Marguerite Casey Foundation
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Marguerite Casey Foundation does
Marguerite Casey Foundation is a Seattle-based private philanthropic foundation established in 1999 by the Casey family. Under the leadership of President and CEO Dr. Carmen Rojas (since 2020), the foundation pursues a single mission: shifting the balance of power in society toward communities historically excluded from shaping it — Black, Indigenous, migrant, queer, poor, and communities of color. It serves four primary constituencies: grassroots community organizing and economic justice nonprofits, movement-connected academic scholars, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and impact funds, and municipal government partners leveraging public dollars for public goods.
The foundation operates four interconnected programmatic vehicles: (1) Grantmaking, providing general operating support of up to 25% of a grantee's operating budget over five years on an invitation-only basis; (2) the Freedom Scholar Award, a one-time $250,000 unrestricted grant to scholars whose research supports social movements; (3) Public Dollars for Public Good (PDPG), launched in 2023 with $22M+ deployed to organizations that help underserved communities access federal and local funding; and (4) Program-Related Investments (PRIs), committing up to $50 million over 10 years in low-cost capital to CDFIs, impact funds, and civic engagement ventures. The foundation supplements funding with a community engagement ecosystem — the MCF Book Club (virtual and in-person author events) and the Common Thread in-person convening series hosted in cities including Greensboro, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Portland, and Pittsburgh.
MCF's business model is endowment-funded and not revenue-generating in the commercial sense. It commits to treating the IRS 5% minimum payout as a floor rather than a ceiling, and in strong market years gives above baseline. In June 2026 it announced a $500 million, 10-year giving commitment (a 50% increase over the prior decade's average) and added six new board members including Ta-Nehisi Coates and Paola Ramos. There is no technology platform, no AI/ML capability, and no commercial product offering; the foundation operates a Webflow-hosted marketing site and engages audiences through email, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
Marguerite Casey Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Marguerite Casey Foundation
- Legal name
- Marguerite Casey Foundation
- Website
- https://caseygrants.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Marguerite Casey Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Philanthropic Foundation Services
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)
Keywords
Where Marguerite Casey Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Marguerite Casey Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Foundation Endowment Investment Returns: MCF generates revenue through returns on its endowment investments. The foundation has committed to using its endowment to increase grantmaking significantly, treating the industry-standard 5% ceiling as a floor. In strong market years, they commit to giving even more than their baseline commitment.
- Program-Related Investments (PRIs): MCF invests up to $50 million in PRIs over 10 years, providing low-cost capital to CDFIs, impact funds, civic engagement ventures, and mission-aligned projects. PRIs generate returns while advancing programmatic priorities.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Marguerite Casey Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Marguerite Casey Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that distributes unrestricted general operating grants, Freedom Scholar awards ($250,000 each), Program-Related Investments (up to $50 million over 10 years), and Public Dollars for Public Good (PDPG) initiative funding to invited community organizations, scholars, and CDFIs advancing racial and economic justice. The foundation treats the industry-standard 5% endowment payout as a floor and commits to significantly higher annual giving.
Product overview
Marguerite Casey Foundation operates as a unified grantmaking organization with multiple interconnected programs. The core offering is Grantmaking, which provides general operating support to community organizations focused on building power in excluded communities. Supporting this are the Freedom Scholar Award for movement-connected academics, the Public Dollars for Public Good (PDPG) initiative for economic justice, and Program Related Investments (PRIs) for mission-aligned capital deployment. The Foundation also engages communities through the MCF Book Club and Common Thread event series, creating spaces for learning and connection that complement its funding work.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Freedom Scholar Award: Unrestricted $250,000 awards to scholars whose research supports social movements centered on improving democracy, economy, and society.
- Public Dollars for Public Good (PDPG)
- MCF Book Club
- Common Thread
Products and services
- Grantmaking General operating grants to community organizations at up to 25% of their operating budget over five years, focused on community organizing to create a vibrant multiracial democracy.
- Freedom Scholar Award Unrestricted $250,000 awards to scholars whose research supports social movements centered on radically improving democracy, economy, and society.
- Public Dollars for Public Good (PDPG) Economic justice initiative providing over $22M in general operating grants to fuel organizations advancing economic justice by organizing communities and unlocking federal funds.
- Program-Related Investments (PRIs) Deploys up to $50 million over 10 years through low-cost capital to Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), impact funds, and catalytic capital for civic engagement ventures advancing the foundation's mission.
Quantifiable outcome
- Secured over $27 million in federal grants for Native American communities through grantee Native Americans in Philanthropy
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Marguerite Casey Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Marguerite Casey Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Marguerite Casey Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Mayor's Fund To Advance New York CitycoreMCF invested $3 million into Mayor Mamdani's NYC Universal Free Childcare Program through the Mayor's Fund To Advance New York City. This investment supports the program expected to provide care to 2,000 two-year-olds this fall, expanding MCF's Public Dollars for Public Good grantmaking program.
- Native Americans in PhilanthropycorePart of the initial $5M+ PDPG investment. Helped secure over $27 million in federal grants for Native American communities who too often are excluded from federal funding.
- Southern Economic Advancement ProjectcorePart of initial PDPG investment. Campaigns for equitable budgeting across the American South.
- Seattle Solidarity BudgetcorePart of initial PDPG investment. Advocates for Seattle city budget to prioritize marginalized communities over-policing and reallocate resources toward affordable housing and public transportation.
- Economic Security ProjectcorePart of initial PDPG investment working on economic justice initiatives.
- Heartland FundcorePart of initial PDPG investment supporting rural organizing and advocacy.
- Rural Democracy InitiativecorePart of initial PDPG investment supporting rural civic engagement.
- The Workers LabcorePart of initial PDPG investment. Innovation lab that partners with workers to develop new ideas that help them succeed and flourish. Dr. Rojas was formerly co-founder and CEO of The Workers Lab.
- Haymarket BooksminorMCF partners with Haymarket Books for MCF Book Club events, including discussions on Elite Capture, Community as Rebellion, and other titles.
- Seattle Arts and LecturesminorPartnership for book club events including Elite Capture discussion and other author events.
- NationSwellminorMCF partnered with NationSwell for the #SayHerName Book Club event.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Marguerite Casey Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Ford Foundation: One of the largest US private foundations, Ford Foundation makes mission-driven grants globally on issues including economic fairness and democracy. It is broadly comparable to MCF as an institutional progressive grantmaker, though its scope is significantly larger and more global.
- Kresge Foundation: Major US foundation with major commitments to racial equity, economic opportunity, and community development. Comparable in scale and thematic focus, with similar use of PRIs and program-related investments.
- Open Society Foundations: Founded by George Soros, Open Society is a major global grantmaker supporting democratic governance, economic justice, and human rights. Highly comparable to MCF in mission orientation and movement-support philosophy, with substantially greater scale.
- MacArthur Foundation: Large US private foundation making grantmaking and PRIs in areas including racial equity, democratic participation, and inclusive economy. Comparable to MCF in programmatic focus areas and the use of PRIs as a complement to grants.
Direct peers
- NoVo Foundation: Private foundation focused on social justice, gender equity, and movement-building, with a strong commitment to unrestricted, long-term funding. Closely comparable to MCF in funding philosophy and grantee relationship model.
- Borealis Philanthropy: A philanthropic intermediary pooling resources from multiple funders to support racial justice, LGBTQ+, and movement-building organizations. Comparable to MCF's PDPG model as a funder-of-funders and movement infrastructure provider.
- Robin Hood Foundation: New York-based poverty-fighting foundation combining grantmaking with program-related investments and direct services. Comparable to MCF in PRI use and economic justice focus, though more regionally concentrated.
- Arcus Foundation: Private foundation funding social justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and conservation movements with a movement-led grantmaking approach. Directly comparable to MCF in values-aligned, unrestricted, movement-supporting grantmaking.
- Hill-Snowdon Foundation: Family foundation supporting movement-building organizations with long-term, unrestricted general operating grants. Closely comparable to MCF in providing the kind of multi-year core support MCF is known for.
- Surdna Foundation: Private foundation focused on inclusive economies, sustainable environments, and meaningful youth engagement. Directly comparable in mission, scale, and the use of multi-year unrestricted general operating support.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Marguerite Casey Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceMarguerite Casey Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Marguerite Casey Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles22 records
Marguerite Casey Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Marguerite Casey Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Marguerite Casey Foundation
What does Marguerite Casey Foundation do?
Marguerite Casey Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that distributes unrestricted general operating grants, Freedom Scholar awards ($250,000 each), Program-Related Investments (up to $50 million over 10 years), and Public Dollars for Public Good (PDPG) initiative funding to invited community organizations, scholars, and CDFIs advancing racial and economic justice. The foundation treats the industry-standard 5% endowment payout as a floor and commits to significantly higher annual giving.
Is Marguerite Casey Foundation a public or private company?
Marguerite Casey Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Marguerite Casey Foundation founded?
Marguerite Casey Foundation was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Marguerite Casey Foundation based?
Marguerite Casey Foundation is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Marguerite Casey Foundation make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Foundation Endowment Investment Returns are the primary driver. The others are program-Related Investments (PRIs).
Who are Marguerite Casey Foundation's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Ford Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Open Society Foundations and MacArthur Foundation. Direct peers are NoVo Foundation, Borealis Philanthropy, Robin Hood Foundation, Arcus Foundation, Hill-Snowdon Foundation and Surdna Foundation.
Does Marguerite Casey Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Marguerite Casey Foundation.
What industry is Marguerite Casey Foundation in?
Marguerite Casey Foundation's product category is Philanthropic Foundation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAA, Private Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAN, Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8600.