priorities
Exceptional relationship-building skills with foundation executives, trustees, program officers, and philanthropic advisors
Strong leadership and team management capabilities
Ability to develop and communicate complex cases for support tailored to institutional funders
Exceptional writing, editing, and proposal development skills
Outstanding presentation and verbal communication abilities
Strong strategic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
Strong understanding of grant budgeting, proposal development, compliance, stewardship, and reporting requirements
High degree of initiative, accountability, and independent judgment
Strong project management and organizational skills
Ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines within a fast-paced environment
Passion for Covenant House's mission and demonstrated commitment to serving vulnerable youth
Required Qualifications
Minimum of 12-15 years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, including substantial experience in foundation relations and institutional giving
Demonstrated success securing seven- and eight-figure grants and multi-year commitments from private foundations
Proven success securing seven- and eight-figure grants from national, regional, family, and private foundations
Experience building and managing portfolios of major foundation prospects and funders
Significant experience developing new foundation partnerships and generating substantial new revenue
Demonstrated success leading foundation fundraising strategies that achieve sustained revenue growth
Experience managing frontline fundraising professionals and grant writing teams.
Experience collaborating with executive leaders, board members, program staff, and external stakeholders
Experience managing large funding opportunities involving multiple stakeholders and organizational departments
Demonstrated ability to work independently and consistently achieve ambitious fundraising goals with minimal supervision
Ability and willingness to travel as necessary
Expected Leadership Competencies
Strategic Fundraising Leadership
Foundation Relations Expertise
New Business Development
Executive Presence
Revenue Growth Mindset
Talent Development and Coaching
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Innovation and Opportunity Creation
Influence and Relationship Building
Results Orientation
Accountability and Ownership
Mission-Driven Leadership
Financial Stewardship
Sound Judgment and Decision-Making
Travel Requirements
Expected to travel nationally up to 10%-30% for in-person meetings with partners and CHI team meetings as needed
Our Community
Our critical mission demands that we have all voices at the table. A team of diverse people, perspectives, and experiences is smarter, stronger, and more effective for our young people. At Covenant House, every team member is valued, respected, heard, and supported, and we welcome honest and courageous self-reflection on any aspects of our work that are based on biased or outdated viewpoints. We deliberately create opportunities for our staff to grow and thrive.
Covenant House International is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind: CHI is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at CHI are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, family or parental status, disability status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. CHI will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics and encourages all qualified applicants to apply.
If you have a disability or medical condition and need a reasonable accommodation, such as an ASL interpreter or a different interview format, or if you have physical accessibility needs, let us know. Contact us at 1-929-502-2521, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Time or email us at .
Originally posted on Himalayas