Mission Cohort, CA
Together for 5 years
Each Cohort lasts five years so relationships can strengthen, processes can develop, and internal structures can be built. Together, Asian Women’s Shelter, First Graduate, and La Cocina meet quarterly to present grant proposals to each other, vote on new grants, share progress updates, and seek advice on new challenges as they build capacity and grow.
The mission of Asian Women’s Shelter is to eliminate domestic violence by promoting the social, economic and political self-determination of women and all survivors of violence and oppression.
Founded 1988
The mission of First Graduate is to help students become the first in their families to graduate from college ready to pursue careers that are meaningful to them.
Founded 2001
The mission of La Cocina is to cultivate low-income food entrepreneurs as they formalize and grow their businesses.
Founded 2005
Long-Term Community Investment
Magic Cabinet prioritizes community-born, led, and serving organizations to build their capacity and accelerate their impact. We believe if given the time, tools, and resources they ask for, the organizations and the communities they serve will flourish.
Capacity Building Projects Overview
An effective nonprofit is more than its programs. Each Cohort has access up to $2.5m through collectively approved capacity-building grants— approximately $500k available each year. Every Cohort member faces unique challenges and opportunities for their organization; that’s why they determine how to leverage Magic Cabinet funds.
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.
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.
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.