The Sheldon and Audrey Katz Foundation appears to operate primarily as a funding vehicle rather than a direct-service grantmaker: its single recorded grant is a large pass-through contribution to CAF American Donor Fund, a donor-advised/giving-platform intermediary. This suggests the foundation’s donors likely recommend subsequent distributions from that donor-advised fund to a variety of final beneficiaries, rather than the foundation making direct, program-specific grants itself. There is no public evidence in this data of topic- or geography-specific giving by the foundation itself.
A $472,000 grant to CAF American Donor Fund is the clearest window into the Sheldon and Audrey Katz Foundation’s role in philanthropy: it functions as a regular funder with substantial pass-through giving. That intermediary grant stands apart because it is much larger than the foundation’s other recent awards and points to a structure that can move money through a donor-advised platform rather than only through direct program grants. Alongside that platform-based gift, the foundation has made repeated grants to environmental groups such as Potomac Conservancy, Nature Forward, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Green Forests Work, and Frankfurt Zoological Society. Those awards show a steady interest in conservation work, with several organizations appearing in more than one year and at more than one amount. The foundation also supports civic and social-purpose organizations, including Population Action International, Population Connection, Homeless Prenatal Program, Southern Poverty Law Center, DC Central Kitchen, World Central Kitchen, and Behavioral Ideas Lab Inc. Its recent record suggests a mix of intermediary giving, recurring support for named nonprofits, and targeted awards across a handful of cause areas.
Environmental conservation is the clearest theme in the recent record. The foundation gave $120,000 to Potomac Conservancy for environmental conservation, $100,000 to Nature Forward for environmental conservation, and $100,000 to Chesapeake Bay Foundation for environmental conservation. Green Forests Work also received $100,000 in 2024 and $100,000 in 2025 for environmental conservation. The foundation’s social-purpose giving includes $60,000 to DC Central Kitchen for feeding the hungry and $50,000 to World Central Kitchen for feeding the hungry. In civic engagement, Behavioral Ideas Lab Inc received $50,000 for support of voter cast initiative. The foundation also gave operating support to Homeless Prenatal Program and Southern Poverty Law Center, showing that some awards are not tied to a narrow project label in the grant descriptions.
The foundation’s typical grant size is $30,000 at the 25th percentile, $50,000 at the median, and $75,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent record shows both repeat grantees and repeat-year support: Green Forests Work, Population Action International, Population Connection, Amazon Conservation Association, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Southern Poverty Law Center, Frankfurt Zoological Society, Nature Forward, and Potomac Conservancy all appear more than once. Its classification as a regular funder, together with the large CAF American Donor Fund pass-through grant, points to a mix of direct grants and intermediary-based giving. The grant list does not show an open application process.
$915K
$11.5M
$1.3M
$1M
Most grants fall between $30K and $75K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$30K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$75K
About 30% of grants go to recipients in DC.
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Highly concentrated: a single, large pass-through grant to a donor-advised fund, indicating use of intermediary/Daf for subsequent, unspecified grantmaking rather than direct grants to operating nonprofits.
Notable grantees: CAF American Donor Fund
Grantmaking is regional, with recipients concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic and Washington, DC area. DC appears most often, and Maryland recipients make up 33% of grants in the foundation’s HQ state. Recent grants also landed in Annapolis, Silver Spring, Chevy Chase, and Alexandria, along with awards to organizations in San Francisco, Montgomery, New York, Lexington, and Washington, DC. All recorded grants in the file went to US recipients.
The recent record is led by environmental conservation organizations, including Potomac Conservancy, Nature Forward, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Green Forests Work, Frankfurt Zoological Society, and Amazon Conservation Association. It also funds feeding-the-hungry groups, civic engagement work, and operating support for social-service and advocacy nonprofits.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Green Forests Work, Population Action International, Population Connection, Amazon Conservation Association, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Southern Poverty Law Center, Frankfurt Zoological Society, Nature Forward, and Potomac Conservancy.
Its grant-size distribution is $30,000 at the 25th percentile, $50,000 at the median, and $75,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent record also includes larger awards, such as $472,000 to CAF American Donor Fund.
DC is the top state by grant count, while 33% of grants go to recipients in Maryland, the foundation’s HQ state. The recipient map in the file shows a strong concentration in the Washington, DC region, including Annapolis, Silver Spring, Chevy Chase, and Alexandria.
Yes. The largest recorded grant is $472,000 to CAF American Donor Fund, which indicates pass-through giving through a donor-advised or giving-platform intermediary. That structure sits alongside direct grants to named nonprofits in conservation, hunger relief, civic engagement, and operating support.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| POPULATION ACTION INTERNATIONAL | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL AWARNESS |
| GREEN FORESTS WORK | LEXINGTON, KY | $100,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| POPULATION CONNECTION | WASHINGTON, DC | $95,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL AWARNESS |
| FRANKFURT ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY | WASHINGTON, DC | $95,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| HOMELESS PRENATAL PROGRAM | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $90,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER | MONTGOMERY, AL | $90,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| AMAZON CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| BEHAVIORAL IDEAS LAB INC | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT OF VOTER CAST INITIATIVE |
| CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION | ANNAPOLIS, MD | $50,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| DC CENTRAL KITCHEN | WASHINGTON, DC | $40,000 | 2025 | FEEDING THE HUNGRY |
| THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION | WASHINGTON, DC | $35,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| TURQUOISE MOUNTAIN FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $25,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| THE YALE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE | NEW HAVEN, CT | $20,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT OF THE CENTER FOR ECOSYSTEMS IN ARCHITECTURE |
| MARYLAND BIODIVERSITY PROJECT | CAMBRIDGE, MD | $20,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| ROUND HOUSE THEATRE INC | BETHESDA, MD | $15,000 | 2025 | OPERATING |
| FRIENDS OF BOOKSIDE GARDENS | WHEATON, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| CAF AMERICAN DONOR FUND | ALEXANDRIA, VA | $472,000 | 2024 | NONE |
| POTOMAC CONSERVANCY | SILVER SPRING, MD | $120,000 | 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| GREEN FORESTS WORK | LEXINGTON, KY | $100,000 | 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| NATURE FORWARD | CHEVY CHASE, MD | $100,000 | 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION | ANNAPOLIS, MD | $100,000 | 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| FRANKFURT ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY | WASHINGTON, DC | $75,000 | 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| HOMELESS PRENATAL PROGRAM | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $70,000 | 2024 | OPERATING |
| POPULATION ACTION INTERNATIONAL | WASHINGTON, DC | $70,000 | 2024 | MEDICAL AWARNESS |
| POPULATION CONNECTION | WASHINGTON, DC | $70,000 | 2024 | MEDICAL AWARNESS |
| SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER | MONTGOMERY, AL | $60,000 | 2024 | OPERATING |
| DC CENTRAL KITCHEN | WASHINGTON, DC | $60,000 | 2024 | FEEDING THE HUNGRY |
| AMAZON CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2024 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| UVA SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE FOUNDATION | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA | $25,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| MARYLAND BIODIVERSITY PROJECT | CAMBRIDGE, MD | $20,000 | 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| FRIENDS OF BOOKSIDE GARDENS | WHEATON, MD | $20,000 | 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| ROUND HOUSE THEATRE INC | BETHESDA, MD | $15,000 | 2024 | OPERATING |
| NATURE FORWARD | CHEVY CHASE, MD | $100,000 | 2023 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| Frankfurt Zoological Society | Washington, DC | $75,000 | 2023 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| Green Forests Work | Lexington, KY | $75,000 | 2023 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| Population Action International | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 2023 | MEDICAL AWARENESS |
| Population Connection | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 2023 | MEDICAL AWARENESS |
| Southern Poverty Law Center | Montgomery, AL | $50,000 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| World Central Kitchen | Washington DC, DC | $50,000 | 2023 | Feeding the hungry |
| Homeless Prenatal Program | San Francisco, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | Operating |
| Potomac Conservancy | Silver Spring, MD | $50,000 | 2023 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| AMAZON CONSERVATION ASSOC | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2023 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
| DC CENTRAL KITCHEN | WASHINGTON, DC | $40,000 | 2023 | FEEDING THE HUNGRY |
| Michael J Fox Foundation | New York, NY | $30,000 | 2023 | Medical Research |
| Round House Theatre Inc | Bethesda, MD | $15,000 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| UVA School of Architecture Foundation | Charlottesville, VA | $15,000 | 2023 | Education |
| Friends of Brookside Gardens | Wheaton, MD | $10,000 | 2023 | Environmental Conservation |
| Maryland Biodiversity Project | Cambridge, MD | $10,000 | 2023 | ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION |
GREEN FORESTS WORK
$100,000ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
OPERATING
THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION
$35,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION
$30,000MEDICAL RESEARCH
THE YALE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
$20,000SUPPORT OF THE CENTER FOR ECOSYSTEMS IN ARCHITECTURE
MARYLAND BIODIVERSITY PROJECT
$20,000ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
FRIENDS OF BOOKSIDE GARDENS
$10,000ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
UVA SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE FOUNDATION
$25,000EDUCATION
MARYLAND BIODIVERSITY PROJECT
$20,000ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
FRIENDS OF BOOKSIDE GARDENS
$20,000ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
UVA School of Architecture Foundation
$15,000Education
Friends of Brookside Gardens
$10,000Environmental Conservation
Maryland Biodiversity Project
$10,000ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION