Every dollar gifted to the philanthropic fund supports $40 in loans to high-impact borrowers
San Francisco, Dec. 8, 2025— Social entrepreneurs’ need for affordable, flexible, patient capital is growing. To ensure it can meet that need, RSF today debuts the Catalyst Fund, a philanthropic vehicle that supports lending to enterprises focused on regenerative agriculture, climate solutions, resilient communities, and other drivers of systemic change.
“The Catalyst Fund is the soil that nourishes all of RSF’s impact,” said Kathleen Paylor, RSF’s vice president of impact investing and philanthropy. “It’s the foundational capital that allows us to meet rising demand, seed new loans, help grow resilient enterprises, and enable the lasting change our world urgently needs.”
Every dollar gifted to the Catalyst Fund unlocks $40 of impact by enabling RSF to maintain a 2.5% loan-loss reserve for its flagship Social Investment Fund—while lending to visionary entrepreneurs like Sana Javeri Kadri, founder of Diaspora Spice Co. When banks turned her away, Kadri turned to RSF and got the funding she needed to scale her business and her vision of transforming the global spice trade. With RSF’s support, Diaspora pays 4-6x above commodity price to farmers, supports soil restoration, and delivers vibrant spices to kitchens around the world.
Donations to the Catalyst Fund, Paylor noted, get recirculated instead of simply supporting one-time investments. “This fund is for people who really want to maximize the value of their philanthropy,” she said.
Since its founding, RSF has supported social entrepreneurs with $1 billion in loans and grants (see current borrowers here).
To find out more about the Catalyst Fund and make a gift, contact Kathleen Paylor.
About RSF: RSF’s mission is to change finance and finance change. By offering investment notes, donor advised funds, loans and now the Catalyst Fund, it mobilizes money toward positive impact. Since 1984, RSF has innovated finance tools and invested in healthier food systems, climate solutions, whole-child education, community impact and more.
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