THE OPPORTUNITY
As the Child Development Institute deepens its commitment to growing and diversifying philanthropy revenue, we are excited to introduce a new, senior fundraising role at a critical moment in the organization’s growth. The Director of Foundation & Corporate Engagement will play a central role in advancing CDI’s long‑term sustainability and impact by leading the organization’s institutional fundraising strategy. This role is foundational to CDI’s efforts to grow philanthropic revenue and strengthen partnerships with private, family, community, and corporate foundations.
This is a full-time, hybrid position based at our 197 Euclid Avenue site in Toronto. The salary range for this position is $130,000 – $150,000 plus comprehensive benefits.
Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the Director will serve as both a strategic architect and senior relationship lead, designing and executing a comprehensive institutional strategy that drives sustainable, multi‑year revenue growth. This includes overseeing a portfolio of foundation and corporate partners, leading complex proposal development, and building a disciplined, forward‑looking institutional pipeline aligned with CDI’s strategic plan and program expansion priorities. The role requires deep expertise in foundation strategy, multi‑year revenue modeling, and translating organizational priorities into compelling institutional opportunities.
Beyond portfolio management, the Director will work closely with the CDO and colleagues across Programs, Finance, and Leadership as a strategic partner in CDI’s broader fundraising and revenue diversification efforts. This collaboration will help strengthen institutional positioning, inform long‑range revenue planning, and support thoughtful alignment across foundation, corporate, and public funding streams to advance CDI’s growth and impact.
Alignment with CDI’s core values of Accountability, Collaboration, Inclusion, Innovation and Service Excellence is required from candidates. The Director of Foundation & Corporate Engagement will be expected to uphold CDI’s commitments to IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility) and contribute to CDI’s IDEA Work Plan, working with colleagues to make measurable progress on IDEA at CDI.
ABOUT THE CHILD DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE (CDI)
The Child Development Institute (CDI) is a Canadian charity that has brought hope and built brighter futures for at-risk children and their families since 1909. CDI has served over 30,000 children over the past five years alone. We work with each child and family’s unique strengths, needs and challenges, helping clients to uncover their abilities, giving them tools to succeed, and supporting them in overcoming significant challenges.
CDI provides community-based services that have grown to provide a comprehensive continuum of care, including those listed below. Direct services are offered at multiple sites in Toronto, and CDI has also scaled the delivery of its signature evidence-based programs (like SNAP and Mothers in Mind) to a growing network of affiliate organizations across Canada and internationally.
- CDI’s Child and Youth Mental Health Services provide a range of programs including targeted prevention, counselling and therapy, intensive in-home and milieu treatment programs to help children and youth struggling with social-emotional and behavioural issues, along with supporting their families. Specialty programs include:
- SNAP® (Stop Now and Plan), CDI’s award-winning cognitive-behavioural model, equips children exhibiting behaviour issues with effective emotional regulation, self-control and problem-solving skills. This year, SNAP celebrates its 40th anniversary, a milestone that reflects its long-standing impact and continued relevance for children and families across Canada and globally.
- Learning Disabilities and Mental Health (LDMH) consists of family-centred, evidence-informed clinical services for children and youth ages 8-18 with mental health issues and a diagnosed learning disability. Services include child/youth groups, parenting groups, individual and family therapy. Services also include therapeutic recreation programs.
- Our Community Education program provides training and public education, intensive in-home counselling and school-based Day Treatment programs, targeted prevention and early intervention school-based groups, Family and Community counselling for children 0 – 6 and their families, specialized parenting groups, individual and family counselling, and counselling to address child and adolescent abuse and trauma.
- CDI’s Gender-Based Violence Services offer group and shelter-based programs to help women and children who have experienced family violence or other trauma. Individual and family counselling, parenting support, family reconnection and healing services, and links to community supports are available.
- CDI’s Early Years and Child Care Services program includes four Early Learning Centres (childcare centres) and the Parkdale-High Park EarlyON Child and Family Centre. The program provides young children with a healthy start in a child-focused, play-based early learning environment.
We are a highly collaborative organization, sharing our research, knowledge and expertise through partnerships and collaborations, training, consultation, and publications. Thanks to CDI’s uniquely robust research capacity and proven track record of innovation, we are a trusted thought leader in children and youth services, with specialized experience in mental health, childcare and addressing family violence.
We are proud to be accredited through the Canadian Centre for Accreditation, a third-party organization that accredits Canadian social service and health care providers based on accepted practices that promote ongoing quality improvement and responsive, effective community services.
CDI has a budget of nearly $25 million, with about $20M coming from Government, about $1.5M from fees for service and licensing, and about $1.4M from donations and charitable grants. Our head office is at 197 Euclid Avenue, Toronto. We have about 230 full-time and 120 part-time employees across eight sites.
IDEA & Truth and Reconciliation: Since 2023, CDI has deepened our commitments to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA), and to Truth and Reconciliation. We benefited greatly from the revitalization of our IDEA Advisory Committee, making encouraging progress on implementing key priorities of the IDEA Work Plan, including IDEA measurement and benchmarking through our employee survey conducted in November 2023.
By implementing proactive and inclusive human resources strategies, since 2023, representation of racialized communities has grown from 25% to 34% on the CDI management team and from 22% to 44% on the executive team.
Moreover, to create a more inclusive culture at CDI, and to educate ourselves on vital IDEA calls to action, CDI has organized and hosted meaningful programming and events with leaders from equity-deserving communities, focused on specific topics like Truth and Reconciliation, Black History Month, Black Mental Health Week, and 2SLGBTQIA+ Pride.
In 2024, CDI engaged third-party IDEA consultants to conduct an Organizational Assessment to identify strengths and areas of improvement with respect to IDEA across the agency. This assessment, informed by surveys, interviews and focus groups with staff, Board members and external stakeholders, culminated in an IDEA Action Plan released to all staff and the Board in Fall 2024. This Action Plan includes concrete, measurable multi-year commitments to advancing IDEA across the organization. The CEO reports to all staff at Quarterly Town Halls on progress made with implementing the Action Plan.
CDI has also recently completed customized IDEA training for all managers and senior leaders. The organization remains deeply committed to continuing our IDEA and Truth and Reconciliation journey.
For more information about CDI, please visit www.childdevelop.ca
KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
The focus of this role is primarily in the following areas. However, CDI has a small-but-mighty philanthropy team, and the Director will enjoy having the opportunity to contribute, support, and grow in other areas of fundraising, as well.
Foundation Strategy & Revenue Growth
- Develop and implement a multi-year strategy for private, family, community, and corporate foundations.
- Build and manage a prioritized pipeline of foundation prospects and partners.
- Lead institutional revenue forecasting, ensuring rigorous pipeline analysis, timely reporting, and data-driven decision-making at the senior leadership level.
- Secure significant multi-year and six-figure commitments.
- Lead renewal, upgrade, and long-term partnership strategies.
- Monitor foundation and sector trends to identify new opportunities and inform strategy.
- Advise senior leadership on institutional funding risks, opportunities, and market dynamics.
- Ensure institutional funding strategies align with CDI’s mission, strategic priorities, and operational capacity.
Proposal Leadership & Institutional Positioning
- Lead development of high-quality proposals, letters of inquiry, and concept notes.
- Translate complex programmatic work into compelling, funder-aligned cases for support.
- Partner with program and finance teams to develop accurate budgets and outcomes frameworks.
- Shape institutional messaging that strengthens overall positioning with sophisticated funders.
Relationship Management & Stewardship
- Serve as primary relationship manager for a portfolio of foundation partners.
- Develop tailored cultivation and stewardship strategies.
- Lead complex funding conversations alongside senior leadership as appropriate.
- Ensure timely, strategic reporting that reinforces impact and partnership.
- Facilitate cross-departmental coordination to meet funder commitments and deliverables.
- Identify opportunities for deeper partnership, thought leadership, and multi-year collaboration.
Performance & Infrastructure
- Establish and track KPIs related to foundation revenue, pipeline health, and renewal rates.
- Maintain strong CRM discipline and reporting accuracy.
- Contribute to institutional revenue forecasting and budget planning.
- Support development of scalable internal processes for institutional giving.
- Ensure compliance with contractual, financial, and reporting requirements in partnership with Finance and Programs.
- Identify operational gaps and strengthen internal capacity related to proposal development, grant management, and reporting.
- Provide leadership, coaching, and support to staff contributing to institutional giving activities.
QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS:
- Progressive fundraising experience, with significant foundation portfolio leadership.
- Previous experience with corporate philanthropy would be considered an asset.
- Demonstrated success securing five- and six-figure foundation commitments, and contributing substantively to 7-figure contributions.
- Experience working with a range of philanthropic contacts, both existing or new, to cultivate for potential giving and investment opportunities.
- Capacity and comfort to undertake research to identify potential funders.
- Deep understanding of foundation funding strategy, trends, and relationship management.
- Knowledge of and experience with corporate philanthropy strategy, trends, and relationship management would be considered an asset.
- Exceptional writing and case development skills.
- Experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder proposal processes and reporting.
- Strong analytical and revenue forecasting capability.
- Ability to think institutionally while leading a specialized portfolio.
- Self-starter with a hands-on approach and the ability to work collaboratively with colleagues.
- Experience in children’s mental / health, social and community services, or related mission-driven organizations is preferred, but not a strict requirement.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
KCI Search + Talent has been retained to conduct this search on behalf of Child Development Institute. For more information about this opportunity, please contact Tara George, Executive Search Consultant at KCI Search + Talent via email at CDI@kcitalent.com.
Please send your resume and letter of interest to the email listed above by June 10, 2026.
To view the full Position Brief, please visit: www.kcitalent.com.
CDI is firmly committed to diversity within its community and welcomes applications from racialized persons/persons of colour, Indigenous People of North America and the world, persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ persons, and those who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. We are committed to providing equitable opportunities in employment and to providing a workplace which is free from discrimination and harassment. We are equally committed to providing an inclusive and accessible workplace. If you require accommodations, please let us know.
This posting is for a new position that is current vacancy. Artificial intelligence will not be used to screen resumes or assess candidates in this search.
