About us
Our Mission
Catalyst’s mission is to mobilize philanthropic support and innovative approaches to address urgent, emergent, and chronic challenges no Sonoma Valley donor or organization can solve alone.
Our Core Values
United
Bridging the many divides that beset our community—between and among nonprofits, donors, government entities, and diverse cultures.
Just
Addressing deep, long-standing economic and racial injustices that disenfranchise and impoverish thousands of Valley residents.
Resilient
Strengthening our community and reducing its vulnerability, so that we can better prepare for and withstand future crises and disruptions.
Our Origin Story
Catalyst was born in response to the pandemic, when our founding members gathered in a Sonoma Valley backyard to reckon with the urgent needs that were overwhelming local nonprofits and government.
We recognized the need to grow the philanthropic pie to fund new solutions that needed to be created quickly. In just months, we raised and distributed more than $1.3 million through 44 grants—funding the extra work that became necessary to keep people fed and housed, increase vaccine uptake, support mental health, and help small businesses survive.
Along the way, we recognized something bigger: some of Sonoma Valley’s hardest problems—housing, food insecurity, inequities—cannot be solved without the kind of extra resources Catalyst was created to provide. That realization led us to create a permanent pooled fund for Sonoma Valley—so we can continue responding to urgent needs while also creating long-term solutions to Sonoma Valley’s chronic challenges.