Call Foundation

The Call Foundation is the grantmaking arm of Call to Action Philanthropies, a family philanthropy platform founded in 2007 by Crystal Call Maggelet, whose family wealth flows from FJ Management (petroleum convenience stores, hospitality, and real estate). Whitney Call serves as Chairman/President, and the board is composed entirely of Call and Maggelet family members — making this a classic family foundation where board-level relationships matter enormously.

The foundation's giving philosophy is deeply Utah-centric and relationship-driven. Of 149 documented grants totaling $8.39M, 124 (83%) went to Utah-based organizations. Every recorded grant carries the identical description — "Contribution made to a 501(c)3 charitable institution in support of its continuing mission" — confirming that the foundation funds trusted partners for ongoing operations, not competitive innovation initiatives or time-limited projects.

The most critical intelligence for applicants: the foundation is flagged as "preselected only" in multiple grant databases. The primary pathway to funding runs through existing relationships rather than cold proposals. Operations are managed by Executive Director Kathleen Tobey (part-time, $15,180 compensation), Director of Strategic Partnerships and Communications Michaela Pratt ($55,614), and Director of Community Affairs and Sustainability Laura Nelson ($74,880 — the highest-compensated operational staff, suggesting she manages the most active funder relationships). Building connections with Pratt and Nelson at 801-364-1442 is essential before approaching the foundation formally.

Relationship progression typically moves from introductory outreach to staff cultivation, then an informal alignment conversation, a staff recommendation to the board, and finally a formal request during an open RFP cycle. The reported 12% new applicant success rate reflects strong competition, but multi-grant grantees — University of Utah (7 grants), Davis Education Foundation (6), Southern Utah University (6), Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake (5) — confirm that once a relationship is established, renewals are very achievable.

First-time applicants should request an introductory meeting rather than submitting a cold proposal, confirm clear alignment with the foundation's four stated focus areas, explore whether they have existing board or staff connections to the Call or Maggelet family network, and be prepared for a 4-month decision timeline from submission to notification.

The Call Foundation has undergone dramatic financial growth over the past decade. Total assets rose from $3.2M in 2012 to $33.3M in 2019 and $82.8M in 2024, driven by consistent annual family contributions exceeding $10M in multiple years ($10.2M in 2020, $15.3M in 2021, $10.8M in 2023). Annual giving has tracked this asset growth:

• 2019: $1,667,010
• 2020: $1,365,723
• 2021: $2,889,626
• 2022: $3,831,398
• 2023: $3,826,885
• 2024: ~$3,542,447 (70 grants)

From the multi-year grantee database (149 grants, $8.39M total), the median grant is $10,000 and the average is $56,299 — a highly skewed distribution where a handful of anchor gifts to flagship organizations drive the mean far above the median. The practical grant range runs from $500 to $900,000, with most awards falling between $5,000 and $500,000.

Grant size tiers based on grantee data: - Anchor grants ($400K–$603K): Intermountain Healthcare Foundation ($602,980), United Way of Salt Lake ($600,000), Junior Achievement Utah ($500,000), YWCA Utah ($492,200) — reserved for highest-priority, long-term partners. - Large investments ($150K–$450K): Feeding America ($450,000), University of Utah ($412,940), Utah Food Bank ($400,000), Boys & Girls Clubs ($389,959), American Red Cross ($350,000). - Mid-range ($50K–$160K): Regional education institutions, human services organizations, housing — typical of established but non-flagship relationships. - Entry-level ($10K–$50K): Common first-grant amounts, particularly for smaller Utah nonprofits and community college foundations.

Sector breakdown (estimated from grantee missions): Education/Higher Education ~35% (University of Utah, Weber State, Utah State, Southern Utah University, Davis Education Foundation, WGU, SLCC, Snow College); Human Services/Youth Development ~28% (YWCA, Boys & Girls Clubs, Friends of Children, Youth Village, Children's Center, Girl Scouts); Food Security ~12% (Feeding America, Utah Food Bank, Crossroads Urban Center); Healthcare ~10% (Intermountain Healthcare, One Utah Health Collaborative); Housing/Community ~8% (Habitat for Humanity, Utah Community Action); Arts/Environment/Other ~7% (Salt Lake Art Center, National Park Foundation, Salt Lake Tribune, Utah Clean Air Partnership).

The Call Foundation's five closest asset peers are all categorized under Philanthropy & Grantmaking with assets between $82.6M and $83.0M, but most provide limited public disclosure. The comparison below draws on IRS filings and available public data.

The Call Foundation stands apart in this peer group for several reasons. It is the only foundation among its asset-matched peers with a publicly active website, named operational staff, and disclosed program priorities — giving applicants a meaningful entry point that simply does not exist for the others. At approximately $3.5M in annual giving against $82.8M in assets, the foundation distributes roughly 4.2% of assets annually, near the IRS 5% minimum distribution floor for private foundations, indicating measured but consistent grantmaking rather than a surge-and-contract cycle. Its 70-grant 2024 cycle and multi-year growth trajectory from $1.7M in 2019 to $3.8M by 2022–2023 signal a maturing institution with stable payout patterns — a positive signal for organizations seeking reliable multi-year relationships.

In July 2025, Utah Business published an in-depth profile of Crystal Call Maggelet — the foundation's founder and board trustee — confirming her continued active engagement across FJ Management and the broader Call/Maggelet philanthropic ecosystem. The profile affirmed that her personal giving priorities (early childhood education, mental health, food security, housing) directly mirror the foundation's formal focus areas, a key signal for applicants seeking to understand what resonates at the board level.

The foundation's 2024 grantmaking cycle (70 grants, $3.54M total) showed notable emphases: Feeding America received $1,000,000 — a major anchor-level commitment; Prevent Child Abuse Utah received $155,000; The Children's Center Utah received $110,000; and Children's Service Society received $105,000. Together, these early-childhood-focused grants suggest a deliberate intensification of the mental health and early intervention priority.

The companion Call to Action Foundation (sharing board leadership with the Call Foundation) made the most prominent public announcements in 2024: a $38 million affordable housing commitment statewide and the leasing launch of Innovation Park at Holbrook Farms, a 240-unit affordable townhome community in Lehi. Crystal Maggelet has publicly committed to 850 affordable units over three years, with VP Drew Maggelet directing the initiative.

No leadership changes at the Call Foundation itself were identified during 2025–2026. Kathleen Tobey remains Executive Director, Michaela Pratt continues as Director of Strategic Partnerships and Communications, and Laura Nelson holds the Director of Community Affairs and Sustainability role with the highest operational compensation at $74,880.

1. Build a staff relationship before submitting any proposal. The foundation's "preselected only" designation means cold proposals rarely succeed. Call 801-364-1442 or email Michaela Pratt (Director of Strategic Partnerships and Communications) to request an introductory conversation. Frame the outreach as seeking to understand current priorities, not pitching a project.

2. Demonstrate deep Utah roots. With 83% of grants going to Utah organizations, applicants without a significant Utah operational presence face steep odds. National organizations should lead with Utah-specific impact metrics, program staff on the ground, and community partnerships — not national statistics or headquarters credentials.

3. Align explicitly with at least one of the four stated pillars. The foundation has publicly named its priorities: Early Childhood Education; Early Childhood and Family Mental Health; Food Security; and Scholarships/Higher Education/Technical Training. Proposals that bridge two pillars (e.g., a food-security program serving school-age youth) are particularly well-positioned.

4. Calibrate first requests to the $10,000–$50,000 entry tier. The median grant in the historical database is $10,000. Anchor-level gifts ($400K+) are reserved for flagship, long-term partners. New applicants should frame a modest first ask as the start of a sustained relationship, not a one-time transaction.

5. Use operational continuity language, not transformation framing. Every grant description in the record reads "support of its continuing mission." The foundation invests in stable organizations delivering proven direct services to underserved Utah families and children — not in innovation pilots, capacity-building, or systemic-change initiatives.

6. Ask staff directly when the next RFP cycle opens. The foundation issues proposals "periodically" with no fixed public calendar. Do not submit outside an open window; instead, request to be added to the notification list.

7. Leverage any connection to the Call or Maggelet family network. Board members Whitney Call, Crystal Call Maggelet, Lauren Call, Drew Maggelet, and Charles Maggelet are all family members. Existing relationships with any of them — or with FJ Management or Flying J corporate contacts — can materially accelerate introductions to foundation staff.