Senior Trusts & Foundations Manager

Who we are

Art Fund is the UK‘s national fundraising charity for museums and galleries. We believe that art can make you see, think and feel differently, and through our work we help make art more accessible to as many visitors as possible, wherever they are.

We give grants to help museums and galleries acquire works of art for their collections, share them with wide audiences, and support the training and professional development of curators. We are supported by our growing membership of 151,000 through the National Art Pass, as well as the generosity of many trusts, foundations and individuals.

The role

As Senior Trusts and Foundations Manager, you will play a key role in the development and delivery of a successful trusts and foundations strategy, securing grants towards a broad range of programmes and activity to support and strengthen the UK museum sector. Working closely with the Head of Trusts and Foundations and Head of Programme Development, you will develop high quality, compelling funding proposals in support of Art Fund’s strategic priorities. You will devise cultivation plans to engage new supporters and provide a high level of stewardship to secure and manage a portfolio of five, six and seven-figure grants. Joining an experienced and high performing Development team, you will oversee a varied workplan and a diverse portfolio of grant-making foundations, contributing towards a Major Giving team target of £5 million annually.

For this role, we are looking for a highly motivated and strategic fundraiser with curiosity and passion for the museum and gallery sector, excellent written communication skills, and experience in securing substantial philanthropic support from foundations or other grant-making bodies.

This is a unique opportunity to join Art Fund at the beginning of our new five-year strategy (2027-2031). We are working to enrich and share public collections in new ways, increase access to museums for audiences across the UK, and amplify the sector through a broad range of programmes, advocacy training and support. Partnerships with trusts and foundations will be vital to the success of our new strategy, and as the Senior Trusts and Foundations Manager you will work collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation to bring these to life.

Key Employee Benefits

• Generous Annual leave – 25 days annual leave and bank holidays, with additional non-contractual office closure dates at Christmas.

• Free National Art Pass (NAP) – for yourself and another person of your choice.

• Free Entry to Exhibitions

• Life Assurance – cover for up to three times your basic salary.

• Season Ticket Loan

• Pensions – Eligible employees are enrolled into the scheme with the exception of those who have contracts of three months or less. Art Fund contributes 8% of the basic annual salary during the first six months of employment or until probation is successfully completed, whichever is the later. At that point the contribution is increased to 10%.

Closing deadline: 23.59pm on 1 December 2026

We're committed to building our team and trustees from the broad range of backgrounds and experiences across the UK, valuing difference and diversity, and building a workplace based on shared values of equality and mutual respect.

We have ambitious plans for the future and will be holding ourselves to account and putting our principles into action, as we all work together to help bring about positive change and a fairer future for everyone. We therefore want to encourage applications from all races, ages, religions and sexual orientations, as well as parents, veterans, people living with any kind of disabilities and any other groups that could bring diverse perspectives to our organisation.