VP, Foundation Relations

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 Vice President, Foundation Relations is a strategic frontline fundraising professional responsible for securing transformational philanthropic investments from international, national, regional, family, and private foundations. Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Foundation Relations, the Vice President will play a critical role in expanding Covenant House International's institutional funding portfolio by identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding foundation partners capable of making seven- and eight-figure commitments.

The Vice President will manage a portfolio consisting of both high-potential new foundation prospects and current foundation funders with significant capacity for growth. The successful candidate will develop and execute strategies that lead to substantial new revenue while deepening existing foundation partnerships through upgraded annual, multi-year, and strategic investments.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Foundation Fundraising and Portfolio Management

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated expertise in foundation relations and institutional fundraising

• Proven ability to secure multi-million-dollar grants and commitments from private foundations

• Strong understanding of international, national, regional, family, and independent foundation landscapes

• Exceptional relationship-building skills with foundation executives, trustees, family office representatives, and program officers

• Strong understanding of proposal development, grant budgeting, stewardship, and reporting requirements

• Ability to navigate complex foundation decision-making processes and multi-stakeholder funding opportunities

• Excellent strategic thinking and donor management skills

• Strong proposal development, writing, editing, and presentation abilities

• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills

• Ability to manage multiple complex fundraising strategies simultaneously

• Strong project management, organizational, and analytical capabilities

• High degree of initiative, self-motivation, and personal accountability

• Ability to work independently and drive results with minimal oversight

• Strong collaboration and relationship management skills across organizational functions

• Sound judgment, professionalism, discretion, and attention to detail

• Passion for Covenant House's mission and a commitment to serving vulnerable youth

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 7-10 years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, including significant experience in foundation relations and institutional giving

• Demonstrated track record of securing multiple grants and commitments of $1 million or more from private foundations

• Proven success managing and growing portfolios of foundation prospects and funders

• Experience securing both new foundation funding and expanded investments from existing partners

• Experience developing and executing complex cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies

• Experience identifying and developing new foundation funding opportunities

• Demonstrated success generating substantial new revenue from foundations

• Experience collaborating effectively with executive leaders, board members, program staff, and cross-functional fundraising teams

• Demonstrated ability to work independently, proactively identify opportunities, and consistently achieve ambitious fundraising goals with minimal management

• Willingness and ability to travel as needed
  

Expected Leadership Competencies

Travel Requirements

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 chipeopleandculture@covenanthouse.org.