About the role

Job Description: Lead – Fundraising (Arts & Culture)

Organization:

Serendipity Arts Foundation

Location:

Delhi (with travel as required)

Position Type:

Full-time

Reports To:

Senior Leadership

About Serendipity Arts Foundation

Serendipity Arts Foundation is a multidisciplinary arts and culture organisation committed to creating platforms that energize India’s arts ecosystem. Through the annual Serendipity Arts Festival and year-round grants, residencies, educational programs, and public arts initiatives, the Foundation aims to make the arts more inclusive, sustainable, and socially impactful.

Role Overview

The Lead – Fundraising (Arts & Culture) will be responsible for driving the Foundation’s fundraising strategy with a focus on institutional partnerships, CSR, HNI engagement, and multilateral cultural collaborations. The role requires a seasoned development professional with deep networks in the corporate, philanthropic, and cultural sectors, along with a proven track record of mobilizing significant funds for arts, culture, or social impact initiatives. This position is both strategic and hands on balancing relationship-building, proposal development, donor stewardship, and cross-functional collaboration to secure sustained financial support for the Foundation’s diverse programs.

Key Responsibilities

1. Fundraising Strategy & Planning

Develop and execute a comprehensive fundraising strategy aligned with the Foundation’s mission, annual plans, and long-term goals.
Identify new revenue streams including CSR partnerships, foundations, trusts, HNIs, international cultural institutions, and global arts networks.
Set annual fundraising targets and build a robust pipeline of prospective donors and partners.

2. Donor Acquisition & Relationship Management

Cultivate, solicit, and steward relationships with corporations, donors, philanthropists, cultural attachés, and global arts funders.
Create tailored pitches, proposals, and presentations highlighting programmatic impact and partnership value.
Manage communication and reporting requirements for all donors to ensure ongoing engagement and renewal.

3. Proposal Development & Grants Management

Lead the end-to-end development of grant proposals, partnership decks, sponsorship packages, and donor communication assets.
Oversee timely submission of narrative and financial reports in coordination with program, finance, and communications teams.
Maintain an updated database of funding opportunities, grant cycles, and donor information.

4. Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work closely with program leads to understand funding requirements and co-design partnership opportunities.
Coordinate with marketing and communications teams to deliver sponsor visibility, co-branded campaigns, and donor recognition.
Collaborate with finance for budgets, compliance, and utilization tracking of donor funds.

5. Events, Outreach & Representation

Represent Serendipity Arts Foundation at donor meetings, industry forums, networking events, and cultural seminars.
Support fundraising-linked events such as galas, previews, donor gatherings, and stakeholder presentations.
Facilitate dialogue with national and international cultural agencies, embassies, and art councils.

6. Systems, Reporting & Compliance

Maintain accurate fundraising dashboards, projections, and performance reports for leadership.
Ensure donor compliance, CSR alignment, and documentation in line with legal and organizational requirements.
Implement best practices in donor stewardship, CRM usage, and fundraising analytics.

Qualifications & Experience

Master’s degree in Arts Management, Business Administration, Strategic Marketing, Communications, Political Science, or related fields.
12–15 years of relevant experience in fundraising, partnerships, CSR, or development roles—preferably in arts, culture, or social impact organizations.
Demonstrated success in raising significant funds (multi-crore scale) through diverse sources.
Strong network within corporate CSR, philanthropic foundations, cultural institutions, and donor ecosystems.
Experience working with international funders and cultural diplomacy bodies is a strong plus.
Proficiency in data management, donor CRM systems, and analytics tools to track fundraising pipelines, donor engagement, projections, and reporting.

Skills & Competencies

Excellent communication, storytelling, and proposal-writing skills.
Strong negotiation, relationship management, and networking capabilities.
Strategic thinking with the ability to execute operationally.
Understanding of the arts and cultural landscape in India and globally.
Strong understanding of government policies related to cultural investment, CSR regulations, grants, and schemes supporting the arts sector.
Experience in government relations, including engagement with ministries, cultural bodies, and public sector institutions.
Ability to handle multiple projects, deadlines, and stakeholders simultaneously.
High integrity, professionalism, and commitment to the arts.

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Fundraising and Partnerships