The Catherwood Foundation
The Catherwood Foundation is a private foundation based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Its 2024 filing is marked as a final return and says the board decided to terminate the foundation, with remaining assets to be donated to a 501(c)(3) organization; the foundation therefore appears to have wound down or stopped grantmaking.
The Catherwood Foundation at a glance
In short: The Catherwood Foundation gave $346K across 21 grants in 2024 (avg $16K), mostly in Pennsylvania. 57% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $346,200
- Grants made (2024)
- 21
- Average grant
- $16,486
- Median grant
- $6,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 57% first-time grantees (12 of 21, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Pennsylvania (83% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Catherwood Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing names Perry C. Gresh as the contact and describes a proposal letter stating the funds needed and projects involved; it provides no formal application or guidelines. The filing’s stated restriction is to selected public organizations, primarily within the metropolitan Philadelphia area.
- Review Cycle
- The filing lists May 31 and November 30 as the usual deadlines for requests. Both dates in 2024 were past as of September 28, 2026, and the foundation’s filing is marked final.
- Deadline
- The filing lists May 31 and November 30 as the usual deadlines for requests.
- Contact
Application contact: Perry C Gresh
Mailing address: PO Box 385, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Phone: (610) 525-3720
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Catherwood Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was The Philadelphia Foundation ($165K). Together the top 10 received $305K.
Grant Size Distribution
71 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 70 grants of 71 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The filing says awards are restricted to selected public organizations, primarily within the metropolitan Philadelphia area. In 2024, 83% of grant dollars went to recipients in Pennsylvania; the remaining listed shares were Colorado 12%, Ohio 1%, New York 1%, and Hawaii 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Catherwood Foundation open to new grantees?
57%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 12 of 21 grantees (57%) were first-time recipients. With only 21 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $19K; repeat grants $13K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $10K repeat.
- Giving grew 2064% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2024). 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 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $16K (2019) to $346K (2024). In 2024 it made 21 grants totaling $346K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Philadelphia Foundation Philadelphia, PA | In Support of Whatever Is Most Needed | $165,000 |
| Willistown Conservation Trust Newton Square, PA | In Support of Whatever Is Most Needed | $44,000 |
| Montgomery School Annual Giving Chester Springs, PA | In Support of Whatever Is Most Needed | $18,200 |
| Easter Seals of Southeast Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA | In Support of Whatever Is Most Needed | $14,000 |
| People's Light and Theater Malvern, PA | In Support of Whatever Is Most Needed | $14,000 |
| Adaptive Sports Association Durango, CO | In Support of Whatever Is Most Needed | $10,313 |
| Stillwater Music Durango, CO | In Support of Whatever Is Most Needed | $10,313 |
| Boys and Girls Club of Laplata Durango, CO | In Support of Whatever Is Most Needed | $10,312 |
| Parkers Animal Rescue Durango, CO | In Support of Whatever Is Most Needed | $10,312 |
| St James School Philadelphia, PA | In Support of Whatever Is Most Needed | $9,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Catherwood Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
— = not provided.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | — | $9,604 | $359,505 | $346,200 | 21 | $353,401 | $3,500 | $5,289 |
| 2023 | $349,901 | $189,353 | $1,769 | — | — | $745 | $188,329 | $14,662 |
| 2022 | $359,885 | $18,674 | $18,815 | $16,000 | 9 | $17,307 | $17,166 | $18,567 |
| 2021 | $390,374 | $14,541 | $18,829 | $16,000 | 16 | $17,307 | $13,019 | $18,879 |
| 2020 | $359,700 | $15,559 | $23,710 | $21,000 | 25 | — | $14,094 | $15,782 |
| 2019 | $357,672 | $11,431 | $18,717 | $16,000 | 12 | — | $9,984 | $16,504 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Catherwood Foundation reported a distributable amount of $5K 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 filing does not state a mission for the foundation. Its grants show support for organizations with varied missions. For example, the Philadelphia Foundation describes its work as increasing philanthropic investment and addressing community needs in Greater Philadelphia. Willistown Conservation Trust says it works to preserve and manage open land and natural and community resources. Among out-of-state grantees, Stillwater Music describes its mission as building community through music education, performance and play; Parker’s Animal Rescue describes its work as rescuing and rehoming dogs and puppies in the Four Corners region.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 21 grants totaling $346,200. Grant amounts ranged from $750 to $165,000, with a median of $6,000. The largest awards included $165,000 to the Philadelphia Foundation, $44,000 to Willistown Conservation Trust, $18,200 to Montgomery School Annual Giving, and $14,000 each to Easter Seals of Southeast Pennsylvania and People’s Light and Theater. All five grants were listed as being “in support of whatever is most needed.”
The filing says there are no formal applications or guidelines. It says a proposal would include a letter stating the funds needed and the projects involved, and identifies selected public organizations primarily within the metropolitan Philadelphia area as award recipients. Because the 2024 return is final, these filing instructions should not be treated as current.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Tucker Gresh as vice president, Perry C. Gresh as treasurer, and Susan Catherwood as secretary.
The Catherwood Foundation's 2024 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Perry C. Gresh
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Susan Catherwood
Secretary
On filings since 2019
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tucker Gresh
Vice President
On filings since 2019
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Cummins Catherwood Jr. (2019–2022) — President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "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 Catherwood Foundation
How much does The Catherwood Foundation give each year?
The Catherwood Foundation gave $346K across 21 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
What is The Catherwood Foundation's typical grant size?
The Catherwood Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $6,000, and its average grant was $16,486, across 21 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Catherwood Foundation that year got $19K on average.
Where does The Catherwood Foundation give grants?
The Catherwood Foundation gives mostly in Pennsylvania: 83% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Colorado (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Durango, CO (4 grants), Philadelphia, PA (3 grants) and Bryn Mawr, PA (2 grants).
Does The Catherwood Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 21 grants with a stated purpose on The Catherwood Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "In Support of Whatever Is Most Needed" (21 grants).
Who are The Catherwood Foundation's largest grantees?
The Catherwood Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include The Philadelphia Foundation ($165,000), Willistown Conservation Trust ($44,000) and Montgomery School Annual Giving ($18,200), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 66% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
What does The Catherwood Foundation fund?
The filing does not state a mission for the foundation. Its grants show support for organizations with varied missions. For example, the Philadelphia Foundation describes its work as increasing philanthropic investment and addressing community needs in Greater Philadelphia. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Catherwood Foundation?
The filing names Perry C. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
How much is The Catherwood Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Catherwood Foundation reported a distributable amount of $5K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is The Catherwood Foundation's EIN?
The Catherwood Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-6235334. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 20, 2020)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Catherwood Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Catherwood Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-catherwood-foundation-morg_93ec3d48e7f74e8abeec2828cf7cb76a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_236235334_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Catherwood Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-catherwood-foundation-morg_93ec3d48e7f74e8abeec2828cf7cb76a},
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 The Catherwood 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.
The Catherwood Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?