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The Monarch Charitable Foundation

Annual Giving
$7.6M
Grant Range
$0K - $0.1M

The Monarch Charitable Foundation (aka The Monarch Foundation)

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $7.58 million (FY 2024)
  • Total Assets: $109.2 million
  • Grant Range: $75 - $61,000
  • Median Grant: $4,000
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily New York City, with climate justice grants across North America and the Arctic
  • Application Method: Accepts unsolicited proposals (no letter of inquiry required)

Contact Details

Overview

The Monarch Charitable Foundation (EIN: 82-4278252), operating as The Monarch Foundation, is a family foundation created by venture capitalist Jeff Lieberman and his wife Holly Fogle, a former McKinsey & Company senior partner. Established in 2018, the foundation has grown to $109.2 million in assets and distributed $7.58 million in charitable grants in fiscal year 2024. The foundation's mission centers on "scaling simple and inclusive solutions to society's toughest problems" through two primary strategic pillars: disrupting cycles of poverty in New York City (with particular focus on pregnancy and early childhood) and advancing climate justice solutions. The foundation is a pioneer in trust-based philanthropy, eliminating traditional grant reports in favor of informal conversations, providing nearly all funding as unrestricted grants, and accepting unsolicited proposals. The foundation notably founded and launched The Bridge Project, New York City's first guaranteed income program for mothers and babies living in poverty, which became an independent 501(c)(3) in 2022.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation operates three distinct funding portfolios:

Pregnancy & Early Childhood Development (NYC-based)

  • Supports 30+ New York City organizations focused on prenatal care through the first 1,000 days of life
  • Emphasis on preventing poverty rather than addressing its effects
  • Primarily unrestricted, multi-year grants
  • Grant amounts vary (based on 990-PF data: $75 - $61,000 range, $4,000 median)

Climate Justice Grantmaking

  • Supports 30+ grassroots organizations across North America and the Arctic
  • Focus on organizations led by women, BIPOC communities, and Indigenous peoples
  • Primarily unrestricted, multi-year operating support
  • Grant amounts not publicly specified

Climate Investing

  • Investment portfolio of 15+ climate-focused venture capital firms
  • Not traditional grantmaking - catalytic investment approach
  • Focus on early-stage climate technology and solutions

Priority Areas

Early Childhood & Poverty Prevention:

  • Maternal care providers and birthing services
  • Family support organizations providing coaching and material goods
  • Community-based organizations in low-income NYC neighborhoods
  • Programs addressing root causes: income inequality, systemic racism, food insecurity, housing instability

Climate Justice:

  • Grassroots, minority-led climate organizations
  • Indigenous-led environmental and renewable energy initiatives
  • Youth climate action movements
  • Community-based climate resilience solutions
  • Organizations addressing climate justice and racial equity intersections

Direct Cash Programs:

  • Organizations implementing or advocating for guaranteed income programs
  • Policy advocacy for cash transfer programs

What They Fund

  • Nearly all grants are unrestricted general operating support
  • Multi-year funding commitments
  • Organizations led by women and/or people of color (majority of portfolio)
  • Grassroots organizations working directly with affected communities
  • Programs with potential for scale and systems change
  • Preventative approaches addressing root causes

What They Don't Fund

The foundation does not explicitly list exclusions, but their focus areas clearly center on:

  • NYC-based early childhood organizations (geographic restriction for this portfolio)
  • North American and Arctic climate justice (geographic restriction for climate portfolio)
  • Their approach emphasizes grassroots and community-led organizations over large institutional recipients

Governance and Leadership

Leadership Team

Holly Fogle, Co-Principal & Director

  • Co-founder and President of The Bridge Project
  • Co-founder and co-Executive Director of Nido de Esperanza (NYC early childhood organization)
  • Former senior partner at McKinsey & Company (13 years, healthcare focus)
  • Background in Appalachian foothills; studied at The Wharton School
  • Leading voice in trust-based philanthropy and women's philanthropy movements
  • Unpaid role at foundation

Jeff Lieberman, Co-Principal, Secretary & Treasurer

  • 24-year veteran at Insight Partners (world's largest growth-oriented software investment firm)
  • Board member of multiple private and public companies
  • Notable investments include Qualtrics, DeliveryHero, HelloFresh, Udemy
  • Recognition: Forbes Midas List, AlwaysOn Venture Capital 100 winner
  • Education: University of Pennsylvania's Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology
  • Unpaid role at foundation

Caroline Noble, Director

  • Oversees foundation operations and all funding portfolios
  • Leads climate investment strategy and early childhood grantmaking
  • Compensation: $120,199 (2024)
  • Background in regenerative agriculture research across U.S. farms
  • Education: Harvard College (Regenerative Biology)

Christine Switzer Theodoridis, Director

  • Compensation: $91,667 (2024)

Abby Pratt, Chief of Staff

  • Former Manager at McKinsey & Company
  • Education: Northwestern University (Computer Science, Human-Centered Design)

Previous Leadership:

  • Megha Agarwal (Former Executive Director, 2023): $188,802
  • Noa Saint Marc (Former Chief of Staff, 2023): $108,409

Leadership Philosophy

Holly Fogle has articulated the foundation's philosophy in multiple forums:

On trust: "We trust mothers to know what's best for their babies, whether it's more diapers, healthy food, a working stove, or a stroller... Trust me, these mothers can stretch $10 further than most people I know."

On grant requirements: "Ask [yourself], is what I am requiring of the grantee actually necessary? Does it directly facilitate greater success? Consider how the form, amount, and duration of the funding can best support the organization and its people."

On foundation relationships: "As a foundation, we try to live this every day with our grantees - we don't need reports, we need honest dialogue."

On their approach: "People actually know what they need -- they just don't have the means to get there." - Co-chair Natalie Foster

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Monarch Foundation accepts unsolicited proposals and has deliberately removed traditional barriers to application:

  • No letter of inquiry (LOI) required - Holly Fogle specifically eliminated this requirement after surveying grantees and learning that 93% had been unable to apply to other funders due to unsolicited proposal bans
  • Submit proposals directly to info@themonarchfoundation.org
  • No formal application template - the foundation embraces trust-based practices
  • No grant reports required - replaced with informal conversations a few times per year

Important Note: While the foundation's IRS 990-PF form indicates they "only make contributions to preselected charitable organizations," their actual practice (documented extensively in Holly Fogle's writings and the foundation website) contradicts this. They actively accept unsolicited proposals as part of their trust-based approach. This discrepancy likely reflects administrative classification rather than actual practice.

Decision Timeline

Specific decision timelines are not publicly documented. The foundation emphasizes relationship-based grantmaking with ongoing conversations rather than fixed application cycles.

Success Rates

No specific success rate data is publicly available. The foundation made:

  • 7 grants in 2023
  • 6 grants in 2022
  • 7 grants in 2021
  • 19 grants in 2020

However, these figures from the 990-PF filings appear to reflect only the Delaware charitable foundation entity and likely do not capture the full scope of The Monarch Foundation's grantmaking activities.

Reapplication Policy

Not explicitly documented. Given their multi-year funding approach and emphasis on long-term relationships with grantees, the foundation appears to prioritize sustained partnerships over one-time grants.

Application Success Factors

What The Monarch Foundation Values

1. Alignment with Core Belief: Cash Addresses Poverty The foundation operates on the fundamental principle that "poverty stems from lack of cash." Organizations that understand and embrace this philosophy - moving away from paternalistic assistance models toward dignity and self-determination - align with their worldview.

2. Grassroots Leadership & Proximity The foundation explicitly prioritizes organizations that are:

  • Led by and support women, BIPOC communities, and Indigenous peoples
  • Working directly in affected communities
  • Operating "on-the-ground" with lived experience of the issues
  • Serving as "equal partners" rather than distant service providers

3. Preventative vs. Reactive Approach The foundation funds organizations that address root causes rather than symptoms. In early childhood, this means supporting prenatal care and the first 1,000 days rather than later interventions. In climate, this means supporting systemic solutions rather than adaptation alone.

4. Potential for Scale From their stated criteria: "We look for programs that have the potential to scale up and out." This doesn't mean organizations must be large, but solutions should be replicable and expandable beyond initial implementation.

5. Trust & Transparency Organizations willing to engage in honest dialogue about what's working and what isn't, rather than presenting only successes, fit their collaborative model. As Holly Fogle notes: "donors can learn far more from a conversation with a nonprofit leader than from a 20-page grant report."

Specific Examples of Funded Organizations

Early Childhood Portfolio:

  • Ashe Birthing Services, The Birthing Place, Bronx Health Collective (maternal care)
  • Room to Grow (coaching, material goods, community connections)
  • Power of Two (nurturing child and family potential)
  • Nido de Esperanza (breaking poverty cycles in first 1,000 days)
  • NYC Mammas Give Back (supporting homeless/poverty-impacted mothers)
  • The Bridge Project (guaranteed income for mothers/babies) - now independent
  • The Bronx is Blooming ($12,000 for youth-led park improvement and planting programs)

Climate Justice Portfolio:

  • Alaska Conservation Foundation and Alaska Venture Fund
  • Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy (Indigenous renewable energy)
  • Climate Justice Alliance (community-based resilience)
  • Honor the Earth (Indigenous environmental justice)
  • Sunrise Movement (youth climate action)

Language & Framing That Resonates

The foundation responds to language emphasizing:

  • Self-determination and agency over "helping" or "serving"
  • Partnership and collaboration over top-down delivery
  • Root causes and systems change over Band-Aid solutions
  • Equity and justice (racial, economic, climate) as interconnected
  • Trust and dignity over compliance and gatekeeping

What Doesn't Work

  • Paternalistic approaches that assume organizations/beneficiaries don't know their own needs
  • Heavy emphasis on reporting, metrics, and accountability structures
  • Restricted funding requests tied to specific narrow programs
  • Large institutional organizations without grassroots connections
  • One-time project funding rather than sustainable operating support

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Submit unsolicited proposals directly - Don't be deterred by the 990-PF language about "preselected organizations." The foundation has publicly stated they accept and welcome unsolicited proposals.

  • Request unrestricted, multi-year funding - This is their preferred approach. Don't feel obligated to restrict your proposal to a specific project.

  • Lead with values alignment - Demonstrate understanding of their core belief that cash/resources + trust = solutions. Show how your organization embodies grassroots leadership and proximity to communities.

  • Emphasize prevention and root causes - Whether in early childhood or climate work, show how your approach addresses why problems occur, not just their symptoms.

  • Showcase diverse leadership - If your organization is led by women, BIPOC leaders, or Indigenous peoples, this strongly aligns with their priorities.

  • Be honest about challenges - Their emphasis on "honest dialogue" and welcoming "tough conversations" suggests they value transparency over polish.

  • Keep it simple - This foundation values "simple and inclusive solutions" and has eliminated bureaucratic barriers. Your proposal doesn't need to be elaborate.

  • Geographic considerations matter - For early childhood work, focus on NYC. For climate justice, emphasize North American or Arctic scope and grassroots community connections.

  • Think about scale - Even if you're small now, articulate how your approach could expand or be replicated.

  • Contact them conversationally - Given their emphasis on dialogue over formal processes, an initial email conversation may be more effective than a formal proposal package.

References

Research accessed: December 23, 2025

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