Move Fast and Trust in Community: Rewriting Our Capacity-Building Rules
Sometimes, getting to yes means rewriting the rules. When our capacity-building model became too limiting, we trusted the expertise of our partners—seeding an idea that took root among multiple Magic Cabinet cohorts.
2024 | Our Year in Review
It was a year of new beginnings and fond farewells at Magic Cabinet. Check out this recap of our year and where we’re headed in 2025.
Reporting is Broken. It’s Time To Do a Hard Thing and Fix It.
In a column for Proximate, Rachel Kimber explores alternatives to traditional grant reporting structures.
Insights from the Native Voices Rising Funder Learning Fellowship & Native Americans in Philanthropy Conference
Our team shares insights from the Native Voices Rising Funder Fellowship and 2024 Native Americans in Philanthropy Conference and what we plan to bring forward in our Native Partnerships work.
Community-Driven Philanthropy: Fostering Trust Through Reciprocal Grantmaking
In a guest post for Philanthropy Northwest, Magic Cabinet CEO Christina Engel shares how funders can embrace a reciprocal approach with nonprofits, helping them realize their missions on their own terms.
Not Waiting Around: The Foundation Transforming DAFs from Within
As federal reform on DAFs stalls, some foundations are experimenting with self-regulation, implementing strategies to ensure that DAFs are transparent, equitable, and accountable to communities.
Rewriting Nonprofit Capacity Building With Catchafire
In a recent webinar with Catchafire, members of our team shared how Magic Cabinet is rewriting capacity building to unlock nonprofit potential.
How Canada’s Foundation for Black Communities is Using Participatory Grantmaking
Exploring how the Foundation for Black Communities is using a participatory model to set an example of equitable grantmaking for others in Canada’s philanthropic sector.
From Grants to Growth: Capacity-Building Investments for Nonprofit Impact
Several of our nonprofit partners are redefining what innovation looks like—using multi-year, capacity-building funding from Magic Cabinet to build critical infrastructure within their organizations and explore new revenue streams, setting them on a sustainable path for the future.
Listening, Learning, and Building Relationships with Native Communities
As we continue to adapt our model to be more inclusive and responsive, we recognize the need to incorporate Indigenous values into our grantmaking. Through our Native Partnerships work, we’ll expand our grantmaking into Native communities in collaboration with Native-led intermediaries.