The expansion of Magic Cabinet’s leadership will help to drive the company’s mission of shifting power and moving wealth to impact nonprofit partners forward.
Seattle, Washington – March 17, 2025– Magic Cabinet—a community-centered grantmaker fueling change in the philanthropic sector—today announced the hire of Molly Judge as Director of Philanthropic Solutions. Judge will lead a new facet of the foundation’s Philanthropic Solutions program, which supports external funders that seek to maximize their philanthropic investments utilizing participatory and community-informed approaches.
“Molly has a strong track record in bringing committed people together with the right resources—and making incredible things happen with those pairings,” said Tiffany Johnson, Chief Strategy Officer. “We’re excited to experiment, iterate, and disseminate our grantmaking solutions and accelerate the evolution of philanthropy with her leadership.”
Judge has worked in philanthropy for over 20 years, rooting her passion in the promise of our shared humanity and ability to work together to realize better lives for everyone. In a former role as director at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), she co-created and led a multimillion-dollar capital campaign that ultimately funded the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, the largest wildlife crossing of its kind over the 101 freeway in Los Angeles. That effort leveraged decades of community-driven conservation and strategic partnerships with NWF, the National Park Service, and the California Department of Transportation, among others.
“I’m excited about this new role because Magic Cabinet isn’t just talking about change—it’s actively creating the conditions where philanthropy can operate differently,” Judge said. “It’s important to show up authentically in every partnership, and work alongside our communities to pursue work that will have both immediate and long-term impacts.”
Magic Cabinet has engaged with nonprofits collaboratively for more than 15 years. Since 2019, the foundation has offered five-year, capacity-building funding to a total of 24 cohorts consisting of 72 nonprofit organizations, investing over $43 million in the Puget Sound and Bay Area regions.
The Philanthropic Solutions program currently offers authentic community engagement, a proprietary mapping tool that identifies funding gaps, and collaborative impact cohort models, at no cost. During the launch of the newly created team, Magic Cabinet’s suite of tools and services are available at no cost to select philanthropists excited to partner and iterate on community-centered practice. As the program grows, more services will emerge based on the interests and needs of participating funders — including new and experienced individual philanthropists, and family foundations.
“Philanthropy isn’t just about money—it’s about creating a space where everyone can offer their perspectives and work towards a viable solution,” said Judge. “We don’t need to have all the answers at the start; the magic happens when we trust community expertise and provide resources early in the process – giving everyone a chance to dream big.”
About Magic Cabinet
Magic Cabinet envisions a philanthropic sector that actively empowers and generously invests in nonprofits so they can better serve their communities. Through reciprocal grantmaking, philanthropic advising, and innovative collaborations, Magic Cabinet aims to reshape and shift philanthropy toward community expertise. Since 2019, Magic Cabinet has awarded over $43 million to nonprofits in Washington and California.
Online: https://www.magiccabinet.org/
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Media Contact: Zach Grossnickle | zach@magiccabinet.org | 206.600.3068
