Ken Birdwell Foundation

Magic Cabinet (formerly the Ken Birdwell Foundation) represents one of the most distinctive grantmaking models in American philanthropy. Founded by Ken Birdwell, who helped start the video game company Valve, the foundation practices trust-based, participatory, cohort-based grantmaking. Rather than accepting applications and making individual grants, Magic Cabinet selects cohorts of three nonprofits with mutually supporting missions and provides each cohort $2.5 million over five years for capacity building. This model integrates four elements: trust-based philanthropy (flexible, unrestricted funding), participatory decisions (community advisory councils select grantees), capacity building (organizational strengthening rather than program funding), and long-term investment (5-year commitments). The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. Instead, engagement officers develop candidate lists through research, site visits, and community conversations, and a diverse advisory council of 5-6 people selects the final cohorts. Target organizations have annual budgets between $500,000 and $2.5 million and are deeply locally engaged. After 15+ years of work in Puget Sound and Bay Area communities, Magic Cabinet has become a leading voice in the trust-based philanthropy movement, advocating for broader adoption of collaborative philanthropic practices.

Magic Cabinet distributed $13.4 million across 49 grants in 2024, up from $12.5 million in 2023, demonstrating growing grantmaking capacity from a $147 million asset base. Revenue in 2024 was $93.3 million, including $60.6 million in new contributions and $28.9 million in investment gains. The foundation employs 26 staff, reflecting significant operational capacity for a private foundation of its size. Individual grants range from approximately $1,000 to $249,000, with cohort grants structured as $2.5 million shared among three organizations over five years. Notable 2024 grantees include Rainbow Center ($249,000), Coalition On Homelessness ($248,161), and Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation ($200,000). The focus on small-to-medium nonprofits ($500K-$2.5M annual budgets) creates a distinctive niche — too large for micro-grants but below the radar of most major foundations. Geographic distribution is split between Seattle/Puget Sound and the San Francisco Bay Area. The foundation recently expanded to support fiscally-sponsored cohorts, opening its model to emerging organizations without their own 501(c)(3) status. Staff compensation reflects professional management: Executive Director Christina Engel ($191K), COO Edward Lee ($166K), Chief Strategy Officer Tiffany Johnson ($185K).

Magic Cabinet occupies a unique position in the philanthropic landscape as a pioneer of cohort-based, trust-based capacity building. While Draper Richards Kaplan and Blue Meridian also provide multi-year unrestricted support, they target much larger organizations and operate nationally. The Peery Foundation shares the trust-based philosophy but focuses on the Bay Area exclusively. In the Seattle philanthropic ecosystem, Magic Cabinet is dwarfed by the Ballmer Group and Raikes Foundation in scale but distinguished by its innovative grantmaking structure — the three-nonprofit cohort model with shared $2.5M over five years has no direct peer. The foundation also stands out for its participatory approach, with community advisory councils rather than staff or board members making final grantee selections. This positions Magic Cabinet as both a practitioner and advocate for philanthropic reform.

In 2024, Magic Cabinet made 49 grants totaling $13.4 million, continuing its upward trajectory from $12.5 million in 2023. The foundation received $60.6 million in new contributions and $28.9 million in investment gains, bringing total assets to $147 million. Notable grants included $249,000 to Rainbow Center, $248,161 to Coalition On Homelessness, and $200,000 to Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation. The foundation introduced a significant innovation: its first fiscally-sponsored cohorts, opening the model to emerging organizations that lack independent 501(c)(3) status. This expansion allows grassroots and community-based groups to access the multi-year capacity building support that was previously limited to established nonprofits. Magic Cabinet continued advocating for trust-based philanthropic practice through publications and industry partnerships. The foundation operates from offices in both Bellevue, WA (555 110th Ave NE #700) and the Bay Area. Staff grew to 26 employees with professional leadership under Executive Director Christina Engel. The foundation published case studies through partners like Public Profit documenting its participatory grantmaking model and outcomes.

Magic Cabinet (Ken Birdwell Foundation) does not accept unsolicited grant applications. However, organizations can position themselves for consideration: (1) Your organization must have an annual budget between $500,000 and $2.5 million — this is a strict criterion; (2) You must be locally engaged in either the Seattle/Puget Sound area or the San Francisco Bay Area; (3) Build visibility in your community through strong partnerships and community engagement — Magic Cabinet engagement officers discover potential grantees through research, site visits, and community conversations; (4) Be prepared for a relationship-based process, not a transactional one — the foundation values trust and long-term commitment; (5) Understand the cohort model: if selected, you will be grouped with two other nonprofits with complementary missions and collectively share $2.5 million over five years; (6) The foundation prioritizes capacity building over program funding — demonstrate organizational growth needs rather than specific project funding gaps; (7) Fiscally-sponsored organizations are now eligible through the new fiscally-sponsored cohort program; (8) Connect with existing Magic Cabinet grantees and community networks, as word-of-mouth and peer recommendations influence the discovery process; (9) The foundation values community-led, grassroots approaches over top-down program models. Contact: 425-454-4919. Address: 555 110th Ave NE #700, Bellevue, WA 98004. Website: magiccabinet.org. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/magic-cabinet.