Cathay Bank Foundation
The Cathay Bank Foundation is a private foundation based in El Monte, California, and an affiliate of Cathay Bank. Founded in 2002, it raises and administers funds to benefit community-based nonprofits in the regions where the bank operates.
Cathay Bank Foundation at a glance
In short: Cathay Bank Foundation gave $2.8M across 227 grants in 2025 (avg $12K), mostly in California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,831,700
- +23.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 227
- +1.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $12,474
- +21.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $143,170
- -54.5% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- California (72% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Cathay Bank Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The Foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. A nonprofit must be invited by a Cathay Bank or Foundation Officer to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI). If the LOI fits the Foundation’s guidelines and budget, the organization may be invited to submit a full application. Requested materials include proof of 501(c)(3) status for new organizations; a signed cover letter describing the organization, request, expected impact, prior Foundation grant results, and the share of people served who are LMI; two years of operating budgets; itemized project costs; two years of audited financial statements or Forms 990; major corporate and foundation contributors; officers and board members; and an impact report, if available. Requests must align with the Foundation’s focus and be in areas where Cathay Bank conducts business.
- Review Cycle
- 2026 LOI deadlines are January 23, April 17, July 17, and October 16.
- Deadline
- 2026 LOI deadlines are January 23, April 17, July 17, and October 16.
- Contact
Mailing address: 9650 Flair Drive, El Monte, CA 91731
Phone: (626) 821-3343
Website: https://cathaybank.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Cathay Bank Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was World Central Kitchen Inc ($125K). Together the top 10 received $940K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($5,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
453 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 434 grants of 453 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation serves portions of California, New York, Illinois, Washington, Texas, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, and Maryland, where Cathay Bank operates. In 2025, 72% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 10% to New York, 5% to Washington, DC, 4% to Georgia, and 3% to Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 227 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Cathay Bank Foundation gives
- 56% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+8%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $2.1M (2020) to $2.9M (2021). In 2025 it made 227 grants totaling $2.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| World Central Kitchen Inc Washington, DC | Operating Support | $125,000 |
| Dream Center Foundation Los Angeles, CA | Operating Support | $125,000 |
| Pasadena Community Foundation Pasadena, CA | Operating Support | $125,000 |
| Chinatown Service Center Los Angeles, CA | Operating Support | $120,000 |
| Operation Hope Atlanta, GA | Operating Support | $100,000 |
| California Community Foundation Los Angeles, CA | Operating Support | $100,000 |
| Asian Pacific Community Fund of Southern California Los Angeles, CA | Operating Support | $75,000 |
| Junior Achievement of Southern California Inc Los Angeles, CA | Operating Support | $70,000 |
| Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program Inc Los Angeles, CA | Operating Support | $50,000 |
| Friends of the Chinese American Museum Los Angeles, CA | Operating Support | $50,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Cathay Bank Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $143,170 | $2,803,363 | $2,940,414 | $2,831,700 | 227 | $2,831,930 |
| 2024 | $314,746 | $2,467,764 | $2,387,508 | $2,292,053 | 223 | $2,292,253 |
| 2023 | $694,440 | $2,497,980 | $2,448,700 | $2,154,500 | 1 | $2,154,500 |
| 2022 | $128,810 | $2,370,809 | $2,744,948 | $2,626,000 | 1 | $2,626,000 |
| 2021 | $500,499 | $3,435,861 | $2,983,093 | $2,899,000 | 1 | $2,899,000 |
| 2020 | $354,000 | $2,092,700 | $2,126,767 | $2,081,000 | 1 | — |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s mission is to help communities thrive in the geographic regions where Cathay Bank operates. Its grant focus includes affordable housing, small-business development, job creation and workforce services; education, scholarships, mentoring and financial literacy; and services such as homeless assistance, food banks, and health prevention and education. The Foundation places emphasis on nonprofits whose programs serve a majority—more than 50%—of LMI people and/or communities.
The Foundation seeks to support established, results-oriented nonprofits that demonstrate community leadership, provide tangible benefits, measure and report results, and have community alliances. Its stated eligibility criteria include IRS 501(c)(3) status and equal-opportunity employment.
Examples of 2025 recipients illustrate the range of organizations supported. World Central Kitchen describes its mission as providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises; Chinatown Service Center says it provides services and advocacy for immigrants and other communities; and Operation HOPE describes its work as expanding economic opportunity through financial education and empowerment. The Greenlining Institute says it advances economic opportunity and empowerment for people of color through advocacy, research, coalition building, and leadership development.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Foundation reported 227 grants totaling $2,831,700. Grants ranged from $500 to $125,000, with a median of $5,000. Its largest awards included $125,000 each to World Central Kitchen, Dream Center Foundation, and Pasadena Community Foundation; $120,000 to Chinatown Service Center; and $100,000 each to Operation HOPE and California Community Foundation. These awards were reported for operating support.
The Foundation’s website says new applicants will not receive more than $5,000. It reviews requests quarterly, and the Board of Directors determines final awards. The Foundation also reports that its charitable budgets are set annually based on where Cathay Bank conducts business.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Deborah F. Ching as chair; Jack Sun as treasurer; and Nancy Tarr as secretary. Members listed are Chang Liu, Diana Yang, Anthony Hua, Veronica Tsang, Richard Sun, Stewart Kwoh, and Kenyon Mayeda.
Cathay Bank Foundation is led by Deborah F. Ching, Chair since 2024 (on filings since 2020); 3 of 10 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Deborah F. Ching
Chair
Co-Chair → Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
$19K (2021) → $25K (2025)
Stewart Kwoh
Member
Director → Member, 2024
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
$13K (2021) → $25K (2025)
Kenyon Mayeda
Member
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
$25K (2025)
Chang Liu
Member
Director → Member, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jack Sun
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2020
0.9 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Richard Sun
Member
Director → Member, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Anthony Hua
Member
Director → Member, 2024
On filings since 2021
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Diana Yang
Member
Director → Member, 2024
On filings since 2023
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nancy Tarr
Secretary
Senior Vice President → Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2023
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Veronica Tsang
Member
Director → Member, 2024
On filings since 2023
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (10)
- Former: William E. Becker (2024) — Secretary
- Former: Elizabeth Lee (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Peter Wu (2020–2022) — Chair
- Former: Rex Hong (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Wilson Tang (2020–2022) — Treasurer
- Former: Bill Becker (2021–2022) — Secretary
- Former: Martin B. Gumbiner (2020–2021) — Director - Former
- Former: David Lin (2020) — Director
- Former: Irwin Wong (2020) — Director
- Former: Pin Tai (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $25K, to Deborah F Ching (Chair). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Cathay Bank Foundation
How much does Cathay Bank Foundation give each year?
Cathay Bank Foundation gave $2.8M across 227 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $2.3M across 223 grants.
What is Cathay Bank Foundation's typical grant size?
Cathay Bank Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $12,474, across 227 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Cathay Bank Foundation give grants?
Cathay Bank Foundation gives mostly in California: 72% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (39 grants), New York, NY (25 grants), San Francisco, CA (23 grants) and Flushing, NY (9 grants).
Does Cathay Bank Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Cathay Bank Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (227 of 227) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Cathay Bank Foundation's largest grantees?
Cathay Bank Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include World Central Kitchen Inc ($125,000), Dream Center Foundation ($125,000) and Pasadena Community Foundation ($125,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($5,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 13% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Cathay Bank Foundation?
Cathay Bank Foundation reported $143K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $2.8M.
What does Cathay Bank Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s mission is to help communities thrive in the geographic regions where Cathay Bank operates. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Cathay Bank Foundation?
The Foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Cathay Bank Foundation's EIN?
Cathay Bank Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 74-3052411. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Cathay Bank Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 10, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 23, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Cathay Bank Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Cathay Bank Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/cathay-bank-foundation-morg_fccd42833d4840b3a2ea5be0b4387244
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_743052411_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Cathay Bank Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/cathay-bank-foundation-morg_fccd42833d4840b3a2ea5be0b4387244},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Cathay Bank Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Cathay Bank Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?