How to Apply
We’re not your typical funder.
Rather than having static grant cycles, Catalyst takes a proactive approach. We are currently between grant cycles, working to identify Sonoma Valley’s most pressing needs before designing our next phase of grant criteria.
Grant criteria.
-
Reimagine Grants support innovation and seeding of new ideas that result in significant positive social impact and help solve key community challenges in Sonoma Valley. These grants fill a gap in funding for nonprofits that want to innovate and reimagine how we can solve complex local issues in our community.
Reimagine Grants include all phases of innovation: research, experimentation, pilots, and partnership development.
-
Catalyst is here to listen and learn. Organizations and community members are welcome to reach out to Catalyst with an idea at any time. Whether it leads to an invitation to apply for funding or other types of support depends on the scope and complexity of the idea. Many of our past initiatives have grown out of our close relationships with local nonprofits, and a shared recognition of unmet needs or opportunities that no one else is addressing.
-
In the past five years, Catalyst has transformed how Sonoma Valley responds to both urgent crises and long-term challenges. Pooling the funds of over 200 donors, we have invested over $3.6 million in over 100 grants to 46 organizations.
Additionally, we have invested over $300,000 in research that has yielded essential data guiding new collaborations, filling gaps, and helping our nonprofit sector plan for the long term.
We revise our grant categories on an annual basis. Past grants are not necessarily indicative of future grant cycles. Catalyst proactively reaches out for grant requests when our research and development identifies opportunities for innovation—especially when we see gaps in the system and need to create something new to address a problem that isn’t being solved—and we launch phases of grant criteria based on current community needs. Before our next phase of grants opens, nonprofits are welcome to reach out with bold ideas that will benefit Sonoma Valley.
Step 1. Let’s talk.
Our application process is based on conversations and discovery with the people we are supporting. We start with an understanding of the challenges and dreams of your organization and the people you are serving, and will guide you through the creation of meaningful and impactful funding requests.
Timing? It depends.
Because the national context and types of problems our community faces are always evolving, our grant-making approach is flexible, nimble, and responsive.
Reporting.
We are dedicated to making nonprofit work more effective. Every time we make an investment, we are creating an opportunity for deeper understanding and impact. Some grants yield important data we want to understand and share, while others seed worthwhile innovations that don’t just show up in numbers.
That means our reporting process is case-by-case, creating accountability without being unnecessarily cumbersome—it might look like a short report and conversations over coffee, or spreadsheets that track data across organizations.