About Bridgepath
Who We Are
Bridgepath Foundation is a Pennsylvania-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit working at the intersection of human development, cultural continuity, and ecological stewardship. We support individuals and communities in living with dignity, resilience, sovereignty, and harmony with the Earth.
Founded in response to growing disconnection — within ourselves, our communities, and the natural world — Bridgepath bridges evidence-based wellness with ancestral and Indigenous wisdom to create pathways of healing, belonging, and long-term sustainability.
Our Mission
To nurture personal, collective, and planetary well-being by supporting individuals and communities in living with dignity, resilience, sovereignty, joy, and harmony with the Earth.
Our Vision
A world where diverse cultural wisdom is honored, the Earth is revitalized, and individuals and communities live with dignity, sovereignty, and harmony with nature.
Community & Cultural Initiatives —
Land & Ecological Stewardship (emerging) — Future initiatives supporting food sovereignty, ecosystem recovery, and the revitalization of traditional relationships with land and territory.
What We Do
Bridgepath advances well-being through three interconnected areas:
● Well-being & Human Development
Coaching, wisdom circles, retreats, and embodied practices supporting mental, emotional, physical, and relational well-being across diverse populations.
● 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 by the communities themselves.
● Land, Food, and Ecological Stewardship (Emerging)
Future initiatives supporting food sovereignty, ecosystem recovery, and the revitalization of traditional relationships with land and territory.
Our Core Principles
Bridgepath’s work is guided by principles that ensure ethical engagement, cultural respect, and long-term impact:
● Reciprocity over charity —
Support circulates. Earned revenue from wellness programs directly funds community initiatives, creating an ethical and self-sustaining model.
● Community self-determination —
Communities and individuals define their own priorities and solutions. Bridgepath walks alongside rather than directing or imposing.
● Cultural humility —
Our programs honor worldview, tradition, and context. Indigenous knowledge is not a resource to extract — it belongs to the communities that hold it.
● Integration of wisdom traditions —
We bridge contemporary well-being science with ancestral knowledge systems, recognizing both as essential to sustaining life.
● Long-term commitment —
We prioritize durable relationships, capacity-building, and ethical funding models over short-term interventions.
Our Model
Bridgepath operates through a blended funding model: earned revenue from well-being and educational programs, philanthropic grants, institutional partnerships, and individual donors. This reciprocal structure ensures financial sustainability stays aligned with mission integrity.
Leadership & Governance
Bridgepath Foundation is led by its Founder and Executive Director and guided by a Board of Directors with expertise in nonprofit governance, wellness, education, community development, and Indigenous knowledge systems. The organization collaborates with cultural advisors and knowledge keepers in accordance with community protocols.
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
MariaClaudia 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 is the driving force behind La Palabra Mayor — Bridgepath's flagship partnership with the Organización Wiwa Golkushe Tayrona (OWGT) 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.
Bridgepath Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit based in the United States with international outreach.
Bridging Mind, Body, Spirit, and Earth