Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas Foundation 

OVERVIEW: This small foundation, established in the memory of a victim of the 9/11 attacks, supports public health, higher education and women’s and girls’ causes. Texas appears to be an area of priority. 

IP TAKE: The Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas Foundation’s philanthropy focuses on women and children. Health funding mainly supports pediatric care, and the foundation awards several small scholarships to young women entering college each year. This is a small foundation that makes under $100,000 in small grants each year. While it does not accept unsolicited applications, prospective grantees can reach out to the foundation via email with inquiries or ideas. It’s not a particularly accessible funder, but reach out to get on their radar. This is a good grassroots funder to know.

PROFILE: The Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas Foundation was established in 2001 to “[p]rovide funding for projects and activities benefiting women and children’s health, education and welfare.” Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas’s family established the foundation in honor of Lauren, a marketing executive who was a victim of the terrorist attack on United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. The foundation does not operate a formal staff and its Board is comprised solely of volunteers. While this funder does not set geographic limitations to its funding, grantmaking prioritizes the state of Texas. 

Grants for Public Health

This foundation’s public health funding broadly focuses on pediatric care. Past grantees include Texas Children’s Hospital, the birthing unit of California’s Marin General Hospital and the neonatal unit at Transylvania County Hospital in North Carolina. 

Grants for Higher Education 

The Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas Foundation’s higher education philanthropy consists mainly of $1,500 scholarships awarded to young women graduating from high school and intended for use toward college tuition. Between five and ten scholarships are awarded each year. 

Grants for Women and Girls

The foundation does not outline specific goals for grantmaking for women’s and girls’ causes. Past grantees include the Houston Area Women’s Center, which provides services to victims of domestic violence and abuse, and the Girls Scouts of San Jacinto Council, another Texas-based organization. 

Important Grant Details:

This small foundation makes under $100,000 in grants each year, with an average grant size of about $5,000. Grantmaking tends to prioritize organizations in the state of Texas. For information about past grantees, see the foundation’s grants page or its recent tax filings

The Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications for funding, but general inquiries may be submitted to the foundation via email. 

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