The Ray & Elsie Catena Family Foundation makes a small number of fairly large, unrestricted grants focused on local health and faith-based charitable causes. Recent giving shows support for a regional hospital, a national cystic fibrosis charity, and a Catholic religious order, suggesting priorities in healthcare access and faith-driven community services in their area.
Concentrated giving: a few sizable, general program support grants rather than many small gifts; mix of local institutional healthcare and faith-based organizations; appears to fund established nonprofits with flexible support.
A $250,000 grant to Riverview Medical Center Foundation stands out in Ray & Elsie Catena Family Foundation Inc’s recent giving and points to a pattern of sizable general support for local health institutions. Across the latest grants on file, the foundation also backed a medical center nursing scholarship, a cystic fibrosis charity, and faith-based organizations, suggesting a mix of healthcare access, patient support, and Catholic charitable work. The grants are generally unrestricted or broadly designated for program support, which gives recipients flexibility in how they use the funds. The foundation’s recent activity is centered on a small number of grants with relatively large checks. That includes six-figure support for The Boomer Esiason Foundation and a substantial grant to Salesian Sisters of Saint John Bosco. It also extends to smaller gifts for a cancer fundraiser, a nonprofit serving people in need, and a conservation group, showing that its giving is not limited to one institution or one service model. The overall profile is that of a family foundation making targeted, local grants with recurring emphasis on medical, faith-based, and community-benefit organizations.
Healthcare-related giving is a clear thread. The foundation gave $250,000 to Riverview Medical Center Foundation for general program support, and another $20,000 to Hackensack Meridian Health Medical Center for the JOHN K. LLOYD NURSING scholarship. Those gifts connect the foundation to both institutional health care and nursing education. Patient services and advocacy are another area of support. In 2025, the foundation granted $115,000 to The Boomer Esiason Foundation for general program support, aligning with its stated interest in cystic fibrosis patient services and advocacy. Faith-based charitable work also appears in the recent grants list. Salesian Sisters of Saint John Bosco received $78,000 for general program support, and All Saints Memorial Church received $50,000 for general program support. Together, those awards show support for Catholic religious and community-serving organizations.
Recent grants cluster around relatively large awards, with a typical grant size of $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $50,000 at the median, and $78,000 at the 75th percentile. The foundation’s 2025 gifts include both six-figure and five-figure grants, but only a small number of recipients appear in the latest file, which suggests a concentrated grantmaking pattern rather than many small awards. The grants are generally described as general program support or unrestricted support, and the foundation also funds individuals. Its structure is that of a family foundation. The latest 990 year on file is 2025.
$609K
$20.5M
$869K
$651K
Most grants fall between $10K and $78K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$78K
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Notable grantees: Riverview Medical Center Foundation, The Boomer Esiason Foundation, Salesian Sisters of Saint John Bosco
The foundation gives overwhelmingly in New Jersey: 78% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state, and New Jersey is also the top state by grant count. Recent recipients in the state include Edison, North Haledon, Middletown, Manahawkin, Mount Laurel, and Red Bank. Outside New Jersey, the latest grants include Bethesda, Maryland and Providence, Rhode Island. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 10 grants in the United States.
Recent grants show support for medical centers, a cystic fibrosis charity, Catholic religious organizations, a conservation foundation, a church, a cancer fundraiser, a safety-focused nonprofit, and a community organization. The common thread is general program support across health, faith-based, and local charitable work.
The grant-size distribution is relatively high: the 25th percentile is $10,000, the median is $50,000, and the 75th percentile is $78,000. The recent file also includes a $250,000 grant, showing that the foundation makes some very large awards alongside five-figure gifts.
New Jersey is the top state by grant count, and 78% of grants go to recipients in NJ. Recent New Jersey recipients include Edison, North Haledon, Middletown, Manahawkin, Mount Laurel, and Red Bank.
Yes. The foundation’s profile indicates that it funds individuals, and the topic taxonomy includes scholarship and educational support for nursing students and scholarship recipients.
The latest grants point to three main areas: regional healthcare support, cystic fibrosis patient services and advocacy, and Catholic religious or educational and social services. Scholarship support and general nonprofit program support also appear in the recent grant list.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIVERVIEW MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION | Edison, NJ | $250,000 | 2026 | General program support |
| BOOMER ESIASON FOUNDATION | New York, NY | $150,000 | 2026 | General program support |
| ALL SAINTS MEMORIAL CHURCH | Providence, RI | $120,000 | 2026 | General program support |
| SALESIAN SISTERS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO | NORTH HALEDON, NJ | $30,000 | 2026 | General program support |
| MOUNT DESERT LAND AND GARDEN PRESERVE | Seal Harbor, ME | $25,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Breast Intentions Inc | MIDDLETOWN, NJ | $10,000 | 2026 | General program support - cancer fundraiser |
| SAFE WAY OUT A NJ NONPROFIT CORPORATION | Mount Laurel, NJ | $10,000 | 2026 | General program support |
| FOODBANK OF MONMOUTH AND OCEAN COUNTIES INC | NEPTUNE, NJ | $5,000 | 2026 | General program support |
| INFINITE LOVE FOR KIDS FIGHTING CANCER A NJ NONPRO | Middletown, NJ | $5,000 | 2026 | General program support |
| MARTY'S PLACE SENIOR DOG SANCTUARY | UPPER FREEHOLD, NJ | $3,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BARBIS BLANKETS A NJ NONPROFIT CORPORATION | MANALAPAN, NJ | $1,000 | 2026 | General program support |
| RIVERVIEW MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION | Edison, NJ | $250,000 | 2025 | General program support |
| THE BOOMER ESIASON FOUNDATION | Bethesda, MD | $115,000 | 2025 | General program support |
| SALESIAN SISTERS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO | NORTH HALEDON, NJ | $78,000 | 2025 | General program support |
| MONMOUTH CONSERVATION FOUNDATION | Middletown, NJ | $57,000 | 2025 | General program support |
| ALL SAINTS MEMORIAL CHURCH | Providence, RI | $50,000 | 2025 | General program support |
| Hackensack Meridian Health Medical Center | Edison, NJ | $20,000 | 2025 | General program support for the JOHN K. LLOYD NURSING scholarship |
| SAFE WAY OUT | Mount Laurel, NJ | $10,000 | 2025 | General program support |
| Pirrello Family Foundation 501c3 Corp | Manahawkin, NJ | $10,000 | 2025 | General program support - cancer fundraiser |
| LUNCH BREAK INC | Red Bank, NJ | $1,000 | 2025 | General program support |
RIVERVIEW MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION
$250,000General program support
ALL SAINTS MEMORIAL CHURCH
$120,000General program support
SALESIAN SISTERS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO
$30,000General program support
Breast Intentions Inc
General program support - cancer fundraiser
SAFE WAY OUT A NJ NONPROFIT CORPORATION
$10,000General program support
INFINITE LOVE FOR KIDS FIGHTING CANCER A NJ NONPRO
$5,000General program support
MARTY'S PLACE SENIOR DOG SANCTUARY
$3,000GENERAL SUPPORT
BARBIS BLANKETS A NJ NONPROFIT CORPORATION
$1,000General program support
RIVERVIEW MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION
$250,000General program support
THE BOOMER ESIASON FOUNDATION
$115,000General program support
SALESIAN SISTERS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO
$78,000General program support
ALL SAINTS MEMORIAL CHURCH
$50,000General program support
Hackensack Meridian Health Medical Center
$20,000General program support for the JOHN K. LLOYD NURSING scholarship
SAFE WAY OUT
$10,000General program support
Pirrello Family Foundation 501c3 Corp
$10,000General program support - cancer fundraiser