Director of Institutional Giving

Originally founded in 1991 as Harlem RBI, DREAM has grown to annually serve more than 2,500 youth across East Harlem and the South Bronx through a network of seven PreK-12, extended-day, extended-year DREAM Charter Schools and community sports-based youth development programs. Through our commitment to rigorous academics, social-emotional learning, deep family and community engagement, and health and wellness, we create lifelong learners who are equipped to fulfill their vision of success in and out of the classroom. We dream big, as well, with an aggressive five-year plan to expand to serve 3,500 students across seven schools—growing our organization’s impact and leveling the playing field for all children. To learn more, visit wearedream.org.

DREAM seeks a Director of Institutional Giving to join its advancement team. Reporting directly to the Managing Director of Advancement, this role will develop and implement strategies to secure institutional funding, including foundation, and government grants. The Director will lead a team of two Managers and be responsible for managing DREAM's institutional donor portfolio with a $6M goal. This is an exciting opportunity to serve as a leader on a team that raises over $20 million annually to implement DREAM’s extended-day, extended year school model that is focused on the whole child and driving extraordinary impact in its communities.

• Strategy & Leadership
• Develop and execute revenue strategies for DREAM's institutional giving program, emphasizing identifying and cultivating relationships with foundation and government partners.
• Build and develop a deep partnership with the Chief Strategy Officer and Data Team to best understand how to position DREAM with institutional funders and grow the institutional giving revenue strategy.
• Model a proactive, self-sufficient approach to grants management—anticipating needs, drawing from existing resources, and minimizing burden on school and program staff while ensuring accuracy and depth of proposals.
• Partner with the MD of Advancement and other senior leaders to set and monitor goals, metrics, and key performance indicators (KPIs) for institutional giving.
• Lead as the subject matter expert on program and strategic initiatives for the Advancement team; build strong partnerships across DREAM leadership and collect, synthesize, and share insights and information for all donors.
• Monitor key fundraising innovations and philanthropic issues and provide recommended actions to the MD of Advancement and Deputy Chief of Advancement.
• Reinforce a culture of philanthropy among all staff, volunteers, and donors.
• Support the MD of Advancement, Deputy Chief of Advancement, Co-CEOs, and Board of Directors in other development-related initiatives as needed.

• Portfolio Management
• Cultivate strong relationships with foundation program officers and senior leadership to shepherd institutional partnerships.
• Manage multi-tiered relationships among funders and DREAM executives, coordinating senior and program leaders’ relationships as well.
• Oversee the entire institutional foundations pipeline, directly managing a portfolio of institutional donors, including drafting and submitting grant proposals, renewals, and reports, ensuring compliance with all grant requirements and organizational policies.
• Design a stewardship program tailored to institutional funders that improves retention and develops partners as DREAM champions.
• Manage a prospecting effort to qualify and cultivate new donors for the overall pipeline, with a special focus on new national funders.

• Management and Cross-team Collaboration
• Lead, mentor, and manage the Institutional Giving Team, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and strategic priorities.
• Develop and maintain clear systems, templates, and processes for information gathering and grant development to ensure efficiency and minimize duplication of effort across teams.
• Serve on the Advancement Leadership team driving strategy to build a major gifts program and continually strengthen team-wide culture.
• Draft boilerplate for DREAM’s overarching case for support and key funding priorities, and maintain an up-to-date snapshot of key data and financial metrics for full-team use.
• Work closely with the Finance team to ensure accurate budgeting and financial reporting for all grants, including reconciling revenue and tracking restricted funds.
• Collaborate with the Data, Communications, and Program teams to gather information for grant proposals and reports, ensuring consistency and accuracy in messaging and data.

• Bachelor's Degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in institutional fundraising, with a proven track record of securing significant institutional gifts from foundation, and government sources.
• Excellent relationship management and EQ; capacity to build authentic relationships with donors and orchestrate multi-faceted relationships across institutions.
• Demonstrated curiosity and capacity to deeply understand program models and outcomes, including through site visits and direct engagement with staff.
• Experience collaborating with Finance to develop funder-compliant budgets and reports.
• Strong knowledge of the New York City philanthropic sector, particularly in education or youth development.
• Experience managing and coaching staff, with a demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a team.
• Capacity to motivate and influence leaders across an organization, coordinating various initiatives across departments to drive fundraising efforts.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to write compelling grant proposals and reports.
• Strong analytical skills, including experience with Salesforce or similar CRM systems to manage donor information and revenue pipelines.
• A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, with the ability to engage and interact with a diverse group of stakeholders.
• A strong belief in the mission and values of DREAM and a desire to contribute to the organization's success.

• The Director of Institutional Giving is part of the Advancement Team, which currently works 3 days in the office and up to 2 days remote, per week (subject to change).
• Some evening and weekend work, for example for donor events, is required.

• We offer comprehensive benefits including:
• Flexible Medical Health Plans, subsidizing the majority of costs for the employee, their spouse/domestic partner and children;
• The ability to select between a variety of medical plans according to what best suits the employee’s needs;
• Dental and vision plans;
• Disability benefits;
• Life insurance;
• Up to 12 weeks fully paid of Parental Leave;
• Flexible spending account options;
• Pre-tax commuter benefits (parking and transit);
• Fitness and entertainment discounts;
• A variety of support through our employee assistance program (EAP);
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer match starting at 4% after one year, with increases tied to DREAM tenure;
• Referral, performance, and tenure milestones bonuses;
• Discounted school meals through our in-house Scratch Food Program;
• Tuition reimbursement support (All FT Roles);
• Access to a professional development fund (NEST Roles);
• All full-time Network Support Team employees are eligible for approximately 48 days off throughout the year including holidays, sick days, personal days and summer Fridays;
• Benefits are subject to change.

• DREAM offers a competitive salary commensurate with relevant experience. The incoming annual salary range for this position is $125,000 to $140,000 per year. New hires are typically brought into the organization at a salary closer to the start of the range depending on qualifications, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the role. All regular employees receive annual compensation increases and have the opportunity to earn both performance- and tenure-based bonuses. Because we value tenure in each role, our salary ranges are not capped.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At DREAM, diversity, equity, and inclusion are a matter of mission. 

From our schools to our playing fields, DREAM is committed to building a team where each individual can bring their full identity and experience to work because representation matters—it enriches our team culture, enhances our ability to innovate, and strengthens our impact in and out of the classroom. DREAM engages staff that represent and appreciate the diversity of our majority Black and Hispanic student body, while working to ensure that our practices are equitable, welcoming, and productive. We are dedicated to creating a world where youth, especially youth of color, have permission to dream—along with the tools and opportunities to make their dreams reality.

Come dream with us.

DREAM Maxims 

All Kids Can. This Kid Can.

DREAM is Family.

Fun is a Serious Value.

Teamwork Makes the DREAM Work.

Fail. Persist. Exceed.

DREAM Big.

Applying to DREAM

We know applying for a new job can be a daunting process. In addition, studies have shown that historically underrepresented individuals often only apply to roles if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We encourage all applications! You may be just the person we need. If you have any questions about your application or interview process, do not hesitate to ask your recruiter; we are here to help!

DREAM provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state and local laws. If accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact your recruiter.