Grants and Partnerships Manager

About the Organization

SIFF is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) arts nonprofit dedicated to the creation of vibrant experiences and spaces that champion film discovery and arts education.

At SIFF We Value… Partnership, Sustainability, Curiosity, Inclusion, Courage.

SIFF is committed to being an anti-racist and anti-oppression organization. We strive to provide an environment that encourages inclusive experiences for all our audiences, volunteers, artists, staff, and greater community. To create inclusivity and belonging, SIFF expects everyone participating in our events to uphold and embrace this commitment.

SIFF has a stated commitment to Racial Equity and Social Justice (RESJ). We believe that our mission-centered work to create and share space for community bears a responsibility to be fiercely inclusive of communities that have long been systematically marginalized and excluded. We are dedicated to improving racial equity within our organization and our community. Our strategic commitment means that we approach our work through an RESJ “lens,” to ensure we are centering RESJ principles through our work.

About the Position

The Grants & Corporate Partnerships Manager contributes to the success of SIFF by implementing the organization’s development strategy to secure philanthropic and sponsored support from corporate, foundation, government, and organization sources. This position will focus on the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of institutional supporters. A successful candidate will be able to contribute with effective approaches, collaborate with staff colleagues across departments, and steward key relationships. This position reports to the Director of Advancement and works closely with the Advancement team to help reach an annual contributed income goal of $3.4 million.

Responsibilities

Direct Fundraising, Relationship Management and Stewardship (60%)

• Manage a portfolio of government, foundation and corporate prospects and funders, shaping and executing engagement strategies, including all stages of identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship; serve as a point of contact for those institutions and companies seeking to build a relationship with SIFF
• Write and prepare compelling proposals and funding requests to secure gifts, report on progress, and steward the relationships through in-person meetings, engagement activities, and tours
• Ensure that proposals address the specific interests and priorities of each company or funder and align with SIFF’s mission and Community Centric Fundraising principles
• Review guidelines for all proposals and reports to make sure all submissions are accurately formatted and include all required information, including budgets and materials
• Coordinate with colleagues in order to solicit timely and appropriate input/review of grant proposals prior to submission deadlines
• Develop thoughtful stewardship as part of a holistic strategy for each partner and manage reporting, deliverables, and benefit fulfillment by working collaboratively with marketing, communications, engagement, festival, operations, and education teams

Pipeline Development (20%)

• Support pipeline development by seeking opportunities to identify and establish new relationships while expanding on existing relationships
• Manage the grant and sponsor proposal calendar. Maintain the current pipeline to reflect all proposal activity
• Complete impact and wrap reports to partners by working with the program and operations teams to collect data, youth impact stories, and Finance for financial reporting requirements
• Work with the Director of Advancement to manage donor cultivation, solicitation and stewardship strategy for partnerships
• Track current funding cycles and renewal processes and ensure stewardship to guarantee continued funding
• Conduct targeted research to identify new institutional and corporate funders and help grow the existing portfolio to ensure that SIFF maintains a diverse portfolio of partners for its diverse programs
• Monitor trends in foundation and corporate philanthropy and sponsorships

Systems and Finance (10%)

• Track interactions, communications, proposals, contracts and agreements with funders and sponsors in the Bloomerang CRM, ensuring up-to-date and accurate records; share reports as needed
• Work closely with SIFF’s Finance Department on revenue reconciliation, invoices, and accounts receivables for grants
• Assist the Director of Advancement in setting the annual budget for corporate and grants revenue and expense goals and managing the budget

Organizational/Other Duties (10%)

• Participate in Development Department meetings and attend Board or Board Committee meetings as needed
• Attend and staff major events including Festival events and Marquee Gala

Qualifications

• 3+ years with increased responsibility and experience managing corporate and foundation portfolios, and executing corporate giving strategies and pipelines
• BA/BS degree
• Exceptional writing skills and ability to efficiently create funding narratives in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong project management