Philanthropy Manager

As the living, growing home of our national story, The National Archives is a special place to work. We’re an institution nearly 200 years old with a collection spanning 1,000 years of history. We’ve set ourselves the challenge of becoming the 21st Century national archive - a different kind of cultural and heritage institution: Inclusive, Entrepreneurial, Disruptive.

The Philanthropy Manager will sit within The National Archives’ Research, Grants and Academic Engagement department, the central locus for our:

• Research strategy and delivery
• Research impact, culture and engagement
• Grant fundraising and philanthropy
• Management and assurance of external funding
• Grant-making to the archives and GLAM sectors.

The National Archives has a strong track record of securing external funding and holds a grant portfolio of over £16m. Our per-annum grant income has grown by nearly 500% since 2022-23, and in April 2026, we consolidated our fundraising operations with The National Archives Trust. The National Archives has a strategic priority to secure new charitable and philanthropic funding, and this post is one of three new roles being advertised in Autumn 2026 to deliver on that goal.

About the role:

The National Archives (TNA) is looking for an experienced Philanthropy Manager to work within its newly established Philanthropy team. Reporting to the Head of Philanthropy, the Philanthropy Manager will play an important role in shaping this new business function, working to grow the profile of The National Archives in the philanthropic community and generate donor income. They will build meaningful and sustainable donor relationships that enable exceptional projects across the breadth of The National Archives’ work.

The Philanthropy Manager will independently build and manage a portfolio of donors and prospects at various stages of cultivation and stewardship. Working collaboratively with colleagues across a range of disciplines, the Philanthropy Manager will develop compelling proposals to secure major gifts that support The National Archives’ strategic vision. This will include generating income for strategic multi-year programmes, as well as annual priority projects, such as exhibitions, digitisation and conservation.

Working closely with the Grant Development team, the Philanthropy Manager will coordinate approaches and share intelligence to ensure a strategic approach to achieving shared goals. The Philanthropy Manager will develop and deliver cultivation and stewardship activities to bring donors and prospects close to The National Archives’ collection, activities and staff expertise. They will identify bespoke opportunities to steward and recognise donors during delivery of funded projects, develop engaging and timely progress reports and work closely with project teams to monitor projects and ensure accurate financial reporting.

The postholder will work closely with The National Archives Trust, a registered charity that supports The National Archives to engage and educate the public, and conserve and preserve the collection. The Philanthropy Officer will also work with the Grant Development team to achieve shared goals.

This is a full time post. However, requests for part-time working, flexible working and job share will be considered, taking into account at all times the operational needs of the Department. A combination of onsite and home working is available and applicants should be able to regularly travel to our Kew site for a minimum of 60% of their work time.

Application Process:

We ask all applicants to submit work history details and a personal statement addressing the following criteria:

• Graduate-level education or equivalent experience, with excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to translate complex information to compelling cases for support.
• Proven experience in securing five- and six-figure gifts from family trusts and foundations and/or high-net-worth individuals within an arts, culture and heritage organisation.
• Outstanding relationship management skills, with proven experience of managing senior donor relationships, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders, and of coaching and supporting senior staff and Trustees in donor engagement.
• Ability to work independently, maintain momentum across a variety of tasks and meet multiple and simultaneous deadlines.

Selection for interview will be based on these criteria so please ensure that your application demonstrates in detail how you meet these requirements.

Role and Responsibilities:

• Cultivate and manage a portfolio of major gift donors, generating philanthropic income for The National Archives’ strategic priorities and meeting KPIs as agreed with the Head of Research, Grants and Academic Engagement and Head of Philanthropy.
• Contribute to the development of the Philanthropy team as a new business function, working with the Head of Philanthropy and Head of Research, Grants and Academic Engagement to proactively identify, design and deliver initiatives which mature the Philanthropy team’s processes, policies and ways of working.
• Identify, research and qualify prospects, building a pipeline of donors with capacity and affinity to support The National Archives, assessing opportunities and determining engagement strategies to maximise philanthropic income.
• Manage the development of compelling funding proposals, collaborating with colleagues across The National Archives to ideate and shape initiatives that align with organisational strategy and the needs and interests of donors.
• Devise and deliver creative donor engagement opportunities through supporter groups and campaigns, identifying high-potential fundraising opportunities across the breadth of The National Archives’ activity.
• Plan and deliver bespoke cultivation and stewardship events and private tours to engage prospects and donors.
• Be responsible for donor due diligence, continuing to develop a donor acceptance policy for The National Archives, evaluating information and managing risk and opportunity in securing new funding in line with agreed frameworks.
• Manage the development of high-quality progress reports on funded projects in collaboration with project delivery teams, and identify stewardship opportunities to deliver an engaging donor experience.
• Work closely with the Projects and Process team to monitor funded projects, ensure compliance with funding agreements, deliver accurate and timely financial reporting and lead the identification, analysis and resolution of issues that may impact successful delivery.
• Manage the creation of a Development Forum of major philanthropic supporters and patrons, identifying potential members, providing high-quality stewardship and creating meeting agendas and papers.
• Liaise with The National Archives Trust and the Friends of The National Archives at operational and board level, contributing to a positive working relationship in pursuit of shared strategic and fundraising goals.
• Ensure accurate and comprehensive donor records are maintained on The National Archives’ CRM database, including information on prospects, donors, proposals, stewardship and gifts.

The post-holder may be required to undertake any other duties which may be reasonably requested within the nature of the duties and responsibilities of the post as defined.

Working Conditions:

Normal office environment. Display Screen Equipment user.

Person Specification:

• Graduate-level education or equivalent experience, with excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to translate complex information to compelling cases for support.
• Proven experience in securing five- and six-figure gifts from family trusts and foundations and/or high-net-worth individuals within an arts, culture and heritage organisation.
• Resourceful and proactive, with the ability to work creatively to develop stewardship and cultivation plans and refine future activities based on an understanding of what works.
• Outstanding relationship management skills, with proven experience of managing senior donor relationships, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders, and of coaching and supporting senior staff and Trustees in donor engagement.
• Ability to work independently, maintain momentum across a variety of tasks and meet multiple and simultaneous deadlines.
• Proficiency in using a CRM database for fundraising and Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Passion for arts, culture and heritage, with an ability to advocate for the work of The National Archives including at senior levels.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of working on a capital campaign.
• Experience of legacy fundraising.

Other Requirements:

A combination of onsite and home working is available and applicants should be able to regularly travel to our Kew site. Our expectation is that 60% of our time is spent in the office or working offsite (e.g. on visits), with 40% being from home. Requirement to work flexibly, including attendance at evening events and occasional travel.

Benefits:

Generous benefits package, including pension, sports and social club facilities, onsite gym, discounted rates at our on-site cafe and opportunities for training and development. Annual leave entitlement of 22 days per calendar year (rising to 25 after the first year, and incrementally to 30 days after six years) and 10½ days public and privilege holidays per annum.