My Background

I'm Catherine Pyke, a writer, communicator of social good and a philanthropy advisor. My experience comes primarily from my twenty-eight-year career as a program officer for a national foundation, The Hearst Foundations, where I gained considerable experience in grant making and a broad understanding of the nonprofit sector. My insights come from having reviewed numerous grant proposals, but more from the inspiring leaders I was privileged to meet and engage with during my site visits to many of the nation’s leading colleges and universities, medical centers, arts organizations, and social service agencies in the western states.

I'm currently a board member of the Hospice Palliative Nurses Foundation (HPNF) and recently completed two terms on the Episcopal Impact Fund board. I'm a founding member of the Bay Area Chapter of Advisors in Philanthropy and helped to start a Bay Area wide women's giving circle, now called How Women Give. I'm also a co-founder of The Junior League of San Francisco’s Women at the Center Honors (WATCH) which celebrates the achievements of Bay Area Women Volunteers and Philanthropists.

A resident of Larkspur, California, I enjoy  taking long walks with Phoebe, my mini golden doodle, observing egrets, squirrels and an occasional coyote on the trails near my home.  I love conversing with friends about books, writing, philanthropy and other joys and challenges of life.