The Catherwood Foundation concentrates support in the greater Philadelphia region, backing civic infrastructure (large grant to The Philadelphia Foundation) while also funding local independent schools, arts organizations, conservation and animal-welfare groups, and disability/recreation services. Grants are typically unrestricted (“whatever is most needed”) and the foundation shows a mix of one larger, strategic gifts alongside many modest, targeted gifts to neighborhood nonprofits and schools. Repeated small-to-mid sized awards to the same local recipients (schools, theater, conservation trust, Easter Seals, adaptive sports) suggest a steady, community-focused philanthropic posture.
The Catherwood Foundation’s largest recent gift went to The Philadelphia Foundation, a $165,000 grant in 2025 for “whatever is most needed.” That same flexible language appears across the foundation’s recent awards, which range from five-figure support for Willistown Conservation Trust, Montgomery School Annual Giving, and People’s Light and Theater to smaller unrestricted grants for schools, disability services, animal welfare, and other community groups. The pattern points to a funder that combines one substantial intermediary grant with a broad set of modest, practical awards. Recent grants also show repeated support for the same organizations. Easter Seals of Southeast Pennsylvania appears in multiple years, as do Montgomery School Annual Giving, The Shipley School Annual Fund, Adaptive Sports Association, People’s Light and Theater, and the PA State Societychildren of the American Revolution. Those repeat awards suggest an ongoing relationship with selected local recipients rather than one-time programmatic funding. The foundation’s giving reaches beyond a single issue area, but it consistently favors general support. Grants are listed as being in support of whatever is most needed, indicating a preference for flexibility over restricted project funding. That approach appears across civic infrastructure, education, conservation, disability services, and neighborhood nonprofits.
In regional community philanthropy, The Catherwood Foundation gave $165,000 to The Philadelphia Foundation for whatever is most needed, a grant that stands out as the largest in the recent record. In conservation, it gave $44,000 to Willistown Conservation Trust for unrestricted support, continuing its backing of land-focused organizations in the Philadelphia suburbs. Education is another visible thread. The foundation gave $18,200 to Montgomery School Annual Giving and $9,000 to St James School, both for whatever is most needed, alongside a $4,000 grant to Sacred Heart Academy. It also supports disability and recreation services: Easter Seals of Southeast Pennsylvania received $14,000 in 2025 and $6,000 in 2023, while Adaptive Sports Association received $10,313 in 2025. Arts and community life also appear in the recent grants list. People’s Light and Theater received $14,000 in 2025 and $1,000 in 2023, and other awards went to organizations such as Boys and Girls Club of Laplata and Parkers Animal Rescue.
$352K
$0
$10K
$360K
Most grants fall between $1K and $2K, with a median of $1K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$1K
75th Percentile
$2K
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Concentrated core gift to a regional intermediary plus a distributed portfolio of small-to-mid sized repeat and one-off grants; many unrestricted, operational gifts to local schools, arts, conservation, disability and animal-welfare groups rather than project-restricted funding.
Notable grantees: The Philadelphia Foundation, Willistown Conservation Trust, Easter Seals of Southeast Pennsylvania, People's Light and Theater, Montgomery School
The Catherwood Foundation’s recent grant sizes cluster tightly around small awards: the p25 is $1,000, the median is $1,000, and the p75 is $2,000. That distribution sits alongside a few larger commitments, including a $165,000 grant and several awards in the $10,000 to $44,000 range. Its recent record also shows repeat support. Easter Seals of Southeast Pennsylvania, Montgomery School Annual Giving, The Shipley School Annual Fund, Adaptive Sports Association, People’s Light and Theater, and the PA State Societychildren of the American Revolution each appear in more than one year. The grants are overwhelmingly flexible, with every listed award marked “in support of whatever is most needed.” The foundation does not fund individuals and is not shown making program-related investments.
The Catherwood Foundation gives most often in Colorado by grant count, with Durango appearing repeatedly in the recent grants list through Adaptive Sports Association, Stillwater Music, Boys and Girls Club of Laplata, and Parkers Animal Rescue. Pennsylvania still dominates the record by recipient location, accounting for 56% of grants and including Philadelphia, Bryn Mawr, Malvern, Wayne, Conshohocken, Newton Square, Chester Springs, Allentown, and Southeastern, PA. Outside the U.S., no recipients appear in the recent grants list; all 30 grants went to U.S. organizations.
It gives flexible support across several areas, and the grant purpose is consistently listed as “in support of whatever is most needed.” Recent awards include general support for a community foundation, conservation, schools, disability services, arts, and animal welfare organizations.
Yes. Easter Seals of Southeast Pennsylvania appears in both 2023 and 2025, and the same is true for Montgomery School Annual Giving, The Shipley School Annual Fund, Adaptive Sports Association, People’s Light and Theater, and the PA State Societychildren of the American Revolution.
Typical awards are small. The recent distribution shows a p25 of $1,000, a median of $1,000, and a p75 of $2,000, even though the foundation also made larger grants such as $44,000 and $165,000.
By grant count, Colorado is the top state, with multiple awards to organizations in Durango. Pennsylvania still receives the majority of grants overall, with 56% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state.
No. The recent grants list includes community philanthropy, education, conservation, disability services, arts, animal rescue, and youth-serving organizations, all funded with the same broad “whatever is most needed” language.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $165,000 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| WILLISTOWN CONSERVATION TRUST | NEWTON SQUARE, PA | $44,000 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| MONTGOMERY SCHOOL ANNUAL GIVING | CHESTER SPRINGS, PA | $18,200 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| EASTER SEALS OF SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $14,000 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| PEOPLE'S LIGHT AND THEATER | MALVERN, PA | $14,000 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| STILLWATER MUSIC | DURANGO, CO | $10,313 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| ADAPTIVE SPORTS ASSOCIATION | DURANGO, CO | $10,313 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF LAPLATA | DURANGO, CO | $10,312 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| PARKERS ANIMAL RESCUE | DURANGO, CO | $10,312 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| ST JAMES SCHOOL | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $9,000 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| THE SHIPLEY SCHOOL ANNUAL FUND | BRYN MAWR, PA | $6,000 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| PA STATE SOCIETYCHILDREN OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION | ANDOVER, OH | $5,000 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| SACRED HEART ACADEMY | BRYN MAWR, PA | $4,000 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| MAUI HUMANE SOCIETY | PUUNENE, HI | $4,000 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| CEDARCREST | ALLENTOWN, PA | $4,000 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| ST DAVIDS CHURCH | WAYNE, PA | $4,000 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| CURE PSP | NEW YORK, NY | $4,000 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| FAMILY SERVICES OF PIEDMONT | GREENSBORO, NC | $3,000 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| RADNOR OUTREACH AND ANIMAL RESCUE | SOUTHEASTERN, PA | $3,000 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| ALIGN PREGNANCY SERVICES | EPHRATA, PA | $3,000 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| MONTGOMERY COUNTY SPCA | CONSHOHOCKEN, PA | $750 | 2025 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| EASTER SEALS OF SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $6,000 | 2023 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| MONTGOMERY SCHOOL ANNUAL GIVING | CHESTER SPRINGS, PA | $2,000 | 2023 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| ADAPTIVE SPORTS ASSOCIATION | DURANGO, CO | $2,000 | 2023 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| AUSTIN (CENTRAL) FOOD BANK | AUSTIN, TX | $1,000 | 2023 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| THE SHIPLEY SCHOOL ANNUAL FUND | BRYN MAWR, PA | $1,000 | 2023 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| PEOPLE'S LIGHT AND THEATER | MALVERN, PA | $1,000 | 2023 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| MEALS ON WHEELS | SARASOTA, FL | $1,000 | 2023 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| PA STATE SOCIETYCHILDREN OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION | ANDOVER, OH | $1,000 | 2023 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
| THE PHILADELPHIA ZOO | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $1,000 | 2023 | IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED |
MONTGOMERY SCHOOL ANNUAL GIVING
$18,200IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
EASTER SEALS OF SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA
$14,000IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
PEOPLE'S LIGHT AND THEATER
$14,000IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
STILLWATER MUSIC
IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
ADAPTIVE SPORTS ASSOCIATION
$10,313IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF LAPLATA
$10,312IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
THE SHIPLEY SCHOOL ANNUAL FUND
$6,000IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
PA STATE SOCIETYCHILDREN OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
$5,000IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
SACRED HEART ACADEMY
$4,000IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
MAUI HUMANE SOCIETY
$4,000IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
CEDARCREST
$4,000IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
ST DAVIDS CHURCH
$4,000IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
FAMILY SERVICES OF PIEDMONT
$3,000IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
RADNOR OUTREACH AND ANIMAL RESCUE
$3,000IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
ALIGN PREGNANCY SERVICES
$3,000IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
MONTGOMERY COUNTY SPCA
$750IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
ADAPTIVE SPORTS ASSOCIATION
$2,000IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
THE SHIPLEY SCHOOL ANNUAL FUND
$1,000IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
PEOPLE'S LIGHT AND THEATER
$1,000IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
PA STATE SOCIETYCHILDREN OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
$1,000IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED
THE PHILADELPHIA ZOO
$1,000IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER IS MOST NEEDED