The Catalyst Foundation
The Catalyst Foundation is a private foundation located in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2024 filing reports 23 grants totaling $403,000, with listed grants supporting organizations in several states.
The Catalyst Foundation at a glance
In short: The Catalyst Foundation gave $403K across 23 grants in 2024 (avg $18K), mostly in California. 5% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $403,000
- -10.0% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 23
- +0.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $17,522
- -10.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $4,822,401
- +10.4% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 5% first-time grantees (1 of 22, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (58% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Catalyst Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: J Cutlerblair 150 N Riverside Plz, Chicago, IL 60606-1899
Phone: (312) 364-8710
Website: https://catalystfdn.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Catalyst Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was New Israel Fund ($70K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $335K.
Grant Size Distribution
123 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 108 grants of 123 (88%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grant dollars went primarily to recipients in California (58%), New York (22%), and Massachusetts (15%). Smaller reported shares went to Alabama (2%) and Maryland (1%). These figures describe recipient locations; they do not establish a stated geographic funding policy.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Catalyst Foundation open to new grantees?
5%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 1 of 22 grantees (5%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $19K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 95% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−11%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 158% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $403K (2024) to $494K (2020). In 2024 it made 23 grants totaling $403K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| New Israel Fund San Francisco, CA | General Operating Support | $60,000 |
| Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene Inc Menands, NY | General Operating Support | $60,000 |
| Partners in Health Boston, MA | General Operating Support | $50,000 |
| Ajws San Francisco San Francisco, CA | General Operating Support | $40,000 |
| Adelphi University Garden City, NY | General Operating Support | $25,000 |
| Amnesty International USA Oakland, CA | General Operating Support | $25,000 |
| Pen American Center Beverly Hills, CA | General Operating Support | $25,000 |
| SF-Marin Food Bank San Francisco, CA | General Operating Support | $20,000 |
| Americans for Peace Now Woburn, MA | General Operating Support | $10,000 |
| New Israel Fund San Francisco, CA | General Operating Support | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Catalyst Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,822,401 | $520,511 | $479,191 | $403,000 | 23 | $410,725 | $68,362 | $260,529 |
| 2023 | $4,368,433 | $689,395 | $511,453 | $448,000 | 23 | $455,725 | $223,515 | $235,887 |
| 2022 | $4,166,899 | $427,877 | $486,427 | $420,000 | 24 | $427,675 | $24,423 | $234,998 |
| 2021 | $4,248,139 | $514,784 | $526,419 | $455,000 | 25 | $462,613 | $43,830 | $271,551 |
| 2020 | $4,219,306 | $504,624 | $553,463 | $494,000 | 28 | — | $41,923 | $227,166 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Catalyst Foundation reported a distributable amount of $261K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The website states that the organization works to reduce the impact of abuse and trauma on individuals, families, and communities, with an emphasis on healing, stability, and self-sufficiency. Its listed programs include intensive case management, prison-based programming, reentry and housing-stability services, and services for youth.
The 2024 grants show support for organizations with varied missions. For example, the Southern Poverty Law Center describes its work as advancing racial justice and human rights; Canal Alliance describes serving Marin’s low-income immigrant community and working to break the generational cycle of poverty for Latino immigrants and their families. A Home Within says it is dedicated to meeting the emotional needs of foster youth. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not stated priorities of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 23 grants totaling $403,000. Grant amounts ranged from $2,000 to $60,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest listed awards included $60,000 each to New Israel Fund and the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, and $50,000 to Partners in Health. The listed 2024 grants specify general operating support as their purpose.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Thomas W. Rosbrow as director and president; Patricia J. Rosbrow as director, treasurer, and secretary; and Benjamin Rosbrow, Laura Rosbrow, and Jesse Rosbrow as directors and vice presidents.
The Catalyst Foundation is led by Thomas W. Rosbrow, Director & President on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Thomas W. Rosbrow
Director & President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Benjamin Rosbrow
Director & V.p.
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jesse Rosbrow
Director & V.p.
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Laura Rosbrow
Director & V.p.
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Patricia J. Rosbrow
Director, Treasurer & Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about The Catalyst Foundation
How much does The Catalyst Foundation give each year?
The Catalyst Foundation gave $403K across 23 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $448K across 23 grants.
What is The Catalyst Foundation's typical grant size?
The Catalyst Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $17,522, across 23 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Catalyst Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does The Catalyst Foundation give grants?
The Catalyst Foundation gives mostly in California: 58% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (22%) and Massachusetts (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (5 grants), Oakland, CA (3 grants), Berkeley, CA (2 grants) and Ann Arbor, MI (2 grants).
Does The Catalyst Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Catalyst Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (23 of 23) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Catalyst Foundation's largest grantees?
The Catalyst Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include New Israel Fund ($70,000 across 2 grants), Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene Inc ($60,000) and Partners in Health ($50,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 45% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Catalyst Foundation?
The Catalyst Foundation reported $4.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $411K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $261K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Catalyst Foundation fund?
The website states that the organization works to reduce the impact of abuse and trauma on individuals, families, and communities, with an emphasis on healing, stability, and self-sufficiency. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Catalyst Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Catalyst Foundation's EIN?
The Catalyst Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 30-0286950. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Catalyst 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Catalyst Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-catalyst-foundation-morg_fbb41bb376c84366a2ec1eac4984ceab
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_300286950_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Catalyst Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-catalyst-foundation-morg_fbb41bb376c84366a2ec1eac4984ceab},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 The Catalyst 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.
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