CCHD Grants Program Overview
When the Catholic bishops of the United States established the Campaign for Human Development in 1970, they mandated the Campaign fund "such projects as voter registration, community organizations, community-run schools, minority-owned cooperatives and credit unions, capital for industrial development and job training programs, and setting up of rural cooperatives." Today, CCHD can point to numerous CCHD-funded organizations which have grown to extend great influence in their communities. Annual CCHD contributions to support community organizing groups are made possible by Catholics throughout the United States who contribute to CCHD each year. As Catholics, we do this because we strongly believe all people are made in the image and likeness of God, and so all life, from conception until natural death, must be respected. To qualify for CCHD funds, applicants must not promote, in any way, activities that violate the dignity of the human person. CCHD is committed to supporting groups of low-income individuals as they work to break the cycle of poverty and improve their communities.
CCHD has two grant programs
Community Organizing Grants
CCHD-funded groups demonstrate a commitment to the dignity of the human person by bringing diverse people together to address the root causes of poverty in their communities, removing institutional barriers that keep historically marginalized and low-income people from reaching their full God-given potential. As part of such organized groups, low-income people gain the ability to identify these barriers, brainstorm solutions and take action to change them to better their communities.
Economic Development Grants
CCHD supports economic development initiatives that significantly include the voice of the poor and marginalized, developing new businesses that offer good jobs, and/or develop assets that will be owned and enjoyed by local communities.
For a general overview of the grants process, please visit Grants Process Policies and Timelines.
All organizations interested in applying for a CCHD Community Organizing grant or an Economic Development implementation grant, and who are not receiving that type of grant in the current grant year, are required to submit an Eligibility Quiz. Eligibility Quizzes are accepted on a rolling basis between September 1 and November 1. Organizations are strongly encouraged to submit their quiz prior to the November 1 deadline, to allow an eligible organization enough time to complete the online application.
The Eligibility Quiz and instructions for completion and submission are on the respective Community Organizing and Economic Development sections of the navigation bar above. USCCB appreciates your interest in applying for CCHD funding.
Please note, CCHD requires that community organizing initiatives take a three-year break in funding after receiving six years of support. Please contact your Grants Specialist to determine your eligibility for the 2010-2011 grant cycle.
CCHD's Economic Development Program (EDP) maintains a three-year eligibility limit. CCHD will grant a maximum of three years of support to an Economic Development Institution (EDI). These years need not be sequential. For more on EDIs, refer to the Economic Development page.
Current CCHD-funded organizations that are eligible for another year of funding will receive an e-mail by mid-October with instructions on how to access the online application and interim report.
Guide for CCHD Grant Applicants
Recently Funded Initiatives
CCHD grants made to community- and faith-based organizations since 2004 are listed by year in the files below.
Tips for searching these pdf documents
Open the document, and click in the “find” box in the menu above the document (or just enter <ctrl><f>)
Type in keywords for what you are looking for. For example, to find grants made in the Archdiocese of Phoenix, search for “Phoenix”. Use terms like “education” or “housing” to find grants applied to specific program areas.
2009 CCHD Grantees (pdf) – Awarded July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010
2008 CCHD Grantees (pdf) – Awarded July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2009
2007 CCHD Grantees (pdf) – Awarded July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008
2006 CCHD Grantees (pdf) – Awarded July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2007
2005 CCHD Grantees (pdf) – Awarded July 1, 2005 – June 30, 2006
2004 CCHD Grantees (pdf) – Awarded July 1, 2004 – June 30, 2005
Feature Stories (narrative) of Organizations funded by CCHD
Positive signs in the contemporary world are the growing awareness of the solidarity of the poor among themselves, their efforts to support one another, and their public demonstrations on the social scene which, without recourse to violence, present their own needs and rights... By virtue of their own evangelical duty, the church feels called to take her stand beside the poor, to discern the justice of their requests, and to help satisfy them, without losing sight of the good of groups in the context of the common good (39).
Pope John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, no. 39 (1987)