Melissa Westphal Benefiel
Director of Corporate, Foundation & Government Relations @Saint Mary's College
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WORK HISTORY
Director of Corporate, Foundation & Government Relations @Saint Mary's College
IN, US
Secured the College’s first-ever $1.3M award from the Mellon Foundation through strategic proposal leadership, cross-campus collaboration, and competitive positioning.• Lead institutional strategy and execution for foundation relations, collaborating closely with the Provost, Vice Presidents, and senior academic leadership.• Cultivate and steward relationships with major national, regional, and private foundations to strengthen institutional positioning and advance strategic funding priorities.• Lead cross-functional grant development teams including faculty, staff, finance, and executive leadership to secure and steward major institutional funding.• Manage institutional grant portfolio exceeding $13M, including major national awards such as the Mellon Foundation.• Oversee full lifecycle of complex institutional proposals, including strategic positioning, narrative development, budget design, compliance, and stewardship.• Develop and implement comprehensive grants infrastructure, including decision frameworks, routing processes, budget protocols, and compliance systems.• Strengthen institutional competitiveness by aligning funding strategy with organizational priorities, strategic plan initiatives, and academic leadership goals.• Advance institutional funding priorities by securing foundation support for strategic initiatives including AI in Higher Education, Spark Lab innovation infrastructure, and the Language & Literacy Lab.
EDUCATION
St. Joseph's College (IN)
BA, Sociology, Psychology
St. Joseph's College (IN)
BA, Sociology
Purdue University
MS, Sociology
SKILLS
ABOUT MELISSA WESTPHAL BENEFIEL
I am a foundation relations and institutional grant strategy leader with over 20 years of experience helping higher education and nonprofit organizations secure transformative philanthropic investment and strengthen long-term funding capacity. My work focuses on cultivating strategic foundation partnerships, aligning institutional priorities with funder interests, and building sustainable grant programs that advance mission-driven initiatives.In my current role, I lead institutional foundation engagement and grant strategy at a small liberal arts college, securing $4.2 million in funding since 2023, including the institution’s first $1.3 million award from the Mellon Foundation. I cultivate relationships with national, regional, and private foundations and oversee a grant portfolio exceeding $13 million.Throughout my career, I have served as a strategic advisor to senior leadership, faculty, and administrators on grant strategy and foundation engagement. I lead cross-functional proposal development efforts and coach institutional partners in funding alignment and proposal positioning, strengthening organizational capacity and contributing to sustained growth in foundation support.Core areas of expertise include foundation relations strategy, institutional grant portfolio development, executive stakeholder advising, grant infrastructure development, and institutional capacity building.
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