If you had the opportunity to move hundreds of millions of dollars to Black and brown communities, how would you ensure that not only wealth is redistributed — but also power to shape lasting decisions on community well-being, self-determination, and shared prosperity?
For Kataly Foundation’s CEO Nwamaka Agbo (JEI cohort 1) and Board Member Chris Olin (JEI cohort 3), the answer lies in the interpersonal: building and maintaining trusting, supportive relationships.
The Collaborators
Nwamaka Agbo
Restorative economist, movement strategist, community builder
- Creator of the Restorative Economics framework
- Expert in advising philanthropy on racial & economic justice
- Systems thinker bridging theory and practice
- Grounded in healing justice and community-led solutions
Chris Olin
Investor, mindfulness advocate, philanthropic disruptor
- Background in tech & venture capital
- Strategic thinker on governance & infrastructure
- Supporter of bold risk-taking in service of justice
- Partner to wealth holders activating resources
Nwamaka Agbo
Their Story
In late 2019, what would become the Kataly Foundation began as an exploration: how could Regan Pritzker redistribute $10 million of her wealth in service of a just economy?
At the time, Regan — working closely with collaborators like Crystal Hayling through the Libra Foundation — was already on a journey to align her resources with racial, climate, and economic justice. She and Crystal reached out to Nwamaka Agbo, whose Restorative Economics framework offered both a philosophy and a path forward.
Nwamaka had built the Restorative Economics framework to be clear about her worldview and the kind of transformation she believed was necessary: that self-determination (for political, economic, and cultural power) requires both community ownership and community governance.
“There was something about the alignment,” she reflected. “A kind of divine timing — where my purpose and [Regan’s] intentions met.”
Then the universe responded by dialing up the possibilities.
Following an unexpected liquidity event, the scope for Kataly’s Restorative Economies Fund expanded from $10 million… to $300 million. The total allocation that formed Kataly was $445 million overall. What began as a contained effort became an opportunity to co-create something groundshifting.
Around this time, Chris Olin — Regan’s husband, and long-time partner in stewarding their capital — stepped more fully into conversations about this wealth redistribution. Newer to philanthropy but deeply experienced in financial systems, Chris also immersed himself in emerging critiques and possibilities; reading Decolonizing Wealth by Edgar Villanueva, learning about economic democracy from Robert Reich, and gaining insights from Winners Take All by Anand Giridharadas. He also decided to join the third cohort of the Just Economy Institute, after Nwamaka had been a Fellow in the first JEI cohort.
“I’m kind of like a college freshman who doesn’t know anything[…] Reading all this and thinking — let’s just do it. Let’s build something Edgar [Villanueva] can’t throw shade at,” Chris laughs.
He notes how in venture capital, “rich people are taking crazy risks all the time” compared to the conservative, risk-averse nature of traditional philanthropy. He was ready to bring some audacity and scale to grantmaking.
Regan made the decision to move forward, legally and financially, starting the Kataly Foundation. She credits Chris as a critical supporter. “I’m not sure I would have done it as aggressively without his partnership and encouragement,” she shared.
Together, they were pushing against a common pattern: wealthholders staying stuck, unsure and unsupported on how to act boldly.
The early structure of Kataly reflected its collaborative roots. Three distinct program areas emerged, each led by practitioners already deeply embedded in their fields, like Nwamaka with Restorative Economics. Marni Rosen turned to movement leaders Vanessa Daniel and Miya Yoshitani to identify who should join them in leading the Environmental Justice Resourcing Collective, and Donna Bransford shaped the Mindfulness and Healing Justice work with Larry Yang and Kimi Mojica.
At first, these could have remained three independent projects. Instead, through a shared process, early collaborators made a collective decision. “Everyone elected Nwamaka the boss,” Chris said. “They said — we want you to lead us, and we want to hang out and create this thing together.”
That decision marked a turning point. Kataly became not just a funding initiative, but an engine for catalytic capital experiments to be “disruptive in a productive, ‘good trouble’ sort of way,” as Chris describes it. An attempt to rethink philanthropy from the inside out.
From the beginning, the foundation was designed to redistribute power, not just money, in ways that empowered everyone involved. For example,
- Staff — not the board — would hold decision-making authority around grant strategy and grantmaking.
- Program leaders would guide funding strategy based on their existing relationships in the field and with grassroots organizations.
- Grantees would be treated as partners, not recipients, through a trust based approach to philanthropy.
Chris played a foundational role in building the internal infrastructure to support this vision. When Joleen Ruffin and Lynne Hoey joined the team, they built on Chris’ initial work and charged a path forward that aligned Kataly’s organizational structure and investment strategy with its values. For Nwamaka, working within this structure became a lived practice.
“Collaborating with Chris and the board has been a deep practice in redistributing power,” she said. “They listen. They ask questions. They offer perspective — but ultimately, they trust me to decide.”
That trust extended throughout the organization, like staff being encouraged to build authentic relationships with grantee partners and make decisions without second-guessing from above. The result was a model where power flowed more equitably, more relationally.
The impact of Kataly’s work is significant: hundreds of millions of dollars have moved to communities of color in service of collective liberation.
But just as important is what Kataly has demonstrated about how change actually happens.
“It’s the interpersonal that becomes the catalyst,” Nwamaka reflected. “Sometimes it’s friction. Sometimes it’s alignment. But the transformation isn’t just structural — it’s spiritual.”
From the outside, it might be tempting to just replicate Kataly’s model. But the team is clear: the real work isn’t just in the structural decisions — it’s in how people must transform from the inside out, in order to align their actions with their words and values.
“The way we show up is less mathematical and more art,” Nwamaka said. “It’s about holding the complexity of how people grow and evolve while trying to transform systems.”
That means embracing vulnerability, staying in relationship through tension, and recognizing that collaboration isn’t about reaching “perfection,” but navigating imperfection together.
Because in the end, as Nwamaka and Chris remind us, none of this work happens alone.
And building a just economy requires more than moving money: it requires transforming how we show up for each other in the process.