The top foundations hiring for development roles

As the global development sector continues to experience sudden shifts due to the foreign aid freeze, policy reversals, and funding cuts, a number of philanthropic organizations are stepping up to increase their contributions and urging others to do the same. As a result, hiring opportunities are increasing at foundations that support development initiatives. Compared to 2024, the year so far has seen a significant drop in job opportunities in the development sector as a whole — although there are still several organizations that continue recruiting development professionals. Foundations are among the organizations bucking the trend. Based on the Devex job board, jobs from foundations have increased by over 38% compared to the equivalent period in 2024. We reviewed over 733 job postings and identified the top philanthropic employers hiring. We also looked at what level of experience they most commonly seek, the locations they are hiring, and whether they offer permanent or contract positions. When they are hiring on a temporary basis, we looked at the duration of the positions they are hiring for. The top hiring foundations in the sector 1. Gates Foundation Headquarters: Seattle, Washington, USA Year founded: 2000 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 95 The Gates Foundation is committed to fighting global inequalities by working with partners to create solutions to help people lead healthy and productive lives. Gates most commonly recruits for senior-level opportunities — jobs with a preferred or required eight to 10 years of experience — and full-time staff positions. The United States, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, and Kenya are the leading hiring locations. 🔎 View all current Gates Foundation job openings in Devex. 2. Rockefeller Foundation Headquarters: New York, USA Year founded: 1913 Jobs posted since Jan. 24: 43 The Rockefeller Foundation is focused on promoting the well-being of humanity and working with partners to scale new technologies for impact. Based on job board data, the foundation has recently most frequently advertised internships and opportunities with hybrid work schedules. Since Jan. 24, opportunities located in the United States and Thailand are the top hiring locations. 🔎 View all current Rockefeller Foundation job openings in Devex. 3. Wellcome Headquarters: London, UK Year founded: 1936 Jobs posted since Jan. 24: 29 Wellcome supports science to solve global health challenges through research and solutions. Wellcome exclusively released opportunities based in the United Kingdom. It most frequently posts mid-level opportunities. Roles are most commonly full-time or fixed-term contracts with six to 18-month durations. 🔎 View all current Wellcome job openings in Devex. 4. Charities Aid Foundation Headquarters: London, UK Year founded: 1924 Jobs posted since Jan. 24: 22 Charities Aid Foundation is focused on helping and strengthening charities and social enterprises through investment and solutions. Based on job board data, CAF mainly advertised mid-level and entry-level hybrid roles since Jan. 24. The United Kingdom and Vietnam are the top hiring locations in CAF. 🔎 View all current Charities Aid Foundation job openings in Devex. 5. The Fred Hollows Foundation Headquarters: Sydney, Australia Year founded: 1992 Jobs posted since Jan. 24: 20 The Fred Hollows Foundation is committed to empowering local communities and advocating for change in understanding preventable and treatable diseases. It mainly advertises roles in Australia, Cambodia, and the Philippines. The most common positions are entry to mid-level opportunities, such as project officers and managers. 🔎 View all current Fred Hollows Foundation job openings in Devex. 6. Open Society Foundations Headquarters: New York, USA Year founded: 1979 Jobs posted since Jan. 24: 19 Open Society Foundations is committed to searching for solutions to urgent and common challenges advancing rights, equity, and justice. OSF primarily offers mid-level opportunities and full-time staff positions. The United States, Brazil, and South Africa are the leading hiring locations. 🔎 View all current Open Society Foundations job openings in Devex. 7. Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden Year founded: 1993 Jobs posted since Jan. 24: 19 Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation is a feminist women’s rights organization focused on achieving gender equality and justice. Since Jan. 24, Sweden, Rwanda, and Armenia have been the top hiring locations in Kvinna till Kvinna. Internships, short-term consultancies, and mid-level opportunities are the most common job types. 🔎 View all current Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation job openings in Devex. 8. Clinton Foundation Headquarters: New York, USA Year founded: 2001 Jobs posted since Jan. 24: 17 The Clinton Foundation is focused on solving global challenges by developing programs to help leaders and accelerate solutions. The Clinton Foundation exclusively advertised jobs located in the United States since Jan. 24. Notably, 65% of the jobs posted are full-time staff positions, and 30% are listed as internships. 🔎 View all current Clinton Foundation job openings in Devex. 9. Mastercard Foundation Headquarters: Toronto, Canada Year founded: 2006 Jobs posted since Jan. 24: 15 The Mastercard Foundation is committed to advancing education and financial inclusion to enable young people in Africa and Indigenous youth in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. The Mastercard Foundation mainly advertised senior-level and full-time positions. Canada, Rwanda, and Senegal are the leading hiring locations. 🔎 View all current Mastercard Foundation job openings in Devex. 10. Obama Foundation Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois, USA Year founded: 2014 Jobs posted since Jan. 24: 15 The Obama Foundation empowers the youth to realize their potential and take their local impact global. Since Jan. 24, full-time staff positions and entry-level staff positions are the most common job types. The Obama Foundation mainly released job offers located in the United States. 🔎 View all current Obama Foundation job openings in Devex.