Katz Amsterdam’s New Catalyst Grant Program Awards $2.1 Million to Three Organizations Serving Eagle County Families
Eagle Valley Community Foundation, My Future Pathways and Mountain Dreamers are among seven inaugural grantees sharing $4.5 million in three-year grants
EDWARDS, Colo. — The Katz Amsterdam Charitable Trust today launched the Catalyst Grant Program, an annual initiative supporting emerging organizations and programs serving marginalized communities in mountain towns. Three nonprofits serving Eagle County, Eagle Valley Community Foundation, My Future Pathways and Mountain Dreamers, were selected for Catalyst’s inaugural class and will receive a combined $2.1 million over three years to expand food access, youth programs and immigrant services for local families. Since 2008, Katz Amsterdam has provided over $86 million in philanthropic contributions, including over $34 million to mountain resort communities.
Katz Amsterdam created Catalyst to invest in organizations and programs that have formed to respond to evolving community needs. Through flexible, multiyear funding, the program aims to catalyze growth at pivotal moments, when support can help an organization fill critical gaps, strengthen operations and reach more people. It focuses on four areas where many mountain-town families struggle most: early childhood education, food security, immigrant services and K-12 out-of-school opportunities. Katz Amsterdam intends to make additional grants to different organizations in these focus areas each year in mountain communities.
“When a young organization gets steady support at the right moment, the whole community benefits,” said Rob Katz, CEO of Vail Resorts and co-founder of the Katz Amsterdam Foundation. “These programs are lifelines for families facing real barriers, and we want them to be here for years to come.”
The 2026 grantees are based in Eagle County, Summit County and Park City, Utah — mountain communities where Katz Amsterdam has longstanding relationships and a deep understanding of local needs. The grants largely provide general operating support, giving leaders the freedom to invest where it counts, from hiring key staff to expanding programming. Katz Amsterdam plans to expand the Catalyst Grant Program in the years ahead, extending the same long-term support to more organizations working to strengthen mountain communities.
Eagle Valley Community Foundation: Connecting Kids to Fresh Food
“A child’s access to nutritious food shouldn’t depend on which program they attend or whether school is in session,” said Grace Anshutz, director of development and marketing at Eagle Valley Community Foundation.
In Eagle County, about 1 in 5 children face food insecurity. Eagle Valley Community Foundation’s Community Market serves up to 6,000 people each week through a network of no-cost grocery markets and 22 outreach programs. Over the next three years, the Catalyst grant will help the foundation bring food directly to children using a new refrigerated Farmer’s Truck and shared delivery routes to reach schools, early childhood programs and youth sites.
“This grant helps us connect the food we already provide to children, through the places families already know and trust,” Anshutz said.
My Future Pathways: Closing the Opportunity Gap
“The biggest thing kids are missing right now is a sense of belonging,” said Executive Director Bratzo Horruitiner. “Our youth centers give them a safe place with trusted adults, where they can do their homework, play chess, lift weights or learn guitar, and see people with backgrounds like theirs who are succeeding.”
Founded in 2019, My Future Pathways works to close the opportunity gap for Eagle County youth in need, with a focus on first-generation Latino students. In 2018, only 56.9% of Latino boys in the Eagle County School District graduated high school. What began with about 100 students now reaches roughly 2,250 a year through mentoring, academic support, wellness programs and free drop-in centers in Edwards and Gypsum. Many of its mentors came through the program themselves.
Mountain Dreamers: Expanding Support for Immigrant Families
“Eagle County’s immigrant community is large, and it’s spread out along the valley in ways that can leave families feeling isolated,” said Peter Bakken, executive director of Mountain Dreamers. “There isn’t another organization doing this work here, and this grant will help us grow from our Avon office and better serve the Eagle community.”
Founded in Frisco in 2018, Mountain Dreamers supports immigrant and mixed-status families across Summit and Eagle counties. Its work centers on immigration legal services, including a legal defense fund that helps families cover attorney and filing costs, along with community integration programs like MD Oso Outdoors, which has introduced hundreds of immigrant locals to skiing and snowboarding.
2026 Catalyst Grant Program Recipients (three-year grant totals)
- PC Tots – $900,000, Park City, Utah
- Wasatch Immigration Project – $600,000, Park City, Utah
- Eagle Valley Community Foundation – $900,000, Eagle County, Colorado
- My Future Pathways – $750,000, Eagle County, Colorado
- Mountain Dreamers – $450,000, Eagle and Summit counties, Colorado
- CAFE Food Rescue – $450,000, Summit County, Colorado
- Smart Bellies – $450,000, Summit County, Colorado
About the Katz Amsterdam Foundation and Charitable Trust
The Katz Amsterdam Foundation strives to be a catalyst for eliminating barriers to health, increasing access to opportunity, and improving outcomes for all. The Foundation partners with communities to advance just and equitable approaches to mental, behavioral, and reproductive health care and to strengthen civic engagement. Its priority is supporting community-driven work that improves individual and collective well-being. Learn more at katzamsterdam.org.
Media Contact: Lauren Swanson, lauren@sociallyqueued.com, 203-258-9927
Press Room: Press Room/ Catalyst Grant Program