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Our History

Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MACP) is the umbrella over the grantmaking entities funded by the late Margaret Cargill.

Margaret Cargill was a woman who found great joy in supporting organizations doing work she valued.

During her lifetime she made significant, but usually anonymous, donations to organizations globally, nationally, and in Southern California, where she lived most of her adult life.

MACP began with the formation of Akaloa Resource Foundation in 1995. The name Akaloa was selected to preserve our founder’s anonymity and direct attention toward grantees’ good work. That approach remains central to our cultural values today.

Our philanthropic mission began with separate entities, each with distinct grantmaking criteria, but Margaret always envisioned her philanthropy as a whole and she approached her giving with a single philosophy. More than twenty years later, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies has made her vision a reality with more than $3 billion in cumulative grantmaking.

1995

Akaloa Resource Foundation formed; first grant to Mingei International Museum in San Diego, Calif.

1996

Anne Ray Charitable Trust formed; first grant to American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, MN.

2006

Founder Margeret A. Cargill passes away; Margaret A. Cargill Foundation formed.

2009

Margeret A. Cargill Foundation launches an ambitious restricted grant program to better inform its grant making process.

2011

MACP begins increasing the size and scale of our grantmaking.

2014

MACP reaches estimated level of annual grantmaking.

2015

MACP celebrates $1 billion in total, cumulative grantmaking.

2016

MACP announces integrated grantmaking strategy and approach across our grantmaking entities.

2016

MACP completes expansion of our Eden Prairie headquarters.

2017

MACP finalizes governance transition, moving from three grantmaking entities to two foundations. Founding CEO Christy Morse announces her retirement and Paul Busch is named President & CEO.

2019

We crossed the 100-employee mark as our team continued to grow. Near the end of the year we celebrated $2 billion in total, cumulative grantmaking.

2020

MACP moved to a fully remote workplace in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In our grantmaking, we provided additional funding and flexibility to grantee partners. In addition, we committed over $11 million in new funding to COVID-relief and racial and social equity efforts in our community in 2020, primarily in support of organizations whose work is centered in and with BIPOC communities.

2021

MACP releases our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Vision Statement, outlining our DEIJ commitments.

2022

MACP expands its governance structure through the addition of Program Committees.

2023

Paul Busch retires, and Heather Kukla is promoted to the role of President at MACP. The Philanthropies celebrates $3 billion in total, cumulative grantmaking.