Erin Jones Kundolf is the chief business development officer at the Urban Institute, working alongside the president, leadership, and scholars to drive Urban’s growth, sustainability, and external partnerships. She leads Urban’s business development and philanthropic engagement strategy, advancing long-term, mission-aligned investments that support research, policy innovation, and real-world impact.

Kundolf has 25 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising and organizational growth, including more than 15 years advancing policy research and ideas-driven institutions. Before joining Urban, she held senior development roles at leading public policy organizations, including the American Enterprise Institute, where she served as director of development communications and was a senior writer, helping to shape and implement the organization’s highest-priority fundraising initiatives.

Previously, Kundolf was corporate relations manager at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, where she launched the organization’s first corporate fundraising strategy and managed a transatlantic portfolio of institutional partners across the United States and Europe. Earlier in her career, she led development efforts for several nonprofit organizations focused on domestic and international issues.

Kundolf is a frequent presenter for external audiences on fundraising strategy and philanthropic engagement, and she is a regular guest lecturer at Harvard Kennedy School, where she teaches on the art and practice of successful fundraising.

She received a BS in international politics from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service.