Magic Cabinet Elects Two New Board Members From Local Community Nonprofits

Nonprofit leaders from Seattle and San Francisco inaugural appointments establish a community-centric board structure to further Magic Cabinet’s mission of championing community-led work.
Connecting with Community: How We Identify Funding Opportunities

Community voices shape every aspect of our work, starting with our engagement process. By prioritizing conversations with community leaders and grassroots organizations, we’re able to identify areas where our grants can make the most impact.
Building Resilient Teams: How Our Partners Prioritize Staffing with Grant Funds

By investing in tools, resources, and staff through capacity-building grants, nonprofits can strengthen their operations and create lasting community impact. Join us as we delve into the transformative power of resourcing nonprofits to fill their needs and build resilient teams for a sustainable future.
INSIDE PHILANTHROPY | Magic Cabinet: A Matchmaking Participatory Grantmaker Helps Teams of Grantees Build Capacity

Magic Cabinet has a unique take on participatory grantmaking, inviting small cohorts of grantees to share flexible, capacity-building funds. Magic Cabinet’s leadership explains how it works in a report by Wendy Paris of Inside Philanthropy.
Finding Communities: How Do We Select Communities and Organizations to Fund?

Selecting communities and organizations to fund is a critical process for Magic Cabinet, a philanthropic organization focused on long-term capacity-building grants for nonprofits in underresourced communities.
A Look Inside Magic Cabinet’s Approach to Participatory Grantmaking

In this blog series, we’ll dive into each of the engagement phases described above our continuous learnings, and how Magic Cabinet works tirelessly to ensure and improve our process so that communities are the loudest voice in shaping their own future.
Engagement Summary – Solano County

This report summarizes Magic Cabinet’s research and engagement in funding Solano County nonprofit organizations. In addition, we highlight opportunities, challenges, and recommendations for future philanthropic initiatives in Solano county as well as a framework for engagement for alike regions.
The Nonprofit Iceberg

When you see an iceberg, the portion visible above water is only a tiny part of a larger whole. You can think of nonprofits in the same way. Deep below the waterline of every nonprofit lies an enormous, invisible infrastructure keeping its organization afloat.
Our Guiding Principles

Magic Cabinet was founded as a learning organization. We did not want to make something for nonprofits – we wanted to build it with them. Together and over ten years, we experimented, with the aim to develop a new type of philanthropic partnership.
Why Are We Called Magic Cabinet?

Just as the original magic cabinet sparked Ken’s career of creation, he founded Magic Cabinet to be that same spark for others. So with a little bit of coin, and the help of everyone’s self-made do-hickey–let’s work together to create a just and equitable world.