Margarita (Magui) Rubalcava is a Latina leader and philanthropic executive with an extensive track record of, and commitment to, changing philanthropy’s relationship with marginalized and underserved communities. She was the founder and president of Borealis Philanthropy, a people of color-led $30 million/year philanthropic intermediary supporting critical movements of our time – the Movement for Black Lives, transgender and LGBTQ rights, immigration, criminal justice, policing reform, and racial equity. Over the last three decades, Magui has worked with over 150 local, national, and transnational funders and raised more than $160 million for grantmaking initiatives supporting movement building, policy advocacy, litigation, capacity building, and direct services. She was recognized by the Council on Foundations as a co-recipient of the Robert Scrivner Award for Creative Grantmaking in 2003 for her work in launching the Funders’ Collaborative for Strong Latino Communities through Hispanics in Philanthropy. She also led the Four Freedoms Fund, a national driver of immigration reform funding, and has worked for the Otto Bremer Foundation. Magui began her career in philanthropy at the General Mills Foundation.
Magui’s passion and interests have been shaped by her experience emigrating to the US as a child and growing up as one of 10 children in the Mexican immigrant community of East LA. Coming from a large family of mixed-immigration status, Magui is now working on a book, “10 Different Truths” chronicling the varying experiences of the siblings in her family. She currently lives in Minneapolis.