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| Location: |
Portland, ME United States |
| Position Type: |
Full Time |
| Post Date: |
02/02/2026 |
| Expire Date: |
04/02/2026 |
| Job Categories: |
Arts, Entertainment, and Media |
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Development Director
Development Director | Indigo Arts Alliance | Portland, Maine
Transform philanthropy for Black and Brown arts. Build sustainable funding for a movement.
Why This Role Matters
Imagine knowing that every dollar you raise directly transforms lives—that your grant proposal brings a brilliant artist from the global African diaspora to collaborate with Maine's Black and Brown creative community, or your major gift cultivation funds the next generation of Black and Brown artists reshaping American culture.
At Indigo Arts Alliance, we're building a movement. In six years, we've grown 400% to a $1.4 million budget, hosting 85 artists from 22 countries, creating Maine's first Beautiful Blackbird Children's Book Festival, and establishing our annual symposium series. Featured in National Geographic, PBS News Hour and partnering with National Museum of African American History and Culture; to the Guest Artist Space Foundation in Lagos, Nigeria; to the Museu Nacional de Historia in Rio, Brazil , we're an internationally recognized force.
You'll architect our financial future—designing the funding strategy that ensures Black and Brown artists have the time, space, and support they need to create transformative work.
What You'll Build
Revenue Impact: Secure funding supporting 85+ artist residencies, our annual symposium series, Beautiful Blackbird Children's Book Festival, and partnerships with 30+ organizations from grassroots collectives to world-class museums.
Fundraising Strategy: Design comprehensive development programs securing grants, major gifts, and individual donations for a Black-led arts organization.Shepard IAA’s sustainability fund, creating long-term financial security through diversified revenue streams.
Donor & Funder Relationships: Cultivate relationships with individuals of all giving capacity, foundation executives, and corporate sponsors committed to racial equity. Represent IAA at fundraising galas, donor events, and philanthropic gatherings while building our network in elite giving circles. Partner with our Executive Director on Board cultivation and significant funder relationships.
How You'll Partner with Leadership
Your Executive Director will: Set organizational vision, lead Board development, serve as primary spokesperson, and drive national expansion.
You'll ensure fundraising success by: Leading all development activities, managing donor cultivation systems, providing fundraising analysis, and representing IAA at donor-facing events.
Your Deputy Director colleague will: Manage operations, program delivery, and internal systems, freeing you to focus entirely on revenue generation.
Why You'll Thrive Here
Mission-Driven Culture: Work alongside Executive Director Jordia Benjamin and co-founders Marcia and Daniel Minter in a team believing artists are essential to building a multiracial democracy. See direct impact daily.
Career Growth: Lead fundraising for organization featured in national media, working with funders like Andy Warhol Foundation, The Terra Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts. Build your reputation in national arts and philanthropy communities with access to prestigious conferences and development opportunities.
Life-Changing Environment: Witness world-class artists creating new work, attend exclusive fundraising events, build relationships with international artists and cultural leaders. Be part of reshaping how America supports Black and Brown creativity.
Comprehensive Support: $70,000 salary with full benefits, generous time off (average 20+ days including 3-week winter break and Fridays off in August), professional development funded, collaborative environment valuing your expertise.
Mission-Driven Culture: Work alongside Executive Director Jordia Benjamin and co-founders Marcia and Daniel Minter in a team believing artists are essential to building a multiracial democracy. See direct impact daily.
Career Growth: Lead fundraising for organization featured in national media, working with funders like Andy Warhol Foundation, The Terra Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts. Build your reputation in national arts and philanthropy communities with access to prestigious conferences and development opportunities.
Life-Changing Environment: Witness world-class artists creating new work, attend exclusive fundraising events, build relationships with international artists and cultural leaders. Be part of reshaping how America supports Black and Brown creativity.
Comprehensive Support: $70,000 salary with full benefits, generous time off (average 20+ days including 3-week winter break and Fridays off in August), professional development funded, collaborative environment valuing your expertise.
This Isn’t Just a Job
It's your chance to fuel a movement transforming lives, building community, and creating a more equitable arts landscape while working with world-class artists and building sustainable funding for generations.
Details: Full-time, Portland, Maine (in-person), reports to the Executive Director.
Submit resume, cover letter, and references via Submittable. Tell us why you're passionate about advancing Black and Brown artists and how your experience positions you to take our fundraising to the next level.
Indigo Arts Alliance strongly encourages applications from traditionally underrepresented communities.
Qualifications & Requirements
• 7+ years progressive fundraising success with proven $2+ million annually track record • Passionate about arts and Black and Brown creativity's power to transform communities • Experience with major gifts, corporate sponsorships, grants, and culturally responsive fundraising
• Bachelor's degree required (Master's preferred), exceptional communication skills • Demonstrated commitment to antiracism, equity, and inclusion
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Company Description:
Indigo Art Alliance’s mission is to connect Black and Brown artists from around the world with artists of African descent in Maine through a multidisciplinary artist-in-residency program. This program embodies a Black-led approach to creativity, community-building, and mentoring. We provide the time and space necessary for developing new work, along with focused public programming that engages communities with creative processes and practices, broadening cultural awareness.
Indigo Arts Alliance is now in its sixth year of operation. In this short time, we have hosted 66 Artists in Residence from 21 different countries. IAA has curated exhibitions featuring AiR alumni in collaboration with several museums and art galleries. Community engagement plays a vital role in our participation in social activism. Our public programs highlight the voices of global scholars, artists, cultural workers, and thought leaders across various sectors. Many of our events are organized in partnership with over 30 regional, national, and international arts and culture organizations, as well as educational institutions.
IAA has offered 191 free public programs, including symposia such as “Art in the Wake,” a collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and “ReUnion: Re-Editioning Black and Native Histories,” developed in partnership with Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. Our inaugural program, The Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival, is both an in-person event and has a global digital reach, with website views from 123 countries. This program’s associated book giveaway has distributed over 12,000 books directly to children across the state of Maine.
Our work has been featured in several national media outlets, including The Boston Globe, The New York Times, National Geographic, Boston Art Review, and Hyperallergic, among others. We have expanded our reach to both local and global communities by partnering with renowned organizations such as The Kennedy Center, the Portland Museum of Art, and the Pérez Art Museum Miami, thereby broadening our network of collaborators. Additionally, we have received grants from various prestigious foundations, including the Andy Warhol Foundation, the New England Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the VIA Fund, and the Terra Foundation, among others.
What We Do:
We believe that artists play a vital role in strengthening our multiracial democracy. They are at the forefront of movements for equity and justice worldwide, using their creativity and collective voices to highlight the challenges and beauty found in all cultures and communities. A core mission of Indigo Arts Alliance is to build connections among artists from diverse backgrounds within the African Diaspora. We encourage participation in their creative processes, arts enrichment programs, and mentorship opportunities. By fostering open dialogue, we aim to form strong partnerships and create a framework that connects Maine artists with the global Black arts movement.
Visit our website to learn more: https://indigoartsalliance.me/
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