Communities

In late 2024, support from Griffin Catalyst allowed a recently uncovered Stegosaurus skeleton named Apex—one of the largest and most complete dinosaur discoveries of modern times—to be displayed at New York’s American Museum of Natural History, where it will be enjoyed by millions of visitors a year.

Funding for extensive educational programs and popular exhibitions will enrich the public’s understanding of the extraordinary find, while a new postdoctoral fellowship will advance scientific research on the 150-million-year-old fossil, to be shared digitally with scientists around the world.

Vibrant communities include accessible, modern public spaces that bring people together. Griffin Catalyst is working to energize communities by increasing access to such spaces. Through investment in innovative urban infrastructure like The Underline in Miami—a 10-mile linear park bringing vital amenities to diverse Miami neighborhoods—we are empowering individuals to grow and communities to prosper.

Established soon after the invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, the Ukraine Math and Science Achievement Fund provides financial scholarships and logistical support to gifted high-school students whose lives have been disrupted by war, allowing them to attend universities in Western Europe and the United States.

Some of America’s most storied and visited museums invite people to engage with science and nature in imaginative ways. From the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., to the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, world-renowned cultural institutions are destinations of learning and exploration, drawing millions of visitors from around the globe.

Through partnership with these and other institutions, Griffin Catalyst is ensuring new generations of learners have the opportunity to engage with science, technology, and nature in ways far beyond what’s possible in the classroom.

We act boldly and decisively to provide aid in moments of urgent community need. By identifying and leveraging the unique strengths of public and private organizations, we have addressed complex community challenges close to home and far afield.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our wide-ranging efforts included working with the State Department to repatriate 800 Americans from Wuhan, China, addressing food insecurity in Chicago, and increasing the supply of medical oxygen in India.