OVERVIEW: The Catena Foundation supports climate change and environmental conservation, youth and community development, and civic engagement in the Southwest. It also supports indigenous causes and Native-led organizations.
IP TAKE: The Catena Foundation is one of a handful of foundations run by Walton family members that isn’t giving to its full potential. The foundation lacks transparency and does not maintain a website or have much of an internet presence; however, as Inside Philanthropy recently speculated, this may change soon under the guidance of its new executive director. While not a full-throated progressive funder, Catena typically supports left-leaning causes, and it has had staff with “Democratic political connections.” Because it flies under the radar, the foundation is not accessible and doesn’t appear to accept unsolicited requests for funding; nevertheless, contact information is provided below. Note the Catena Foundation is an independent funder and should not be confused with the Walton Family Foundation or any of the other foundations affiliated with the Walton family.
PROFILE: Established in 2016, the Catena Foundation is a private family foundation created by Sam R. Walton, grandson of Walmart co-founder Sam Walton. Headquartered in Carbondale, Colorado, the foundation’s mission is “to heal the land and heal the people.” Catena has an endowment of around $575 million that was established and maintained through the sale of Walmart stock. Because it does not have a website or make its giving priorities publicly available, it can be difficult to know where the foundation’s current interests lie. However, the foundation’s previous executive director revealed to IP in 2021 that its “priorities include addressing climate change and promoting clean energy deployment, empowering youth through access to bicycling programs and trails, and civic engagement.” The foundation also works “closely with Native communities across all [of its] priorities.”
Grants for Climate Change and the Environment
The Catena Foundation does not have a website to guide grantseekers or publicly announce its funding areas; however, recent 990s show that climate change and the environment are clear priorities and receive more support than any other issue area.
- The foundation has been a steady supporter of the Environmental Defense Fund, and its current Director of State Legislative and Regulatory Affairs previously held a similar position at the Catena Foundation.
- It has also given a $4 million grant to World Wildlife Fund in 2022 and at least $1.25 million to Western Resource Advocates annually since 2020.
- Other grantees include Aspen Global Change Institute, Conservation Colorado Education Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, Utah Clean Energy Alliance, and Ecology Project International’s Baja initiative, which seeks to educate the next generation of conservation leaders.
Grants for Community Development and Youth
Catena compliments its environmental grantmaking by supporting nonprofits with bicycle programs, as well as investing in organizations working to increase opportunities for youth to access cycling and hiking trails.
- Grantees include Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association, Silver Stallion Bicycle and Coffee Works, International Mountain Bicycling Association, Youth Empowerment Services for Dine Bikeyah, Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers, and Arizona Trail Association.
Grants for Democracy and Civic Engagement
The foundation funds organizations working to expand voter access and increase voter turnout in elections. It also makes grants to left-leaning policy groups and those seeking to address the rise of authoritarianism in the U.S.
- Catena has invested millions in The State Leadership Project, which is “dedicated to fostering a sustainable civic ecosystem nationwide.”
- It gave over $1 million to the Hopewell Fund in 2022 and $1 million to the Defending Democracy Together Institute in 2023.
- Other grantees include Protect Democracy Project, Public Democracy America, Amalgamated Charitable Foundation, One America Movement, Arizona Native Vote, Rural Arizona Engagement, Texas Organizing Project Education Fund, and Mormon Women for Ethical Government.
Grants for BIPOC, Indigenous Rights and Justice
The Catena Foundation’s support for indigenous organizations is intertwined with its other funding interests and it works “closely with Native communities” in all other areas of support.
- Catena partnered with Tahoma Peak Solutions to support the Klamath First Foods Roundtable and the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority to bring water to more homes.
- It supported a project to convert an old military truck into a mobile bicycle repair shop to serve the Navajo Nation and funded bicycle technician training programs in Diné communities.
- Other grantees include The Lakota Fund, Museum of Northern Arizona, The Hopi Foundation, Partnership With Native Americans, American Indian Graduate Center Scholars, The Klamath Tribes, and To Nizhoni Ani, a a Diné-led climate change and environmental justice nonprofit.
Grants for Immigrants and Refugees
While it is not usually mentioned as one of Catena’s priorities, the foundation provides a number of grants to immigrants’ rights groups and immigration law organizations.
- Grantees include American Business Immigration Coalition, Immigrant Justice Corps, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, International Rescue Committee, National Korean American Service and Education Consortium, International Refugee Assistance Project, American Immigration Council, and Santa Fe Dreamers Project.
Important Grant Details:
Grants typically range between $1,000 and $500,000, but they have reached into the millions. The foundation awarded over $30 million in grants in a recent year and has an endowment of more than $573 million.
- Although it makes grants nationally, Catena prioritizes the Four Corners area of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona.
- To get a better sense of the types of organizations this funder supports, look over its recent tax records.
- The Catena Foundation does not appear to accept unsolicited applications or requests for funding. Contact the foundation at (970) 340-4141.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
LINKS:
CONTACTS:
PO Box 994
Carbondale, CO 81623-0994
(970) 340-4141
