About Catherine B Reynolds Foundation
Our goal is to ignite the imagination; to build character; to teach young people the value of education and the power of the individual; and to inspire them to aim high and reach for greatness. The Foundation makes a meaningful difference through a creative approach to philanthropy, offering grants and awards, direct action, and incentives that stir young people to strive for excellence and have a positive influence in the world.
Focus Areas
K-12 and higher educationPerforming arts and museumsSocial entrepreneurshipHealth and human servicesYouth leadership and developmentPublic policy
Who They Fund
unspecified
Funding Style
general operating supportunrestricted fundingcore/organizational support
About Catherine B Reynolds Foundation
A defining feature of The Catherine B Reynolds Foundation Inc is its repeated use of large, unrestricted support for mission-driven institutions in education, arts, and youth development. The largest recent grants include three-year support for the American Academy of Achievement, with awards of $2,350,000 in 2025 and 2024 and $1,250,000 in 2023, alongside a $15,000,000 contribution that established the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation Series for Artistic Excellence at the Kennedy Center. Those gifts sit beside smaller general-support awards to museums, universities, and community organizations, showing a portfolio that mixes marquee commitments with steady operating grants. The foundation’s work also reflects a strong interest in shaping opportunities for young people. Its program history includes support for DC College Access Program last-dollar scholarships, fellowship and scholarship support for social entrepreneurship at New York University, and funding tied to youth leadership and development. In health and human services, it has backed Jill’s House and the Children’s Inn at NIH, both serving families and children with serious needs. The grant record suggests a funder that favors direct, practical support for institutions rather than individuals, with a clear preference for organizational capacity and program continuity.
What Catherine B Reynolds Foundation Funds
Education appears across the foundation’s grant history in several forms. It gave $2,350,000 to American Academy of Achievement for general support, and it has also supported DC College Access Program with last-dollar scholarships for Washington, D.C. students. Arts and culture are another visible thread. The foundation provided $62,000 in 2023, $50,000 in 2024, and $12,000 in 2025 to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for general support, and it also gave $50,000 to the Smithsonian Institution - Ntl Portrait Gallery for general support. Health and family services show up in capital and operating support alike. It granted $15,000 to Inova Health System Foundation and $10,000 to American Heart Association Inc, while also backing Centronia with $10,000 grants in 2024 and 2025.
How Catherine B Reynolds Foundation Gives
Typical grants are modest relative to the foundation’s largest commitments: the p25, median, and p75 are $10,000, $10,000, and $25,000. That pattern sits alongside occasional high-dollar awards, including multi-million-dollar grants. The recent record also shows repeat funding to the same organizations across multiple years, especially general support for institutions such as the American Academy of Achievement, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Library of Congress. The foundation is not a vehicle for individual giving and does not make program-related investments. Its recent grants are overwhelmingly unrestricted or general support, consistent with a family-led funder that favors operating flexibility.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2.5M
Total Assets
$21.9M
Total Revenue
$721K
Total Expenses
$4.5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $25K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$25K
Geographic Reach
National11 states funded
About 14% of grants go to recipients in DC.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
CATHERINE B REYNOLDS
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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