Catena Foundation is a private, non-operating foundation established in 2016 and headquartered in Carbondale, Colorado. The foundation conducts grantmaking and direct investment to protect the environment and support community development. It maintains additional offices in Chiloquin, Oregon and Greenbrae, California.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$596.4M
+3.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$27.2M
-9.8% YoY
Grant Count
80
-35.5% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$340K
+39.7% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's mission is to "heal the land, heal the people." Primary funding areas include:
- Environmental conservation and climate change
- Youth and community development
- Civic engagement
- Indigenous causes and Native-led organizations
- Environmental education
- Renewable energy
- Community and school gardens
- Leadership development
Grantmaking
The foundation does not appear to accept unsolicited requests for funding and lacks a formal public application process.
Grant Range
$140,000
Average Grant
$241,000
How to Apply
**
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Funding is distributed across multiple states with primary concentration in:
- Colorado
- District of Columbia
- Arizona
- California
Grantmaking reaches organizations across 30 states, with 45% of all grants supporting organizations in District of Columbia, Colorado, and California.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Income (as of December 2024):
- Total assets: $596,379,235
- Total revenues: $31,209,309
- Total expenses: $32,777,162
- Total giving: $27,197,754
- Investment income and dividends: $14,888,405
Historical Asset Growth:
- December 2019: $157,511,233
- December 2021: $397,661,850
- December 2022: $438,062,805
- December 2023: $573,725,610
- December 2024: $596,379,235
Tax Status:
- EIN: 81-3783868
- Tax-exempt status granted: May 2018
- Classification: 501(c)(3) private foundation
- Unconditional exemption status
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $596,379,235 | $573,725,610 | $438,062,805 |
| Revenue | $31,209,309 | $121,897,799 | $140,948,730 |
| Expenses | $32,777,162 | $37,934,575 | $41,546,612 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $30,594,577 | $33,666,675 | $37,443,385 |
| Net Investment Income | $29,730,402 | $120,140,749 | $138,770,348 |
| Distributable Amount | $28,756,009 | $24,346,729 | $16,295,445 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Kerri Genung - Principal Officer
- Steve Matous - Interim Director and Chief Operating Officer / Secretary and Interim Executive Director (Compensation: $233,724 as of 12/31/2024)
- Clare Bastable - Vice President (Compensation: $251,500 as of 12/31/2024)
- Scott Pankratz - Strategic Programs Director
The foundation is governed by 4 officers and trustees and employs 7 staff members.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAMUEL R WALTON | PRESIDENT | 0.15 | — |
| GREG NELSON | VICE PRESIDENT | 0.25 | — |
| DREW RITCHEY | TREASURER | 0.1 | — |
| STEVE MATOUS | SECRETARY AND INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECT | 40 | $233,724 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
**August 2024:** Chiloquin Youth Bike Program awarded $110,000 grant from Catena Foundation
Press Release: Chiloquin Youth Bike Program Awarded $110,000 Grant fromThe foundation is actively hiring, with recent job postings for Senior Grants Manager and Special Projects Associate positions (2025)
Foundation has been expanding its team and operations across its three office locations
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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