About Bridgepath Foundation
We believe every path is unique, every culture holds wisdom, and every act of healing contributes to collective flourishing
Bridgepath Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working at the intersection of human development, cultural continuity, and ecological stewardship, connecting individual healing with collective and planetary well-being through a model built on reciprocity, not charity.
We serve individuals navigating life transitions, we walk alongside Indigenous communities in Colombia and we believe these two things are inseparable.
Who We Are
A foundation built on one belief
Bridgepath was founded in response to a disconnection that runs through everything within ourselves, our communities, and the natural world. Not as a theory, as something Maria Claudia Montes witnessed firsthand, growing up between Bogotá and New York, carrying Muisca heritage in one hand and a New York City social work license in the other.
The answer wasn't to choose between personal healing and collective impact. It was to build a model where one funds the other.
Revenue from wellness programs — coaching, wisdom circles, retreats — flows directly to community initiatives in Colombia's Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
Your healing funds theirs, Their wisdom informs yours.
That's how we operate not just a tagline.
What we're here to do
Our Mission
Bridgepath Foundation nurtures personal, community, and planetary well-being by supporting individuals, organizations, and communities in living with dignity, resilience, sovereignty, joy, and harmony with the Earth, through education, grants, coaching, and community-based initiatives rooted in respect for people, culture, and the living world.
Our Vision
A world where diverse cultural wisdom is honored, ecosystems are revitalized, and individuals and communities live in dignity, sovereignty, and reciprocity with one another and the living Earth — shaping their futures with care for generations to come.
Three interconnected areas of work
Well-Being & Human Development
Coaching, wisdom circles, retreats, and embodied practices supporting mental, emotional, physical, and relational well-being. Work with individuals navigating burnout, life transitions, and the call toward deeper alignment.
Community & Cultural Initiatives
Long-term partnerships with Indigenous and local communities focused on cultural continuity, women's economic resilience, educational sovereignty, and knowledge preservation — led entirely by the communities themselves.
Land & Ecological Stewardship
Emerging initiatives supporting food sovereignty, ecosystem recovery, and the revitalization of traditional relationships with land and territory.
Our Model
Reciprocity over charity, this is how it works
Bridgepath operates through a blended funding model: earned revenue from well-being programs, philanthropic grants, institutional partnerships, and individual donors.
But the structure isn't just financial — it's ethical. Every dollar earned from coaching and wellness programs flows directly to community initiatives. No overhead extraction. No distance between the investment and the impact.
Our Core Principles
What guides everything we do
Reciprocity over charity
Support circulates. Earned revenue from wellness programs directly funds community initiatives. Creating an ethical, self-sustaining model.
Community self-determination
Communities and individuals define their own priorities and solutions. Bridgepath walks alongside — never in front.
Cultural humility
Indigenous knowledge is not a resource to extract. It belongs to the communities that hold it. Our programs honor worldview, tradition, and context.
Integration of wisdom traditions
We bridge contemporary well-being science with ancestral knowledge systems — recognizing both as essential to sustaining life.
Long-term commitment
Durable relationships and ethical funding models over short-term interventions.
The people walking this path
Bridgepath Foundation is led by Founder and Executive Director Maria Claudia Montes and guided by a Board of Directors with expertise in nonprofit governance, wellness, education, community development, and Indigenous knowledge systems.
Board of Directors & Advisors
Maria Luisa Whittingham
Board Chair
Rosario Montes
Administrator
Janna Storino
Treasurer
Debra Dorella
Marketing / Fundraising
Maureen Fitzpatrick LCSW
Program Coordinator, USA
Juan Carlos Nacogui Gil
Wiwa, Community and OWGT Cultural Representative- Colombia
Marta Cecilia Gil
Wiwa Women's Art Coordinator- Asociación Indígena Wiwa Ribunduna representative
Saga Ana Gil
Wiwa Elder- Palabra Mayor- Spiritual Advisor
Mamo Bunkua
Wiwa Elder- Palabra Mayor- Spiritual Advisor
The presence of Saga Ana Gil and Mamo Bunkua on our advisory board is not symbolic. It is the foundation of how Bridgepath operates with the guidance and authority of the knowledge keepers themselves.
Maria Claudia Montes
MariaClaudia Montes is the Founder and Executive Director of Bridgepath Foundation, a Pennsylvania-based 501(c)(3) dedicated to nurturing personal, community, and planetary well-being through a reciprocity model that connects individual healing with collective and ecological impact.
Born in Bogotá, Colombia and raised in New York, MariaClaudia draws on her Muisca heritage and a lifelong practice of weaving ancestral wisdom with evidence-based well-being. She holds a Master's degree in Social Work from New York University and brings over a decade of clinical and coaching experience working with individuals navigating trauma, identity, and life transitions. Her therapeutic foundation — integrating trauma-informed, person-centered, and expressive arts approaches — informs both her one-on-one practice and the way Bridgepath walks alongside communities: with deep listening, cultural humility, and a long-term commitment to dignity and self-determination.
She walks alongside the Organización Wiwa Golkushe Tayrona (OWGT) as Bridgepath's supporting partner in La Palabra Mayor, a flagship project led entirely by the Mamos and Sagas of the Wiwa people to document the Wiwa Ley de Origen (Seynekun) in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Phase 1 is complete and self-funded. Phase 2 begins June 2026.
MariaClaudia believes that human dignity, personal well-being, cultural continuity, and ecological stewardship are inseparable — and that the most powerful change happens when individuals and communities lead from their own wisdom and sovereignty.
Walk The Path With Us
For your own journey
Start with a free 30-min discovery call
For their future
Fund the Ley de Origen · Phase 2 begins July 2026
A healing that goes beyond you
Monthly stories from the Sierra Nevada and from women finding their way home.
No spam, just what matters.
Bridgepath Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit · New York & New Jersey · Serving individuals and communities globally..
Bridging Mind, Body, Spirit, and Earth