Associate Director, Institutional Giving
Company: MILKEN INSTITUTE
Role summary
Associate Director, Institutional Giving is a full-time role at MILKEN INSTITUTE in Santa Monica, California, United States (hybrid). Posted 2026-08-25. Salary: USD 85,000–105,000 per year. Experience level: 5-10.
- Job title
- Associate Director, Institutional Giving
- Company
- MILKEN INSTITUTE
- Location
- Santa Monica, California, United States
- Work arrangement
- hybrid
- Employment type
- full-time
- Category
- Software Engineering
- Salary
- USD 85,000–105,000 per year
- Experience level
- 5-10
- Date posted
- 2026-08-25
You’ll be working at the heart of a globally respected think tank, connecting influential donors with initiatives that drive real-world impact. It is a fantastic opportunity for someone who enjoys building high-level relationships and wants to play a key role in the long-term sustainability of an organization dedicated to solving global challenges.
Job description
About the Milken Institute
The Milken Institute is a globally minded, publicly supported, non-partisan, and nonprofit think tank headquartered in Santa Monica, with offices in Washington, DC, New York, London, Abu Dhabi, and Singapore. For the past three decades, the Milken Institute has served as a catalyst for practical, scalable solutions to global challenges by connecting human, financial, and educational resources to those who need them. Guided by a conviction that the best ideas, under-resourced, cannot succeed, we conduct research and analysis and convene top experts, innovators, and influencers from different backgrounds and competing viewpoints. We leverage this expertise and insight to construct programs and policy initiatives. These activities are designed to help people build meaningful lives, in which they can experience health and well-being, pursue effective education and gainful employment, and access the resources required to create ever-expanding opportunities for themselves and their broader communities.
The Milken Institute’s events and programmatic activities, involve the exchange of ideas with leaders from around the world. The Institute hosts more than 200 events each year, with our annual flagship event, Global Conference, bringing together 4,500+ participants from around the world, featuring more than 900+ speakers throughout 200+ sessions over the course of the event.
About the Position
The Associate Director, Institutional Giving, Business & Program Development, is a vital member of the team responsible for fundraising to fulfill the organization’s mission as a nonprofit think tank dedicated to connecting human, financial, and educational resources to those who need them.
Reporting to the Director, Institutional Giving, and in collaboration with colleagues on the Programmatic Fundraising Team, the incumbent will develop compelling materials and solicitation strategies to engage funders across the Institutional Giving portfolio and in alignment with the Institute’s programs in Health, Strategic Philanthropy, and Finance.
The Associate Director will be responsible for overseeing the solicitation cycle, administration, and stewardship of grants from foundations, corporations, and other institutional funders. The role requires managing a prospect pipeline, tracking deliverables including impact measures for reporting, synthesizing quantitative and qualitative data, leading on cross-departmental communications efforts, and maintaining productive and professional internal and external relationships.
The Milken Institute is looking for a candidate with proven grant writing experience and strong relationship-building and communication skills, with an interest in and experience using new tools and platforms, including AI, to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of grants processes. Additionally, an understanding of best practices in research and the monitoring and evaluation of non-profit programs is desired, as is experience managing donor relationships and evolving strategy and evaluation priorities.
Responsibilities
In coordination with Health, Finance, and Strategic Philanthropy Pillar staff, develop and effectively articulate the case for support of Milken Institute programs and submit LOIs and proposals in alignment with the Institute’s fundraising goals.
Steward funder relationships and oversee management of grants, including supporting engagement opportunities, where needed (i.e., event support, publications review, etc.).
With supervision from the Director, Institutional Giving, create solicitation strategies and manage research to build the organization’s funder portfolio.
Represent the Institutional Giving team in meetings and pro-actively collaborate across the Milken Institute’s departments and project teams.
Ensure the accuracy of data within the Milken Institute’s systems (Salesforce, SharePoint, etc.)
Coordinate with the Business & Program Development team on Milken Institute event needs, including opportunities for funder stewardship and prospect cultivation.
Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree required.
Minimum 5-8 years of experience in grant fundraising and/or management (or comparable work).
Strong oral and written communication skills with the ability to craft and execute effective outreach strategies tailored to various internal and external audiences.
Effective project management skills.
Technically savvy and proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and facility with CRM platforms and donor management tools, with Salesforce experience a plus.
Proficiency with developing dashboards and visualizations to communicate grant progress, including usage of AI such as Claude and Copilot where appropriate.
Working Conditions & Travel Requirements
This position will work in a professional office environment on a hybrid schedule consisting of three (3) days per week reporting in-person to the Santa Monica office location (Tuesday – Thursday), with the remaining two (2) days working remotely. Please understand, this schedule is subject to change at the Institute’s sole discretion.
This person will also be required to travel occasionally to other offices and/or venues to assist with events as needed, requiring occasional work outside of traditional hours. Domestic travel is possible. Additionally, this position requires interacting virtually on a regular basis with Milken Institute staff based in other locations in the United States and around the world.
Note
The statements herein are intended to describe the overall nature and level of work being performed by employees and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required
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