What Perigee Fund does

Perigee Fund is a private philanthropic foundation founded in 2018 by psychologist Lisa Mennet, PhD, and headquartered in Seattle, Washington. The foundation's mission is to end intergenerational trauma through the power of early relationships, with grantmaking concentrated on two interconnected areas — infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) and maternal mental health (MMH) — alongside broader family supports for well-being. It serves approximately 100+ nonprofit organizations, public agencies, healthcare systems, and academic institutions advancing prenatal-to-age-3 mental health priorities, with a deliberate equity-centered focus on BIPOC-led and community-rooted models operating nationally and with deeper engagement in Washington State. The foundation has a stated planned sunset of 10 to 15 years and operates with a 15-person team supported by Seattle Foundation's operational infrastructure.

The foundation operates through multiple grantmaking mechanisms: occasional open Requests for Proposals (RFPs), invitation-only grantmaking, time-and-purpose-bound project grants, capacity-building grants, general operating support, and pooled funder collaboratives. Its core funding initiatives include Families at the HEART ($425,000 per recipient over three years for community-developed models, 2026–2028), Building Together ($2.5 million over two years across 10 multi-sector state grantees, 2025–2027), and the Maternal Mental Health Equity Fund ($5 million over three years across seven BIPOC-led grantees, pooled with W.K. Kellogg Foundation, CHAP, Maritz Family Foundation, and Roots & Wings Foundation). The foundation does not develop or sell technology products; instead, it commissions applied research (Parent Voices Study on technology-enabled home visiting) and publishes knowledge products including the "30 Opportunities to Improve Maternal Mental Health and Promote Equity" report and Washington State IECMH issue briefs. Workforce investments include the Georgetown University Family Leadership Certificate Program and a registered apprenticeship pathway for Community Mental Health Workers via the U.S. Department of Labor.

Perigee's business model is exclusively philanthropic: revenue is generated through private donations, primarily from its founder, and 100% of programmatic capital is distributed as grants. The go-to-market combines an RFP-style solicitation cycle, a community-led partnership model that centers BIPOC voices and family leaders, and ecosystem buildout through coalitions such as Funders for Maternal Mental Health and Pediatrics Supporting Parents. Distribution channels include Washington-focused state agency partnerships (WA Employment Security Department, WA Department of Children, Youth, and Families), national RFPs, by-invitation grantmaking, and pooled funding. Marketing and field influence are driven through the foundation's website, email newsletter, LinkedIn presence, earned media (op-eds in Seattle Times and Kansas City Star; coverage in New York Times and King 5 News), an annual forum, and sponsored convenings.

Name

Perigee Fund

Legal name

Perigee Fund

Website

https://perigeefund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Perigee Fund is a Seattle-based private philanthropic foundation, founded in 2018, that grants capital to advance infant and early childhood mental health, maternal mental health, and family well-being through equity-centered, BIPOC-led community models nationally and in Washington State.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB), Maternal, Child & Family Health Program Funding (HLAJALAG), Behavioral Health & Substance Use Program Funding (Public Health) (HLAJALAI)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Early childhood mental health
• Maternal mental health
• BIPOC health equity
• Community health funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grantmaking: Perigee Fund generates all revenue through philanthropic sources, primarily from its founder and other private donors. As a private foundation, it operates exclusively as a grantmaker, distributing funds to nonprofits and public entities advancing infant and early childhood mental health and maternal mental health. The organization does not generate commercial revenue.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Perigee Fund is a private philanthropic foundation that distributes grants to nonprofit organizations, public entities, healthcare providers, and academic institutions working to advance infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) and maternal mental health (MMH). It issues multi-year capacity-building grants (e.g., Families at the HEART at $425,000 per recipient over three years), systems-change grants (e.g., Building Together $2.5 million over two years), and pooled fund grants (e.g., Maternal Mental Health Equity Fund $5 million over three years). Its grantmaking prioritizes BIPOC-led organizations and community-rooted models serving families during pregnancy and the first three years of life.

Product overview

Perigee Fund is a philanthropy organization founded in 2018 by Lisa Mennet, PhD, focused on ending intergenerational trauma through the power of early relationships. Rather than a single product, Perigee Fund operates as a grantmaking organization offering multiple funding initiatives including the Families at the HEART Initiative (up to $425,000 per organization over three years for community mental health models), the Building Together national RFP ($2.5M over two years for systems change), and the Maternal Mental Health Equity Fund ($5M over three years for BIPOC-led organizations). The organization also provides advocacy support through Washington State Paid Family & Medical Leave initiatives, maintains a comprehensive Grantee Directory of partner organizations, and produces knowledge resources including reports on maternal mental health and infant mental health. Perigee Fund's work is guided by a Strategic Framework and Equity North Star Framework, both designed to shift policies and systems to better support prenatal-to-age-3 families impacted by trauma.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Families at the HEART Initiative A three-year capacity-building grant program (January 2026–December 2028) providing $425,000 to each of seven selected BIPOC- and community-led organizations to support culturally rooted, healing-centered mental health models for families from pregnancy through a child's first three years. Recipients include License to Freedom, Luna Tierra Casa de Partos, Mewinzha Ondaadiziike Wiigaming, Mom.ME, Pregnant With Possibilities Resource Center, Social Creatures Inc, and TrainingGrounds. The initiative received more than 300 letters of interest from organizations across the country.
• Building Together: Equitable Systems for Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Mental Health Perigee Fund's first national RFP, allocating $2.5 million over two years across 10 multi-sector grantee groups to fund systems change that increases prenatal-to-age-3 family access to mental health supports. Eligible applicants are collaboratives of five or more partner organizations; grantees span Minnesota, Hawai'i, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia, Montana, Oregon, South Carolina, and Michigan.
• Maternal Mental Health Equity Fund A national pooled fund distributing $5 million over three years (2024–2027) for general operations, technical assistance, and evaluation support to seven BIPOC-led maternal mental health organizations, including Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services, Our Roots, Perinatal Health Equity Initiative, Todos Juntos Learning Center, Valley Settlement, Village of Healing, and We All Rise: African American Resource Center. Co-funded with W.K. Kellogg Foundation, CHAP, Maritz Family Foundation, and Roots & Wings Foundation.
• Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave Outreach Initiative A regional advocacy and outreach program partnering with trusted community organizations in Yakima and Pierce counties, the Washington State Employment Security Department, and the University of Washington to promote uptake of Washington's Paid Family and Medical Leave Program.

Quantifiable outcome

• Families receiving unconditional cash through programs like The Nest ($1,250/month) show improvements in birth outcomes and family well-being
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Seattle FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeattle Foundation provides operational support and expertise that enables Perigee Fund to operate effectively. Seattle Foundation is committed to creating an inclusive community where all have access to opportunity and the benefits of a healthy community. Perigee Fund's operational infrastructure, including back-office functions, is supported through this partnership.
• Georgetown University School of Continuing StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerigee Fund supported the initial planning and design of the Family Leadership Certificate Program, the Certificate in Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health, and the Certificate in Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation at Georgetown University. These programs train community mental health workers and mental health clinicians to support infant and family mental health.
• Georgetown University Early Childhood Innovation Network (ECIN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECIN works to build a community mental health workforce in Maryland, D.C., Colorado, California, and Missouri in partnership with the Family Leadership Certificate Program. ECIN has a long-term partnership with MedStar Health to sponsor employers and help reduce barriers for students to participate in hands-on practicum and apprenticeship opportunities.
• MedStar Georgetown University HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerigee Fund invested in the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital Mother-Baby Intensive Outpatient Program — the first intensive psychiatric treatment program for birthing people and their babies in the Washington, D.C. metro area. This program supports mothers in crisis while allowing them to continue caring for their babies during treatment.
• Children's National HospitalsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerChildren's National Hospital employs Family Leadership Certificate Program graduate Toneysha Isaacs as a Family Service Associate, demonstrating the integration of the community mental health worker workforce into pediatric healthcare settings.
• Pediatrics Supporting Parents (PSP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerigee Fund is a member of Pediatrics Supporting Parents (PSP), a philanthropic initiative that seeks to transform pediatric well-child visits to strengthen early relational health. PSP has partnered with five communities across four states including Durham Partners for Early Relational Health (NC), Early Childhood Alliance Onondaga (NY), First Year Families – WCAAP with Pediatrics Northwest (WA), LIFT/ACEs LA Medical Financial Partnership (CA), and UCSF CCCH with R3! Network (CA).
• Los Angeles County Department of Health Services/PediatricscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Medical Financial Partnership (MFP) model led by Monique Holguin and Adam Schickedanz. The MFP integrates social workers into pediatric clinics to help families access financial and social resources, demonstrating how healthcare systems can address economic stress as a component of child health.
• LIFT-Los AngelessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-based nonprofit partner in the Medical Financial Partnership model, providing direct services to families alongside healthcare providers to connect parents with financial resources and social supports.
• Department of Labor Early Childhood Workforce Connector (ECWC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerA U.S. Department of Labor-funded Early Childhood Education Registered Apprenticeship Industry Intermediary working with the Family Leadership Certificate Program to create a job code and register as a national apprenticeship program for Community Mental Health Workers.
• Washington State Employment Security DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerigee Fund partnered with the Employment Security Department (ESD) to support the Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave Program through a philanthropic-public partnership that filled capacity gaps in community outreach, data access, and analytics at program launch in 2020. The partnership supported Time to Bond uptake initiatives in Yakima and Pierce counties.
• University of WashingtonsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnered with Perigee Fund and ESD to evaluate patterns of work around birth and PFML eligibility, conduct statewide awareness surveys, and assess the impact of Paid Leave on health outcomes as part of the PFML uptake initiative.
• Child Trauma Research Program (UCSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Child Trauma Research Program at UCSF developed Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), an evidence-based therapy for children ages birth to 5 and their caregivers. CPP has expanded to 39 states and six countries. Perigee Fund prioritizes funding for CPP dissemination and sustainability.
• Brazelton Touchpoints CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational forum sponsor and strategic partner working to advance infant and early childhood mental health through the Touchpoints approach to family engagement and professional development.
• Zero to ThreesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization focused on early childhood policy advocacy and IECMH workforce development. Perigee Fund has provided multi-year grants to Zero to Three for early childhood policy and workforce development initiatives.
• HealthConnect OnecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization focused on birth equity workforce development. Perigee Fund has provided multi-year grants (2019–2024) to HealthConnect One for birth equity programs supporting community health workers and doulas in perinatal care.
• Portland State UniversitysupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerResearch partner in the Parent Voices Study led by Beth Green, PhD, Director of Early Childhood & Family Support Research. Studied how technology enabled home visiting and infant mental health programs during the COVID-19 pandemic across seven communities.
• University of ConnecticutsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerResearch partner in the Parent Voices Study led by Rachel Chazan-Cohen, PhD, Associate Professor. Contributed to the national study examining providers' and families' experiences with technology-based early childhood services during COVID-19.
• Hummingbird Indigenous Family ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeattle-based organization operating The Nest, the first guaranteed income program in the U.S. specifically serving Native communities. Provides $1,250/month in unconditional cash to 150 AI/AN and Pacific Islander families from pregnancy through a child's third birthday. Perigee Fund is proud to support this program rooted in Indigenous culture and healing practices.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Zero to Three: National nonprofit focused on early childhood policy, IECMH workforce development, and family support. A Perigee multi-year grantee and ecosystem partner rather than a peer funder, but highly comparable in mission and advocacy work.
• HealthConnect One: National organization advancing birth equity through community health workers and doulas. Perigee grantee (2019-2024) and direct partner in the maternal mental health and BIPOC-led perinatal care ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Seattle Foundation: Community foundation providing operational support to Perigee. A direct peer in regional philanthropic grantmaking with overlap in maternal/child and equity program areas.
• Community Health Acceleration Partnership (CHAP): Philanthropy collaborative focused on community health and equity. Co-funder with Perigee of the Maternal Mental Health Equity Fund, directly comparable in pooled-fund and systems-change strategy.
• Maritz Family Foundation: Co-funder of the Maternal Mental Health Equity Fund. A peer in BIPOC-led maternal mental health grantmaking and pooled philanthropy.
• Pritzker Children's Initiative: National philanthropy focused exclusively on prenatal-to-age-3 policy and systems change. Closest direct peer in mission focus, funder sizing, and time-limited field-building strategy.
• Tides Foundation: Major philanthropic intermediary and funder of maternal, child, and equity-focused initiatives. Operates pooled funds and grantmaking vehicles highly comparable to Perigee's collaborative funding model.
• The Ford Family Foundation: Oregon-based private foundation focused on children, families, and rural communities. Co-funder with Perigee of the Parent Voices Study and an aligned funder in IECMH/early childhood systems change.
• W.K. Kellogg Foundation: Large private foundation with deep maternal and child health, racial equity, and BIPOC-led grantmaking programs. Co-funder of Perigee's Maternal Mental Health Equity Fund, making it the most direct peer in mission, scale, and grantmaking approach.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: One of the largest US health-focused foundations, with significant prior investment in maternal and child health. Operates at a much larger scale than Perigee but shares a health equity and systems-change orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/perigee-fund
• Xx.com/perigeefund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Perigee Fund