Kate Ritter Repen

Kate has served as the Executive Director of her family’s foundation since 2018, when the foundation Board decided to professionalize the foundation because the founders wanted to see all assets invested during their lifetimes. Located in Connecticut, the Ritter Family Foundation is a place-based grantmaking foundation that invests in and partners with organizations and initiatives that are working to achieve equitable outcomes for children in under-resourced communities- primarily in Norwalk and Bridgeport, CT. Although RFF’s investments span the cradle to career continuum, the Foundation has a special interest in early childhood and is a member of the CT Early Childhood Funders Collaborative. In addition to managing all aspects of the Foundation’s grantmaking and operations as a staff of one, Kate spends much of her time trying to influence peer funders to adopt trust-based philanthropic practices and particularly enjoys seeking opportunities for collaborative funding.

Kate has 15+ years of nonprofit development and management experience, holds a BA in Human Biology with a specialization in Genetics and Ethics from Stanford University, and serves on the Boards of multiple nonprofits in CT.

Contributions

Strategic Lifespan Peer Network: How Limited Life Foundations Are Responding to Today’s Philanthropic Landscape

Posted on March 12, 2025 by Kate Ritter Repen, Anne Marie Toccket, Priscilla Enriquez

Reductions in federal funding and social services have created immense challenges for the nonprofit sector. How are limited life foundations, and those considering spending down, responding? Have foundations reconsidered their grantmaking strategies or adjusted other core practices? For those already on the path to spend down, has the current situation affected their spend down timeline or process? Learn from the… Read More

Strategic Lifespan Peer Network: A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation: Investing in Partners to Ensure the Foundation’s Mission Lives On

Posted on December 19, 2024 by Sarah Elbert, Ashley Davis, Kate Ritter Repen, Joe Del Guercio

The Clark Foundation is nearing the conclusion of its decade-long sunset strategy. The foundation, founded in 1987, began its 10-year $1.3B spenddown in 2016, partnering with organizations to educate future engineering leaders, support veterans and their families, and expand opportunities for the Washington, DC community. Currently in its final year, the foundation remains focused on ensuring that their partners have… Read More

Strategic Lifespan Peer Network: Strengthening Nonprofits Through Capacity-Building Support—Lessons Learned from the Cedarmere Foundation’s Spenddown Journey

Posted on February 28, 2024 by Melanie Matthews, Kate Ritter Repen, Anne Marie Toccket, Priscilla Enriquez, Kathy Edwards

The trustees of the Cedarmere Foundation decided to spend down their endowment in order to invest in the capacity building of organizations and initiatives that sustain and strengthen the nonprofit sector in Washington State. Since then, the foundation has focused on: Investing in the development, support, and sustainability of nonprofit leadership Sharing what is learned with philanthropic partners and nonprofit… Read More