Grants and Major Gifts Manager

Arts & Culture nonprofit Community Music Center of Boston seeks a Grants & Major Gifts Manager to join its high-performing advancement team at an exciting juncture in the organization's trajectory. Now in the final year of the successful $20 million Valuing All Voices capital campaign, CMCB will be building on the campaign's momentum as it opens its flagship new facility in Roxbury's Nubian Square in early 2027.

About the role

Reporting directly to the Chief Advancement Officer and joining a team of four full-time staff and several part-time youth employees, this position is responsible for identifying institutional grant opportunities, drafting proposals, and reporting on stewardship. The role also provides strategic prospect research, fundraising analysis, and operational support for major gift ($5K+) donors. Over time, the position may grow to include front-line fundraising opportunities.

This is an excellent opportunity for an early-to-mid career professional with a background in institutional fundraising who is interested in expanding their skillset to include research and analysis for major gift prospects. The ideal candidate combines persuasive storytelling, analytic thinking, and the ability to connect the dots while balancing varied responsibilities.

The position will inherit a strong portfolio of institutional giving and major gift relationships, including both longstanding supporters and a mobilized base of new supporters who have joined during the past 5–10 years.

Responsibilities

• Manage the writing and submission of 60+ funding proposals and grant applications and 30+ grant reports annually
• Maintain a comprehensive calendar of grant-related materials and deadlines; lists of foundation staff, program officers, and civic leaders; and a dashboard of funder requirements and reporting milestones
• Conduct prospect research, maintaining confidentiality, and prepare informational briefs
• Produce concise, informative materials on current fundraising totals, upcoming opportunities, and forecasts of future fundraising
• Support Chief Advancement Officer in identifying major gift prospects and/or Board and Corporation nominees
• Collaborate with the Programs team on metrics and reporting, following a mantra of “measure what we value so that funders value what we measure”
• Ensure clear and effective database entry, administration, and management
• Process, manage, and acknowledge incoming gifts
• Work with the team to support a warm, outgoing, and positive patron and donor experience

Qualifications

Essential

• Strong previous experience in grant-writing or institutional fundraising
• Understanding of current best practices in grantseeking and prospect research (for institutions and individuals)
• Prior experience and/or deep interest in community-based development
• Well-developed lens and writing style that lends itself to advocacy for learner-centered and culturally inclusive arts education
• Demonstrated ability to generate compelling written documents and presentation materials
• Ability to handle confidential materials with discretion
• Strong project management skills with the ability to work well against deadlines
• Ability to draw conclusions from evidence and gather information that can validate or inform decisions
• Adept at working and thriving in a culturally diverse environment with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Ability to work independently and make educated recommendations about the best course of action, even when not every piece of information is readily available
• Strong interpersonal skills and an excitement to work across teams and departments to lead and/or participate in a variety of projects
• Fluency and confidence in Microsoft Office and Google Suite software
• Must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. (CMCB is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time)

Preferred

• Previous experience with a donor database software (Raiser’s Edge, Bloomerang, etc.)
• Previous experience in graphic design software like Canva or Adobe Suite
• Previous supervisory experience and/or experience in youth development
• Fundraising experience in an arts education or community development setting
• Oral or written fluency in a second language commonly spoken by families in CMCB’s student body (Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, etc.)

Physical Demands

The duties of this position are performed indoors in a business/office setting. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate during active programming hours and minimal otherwise. While performing the duties of this job, the employee must be able to remain in a stationary position 50–75% of the time. They will need to constantly operate a computer and other office productivity machinery. The person in this position frequently communicates verbally with internal and external constituents and must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Flexible spending account (health and dependent care)
• Commuter benefits (transit and parking)
• Paid time off (vacation, sick, personal)
• Voluntary supplemental insurance including short-term and long-term disability
• Employer-contributory 403(b) retirement plan
• Employee assistance program
• Discounts on music instruction at CMCB
• Professional development training and mentorship from senior staff

Pay

$60,000.00 – $65,000.00 annually

Schedule

• Regular full-time (40 hours/week), salaried, exempt
• Hybrid, Monday – Friday, occasional evening and/or weekend hours with advance notice
• Start date: August/September 2026

About CMCB

Community Music Center of Boston is an arts education nonprofit founded in 1910, with a mission to transform lives by providing equitable access to excellent music education and arts experiences. Over 2,500 students participate in our programs every week. We are proud to act as the largest external provider of arts education to the Boston Public Schools, supporting rigorous, relevant, and culturally-responsive musical instruction for one of the most diverse school districts in the nation.

CMCB’s Community Music School Division offers lessons, group classes, ensembles, and early childhood programming at our headquarters in Boston’s South End. Our Community Engagement Programs operate in partnership with a dozen public schools, a dozen social service agencies, and a variety of community centers, housing developments, and charter schools, supporting programs throughout virtually every neighborhood in Boston, in-school, after-school, and in the summer.

Community Music Center of Boston is committed to recruiting and fostering a diverse community of staff and students and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. BIPOC individuals, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and members of other historically disenfranchised and marginalized populations are strongly encouraged to apply.