The Catena Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation founded by Sam R. Walton, a member of the Walton family and the grandson of Walmart founder Sam Walton. The foundation was formed in 2016 and maintained a low profile in the first eight years of its existence by not maintaining a website or publicly connecting its giving to its founder, Sam R. Walton.

The foundation is headquartered in Colorado and has stated it has a focus on giving to fund Native American community programs, environmentalist groups, and left-of-center nonprofits in western states including Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, conducting some of its grantmaking in concert with other foundations funded by members of the Walton Family. The foundation has also contributed to national left-of-center organizations such as the Center for American Progress and the League of Conservation Voters, and has received funding from the Walton Family Foundation. ^{1 2} The foundation is also a funder of the Global Disinformation Index. ³

Background

The Catena Foundation was founded in 2016 by Sam R. Walton, the grandson of Walmart founder Sam Walton. The foundation was founded with a gift of 1 million shares of Walmart stock, which was worth $72 million at the time. In 2018, the Walton Family Foundation transferred $13 million to the foundation. Early grantmaking from the foundation included $2 million in grants in 2017, and $5.3 million in 2018. The foundation also made a $1.4 million investment in the form of a loan to the Trust for Public Land in 2018. The foundation has historically maintained a low profile since its founding. ⁴

Funding

In 2020, the foundation made a total of $33.5 million in grants, according to a 2021 interview with Catena executive director Clare Bastable for Inside Philanthropy. Bastable also confirmed that the foundation’s primary focus area is the southwestern states along with some funding toward Latin America. She noted that the organization has funded several programs designed to benefit Native American communities. ⁵

COVID-19 Response Funding

The Catena Foundation provided significant funding to the state of Colorado’s COVID-19 response efforts and in 2020 partnered with three funders including the Zoma Foundation, which is funded by Sam R. Walton’s brother and sister-in-law, to launch a COVID-19 relief fund for businesses in rural Colorado. ⁶

Colorado Government Funding

The foundation was also contributed to the state of Colorado’s COVID Relief Fund and paid $252,000 to fund the salary of a climate advisor within the office of Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D). ⁷

Colorado River Basin

The Catena Foundation has also received criticism from far-left publication In These Times for its funding along with funding from other Walton Family-connected foundations of media coverage of water management policy in the Colorado River Basin. ⁸

Global Disinformation Index

The Catena Foundation is listed as a funder of the Global Disinformation Index, a London-based think tank focused on combatting alleged disinformation on online news sites. GDI has been criticized for associating fact-based right-leaning news outlets and beliefs with disinformation and encouraging the deplatforming and demonetization of right-leaning voices online. ^{9 10}

The Catena Foundation has provided funding to a number of additional organizations including the Advanced Energy Economy Institute, Air Alliance Houston, American Rivers Inc., Aspen Global Change Institute, Border Networks for Human Rights, Center for American Progress, Conservation Colorado Education Fund, League of Conservation Voters, and the United Nations Foundation. ¹¹

Other

The Catena Foundation is listed as one of several left-of-center organizations that has donated roughly $2 million in grants to the One America Movement, a collection of religious organizations that lists the After Party as one of its partners. The After Party is a religious program started by Dukes Divinity School professor Curtis Chang, New York Times columnist David French and Christianity Today editor in chief Russell Moore. The program’s curriculum claims to be a space where pastors and other groups can reframe, “Christian political identity from today’s divisive partisan options.” ¹² Other organizations listed include the Tides Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, and the John Pritzker Family Fund. ¹³

1. Kavate, Michael. “These Three Walton Heirs’ Foundations are Growing, but Still Mostly Off the Radar, We Take a Closer Look.” Inside Philanthropy. August 17, 2021. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2021/8/17/what-three-cousins-from-americas-richest-family-fund-privately
2. “IRS form 990.” Catena Foundation. 2019. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/813783868/202013189349103521/full
3. “Funders.” Global Disinformation Index. Accessed March 13, 2023. https://www.disinformationindex.org/about
4. Kavate, Michael. “These Three Walton Heirs’ Foundations are Growing, but Still Mostly Off the Radar, We Take a Closer Look.” Inside Philanthropy. August 17, 2021. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2021/8/17/what-three-cousins-from-americas-richest-family-fund-privately
5. Kavate, Michael. “These Three Walton Heirs’ Foundations are Growing, but Still Mostly Off the Radar, We Take a Closer Look.” Inside Philanthropy. August 17, 2021. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2021/8/17/what-three-cousins-from-americas-richest-family-fund-privately
6. Kavate, Michael. “These Three Walton Heirs’ Foundations are Growing, but Still Mostly Off the Radar, We Take a Closer Look.” Inside Philanthropy. August 17, 2021. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2021/8/17/what-three-cousins-from-americas-richest-family-fund-privately
7. Cheshire, Catie. “The Walton Family Foundation Invests in Education…and Other Walton Projects.” Westword. August 25, 2022. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://www.westword.com/news/walton-family-foundation-icharity-education-broncos-14729600
8. Marston, Dave. “Is the Walmart Family Capturing the Colorado River?” In These Times. January 15, 2021. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://inthesetimes.com/article/walmart-family-foundation-colorado-river
9. “Funders.” Global Disinformation Index. Accessed March 15, 2023. https://www.disinformationindex.org/about
10. Kaminsky, Gabe. “Disinformation Inc: Meet the Groups hauling in cash to secretly blacklist conservative news.” Washington Examiner. February 9, 2023. Accessed March 15, 2023. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/equality-not-elitism/disinformation-group-secretly-blacklisting-right-wing-outlets-bankrolled-state-department
11. ^[1] “IRS form 990.” Catena Foundation. 2019. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/813783868/202013189349103521/full
12. Basham, Megan. “FOLLOW THE MONEY TO THE AFTER PARTY.” Frist Things, January 22, 2024. https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2024/01/follow-the-money-to-the-after-party
13. Basham, Megan. “FOLLOW THE MONEY TO THE AFTER PARTY.” Frist Things, January 22, 2024. https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2024/01/follow-the-money-to-the-after-party