Ten years ago the CCF Board of Directors set a goal that is still fresh today: to be a catalyst for strength and vitality in the Catholic community.
“We do this by proactively listening and learning about community needs, providing access to information about those needs and services to our donors and the greater community, and working collaboratively with other local funders and Catholic thought leaders to maximize the impact of our grantmaking,” says CCF President Anne Cullen Miller.
CCF has more than twenty discretionary grant programs. Each grant program has its own purpose, timing, site visit process, grant distributions, and outcomes measurement. Many of the programs were created when a donor set up a fund with a designated purpose but no designated beneficiary.
One fund for which CCF has total discretion is the Salt & Light Fund. As CCF’s flagship unrestricted fund, CCF’s Board of Directors may adapt and change the fund’s grant programs as the needs of the community evolve. Currently, CCF has one grantmaking goal for the Salt & Light Fund in each of its mission areas: spiritual, educational, and social.
Today the goal for spiritual impact grants from the Salt & Light Fund is to promote parish vitality. “We engaged a committee of diverse parish professionals to discuss recent national research on parish vitality efforts and learn what is most needed in our local community,” explains Meg Payne Nelson, CCF Vice President of Impact. “We were fortunate that Archbishop Hebda completed his three-year local synod process and issued a pastoral letter around the same time, offering additional ideas for pathways to vitality.”
As a result of these efforts, in fiscal year 2025 CCF announced two new grant programs — one supports parish-based small groups while the other aims to help parishes enhance Sunday liturgies — and increased its grant budget for professional development for lay ministers and Catholic school teachers.
Supporting Initiatives that Lead to More Disciples
Most parishes have needs and wants that exceed their annual budgets. Examples include growing a ministry, providing a service opportunity, purchasing equipment, offering retreats, and hosting speakers.
“The availability of spiritual impact grants helps turn the dream into a reality,” says Father Ralph Talbot, pastor of St. Hubert Catholic Community in Chanhassen.
St. Hubert has received grants that allowed the parish to provide scholarships for youth to attend faith conferences and participate in mission trips, and to host a speaker series.
“The hope is that more opportunities for more young people to encounter Christ and his Church would lead to more disciples for the Lord,” Father Talbot says. “More disciples for the Lord means more young men and women committed to loving God and neighbor, to serving others and building the common good — positively impacting our families, our schools, our parishes, and the wider community.”
Nadine Friederichs is the director of mission and safe environment coordinator at All Saints Catholic Church in Lakeville and a member of CCF’s Parish Vitality Advisory Committee. She notes that the committee reviewed the propositions formulated within the Archbishop’s pastoral letter, “You Will Be My Witnesses.”
“We discussed how financial support for lay staff and ministry leaders would positively impact parishes as they implement the propositions of the pastoral letter,” says Nadine. “Parish budgets may not support new activities, so the opportunity to present an idea or program for a grant can be one avenue lay ministers may pursue.”
All Saints has received several grants to help pay the tuition for new teachers to help build and grow the parish’s faith formation program, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
Most recently the parish received a grant from CCF’s Youth and Young Adult grant program. “Our youth ministry team wanted to bring a fun, interactive, robust program designed specifically for children to our parish feast day, All Saints Day,” says Nadine. She estimates that 475 children attended the interactive programs to celebrate the Feast of All Saints.
“My hope for the impact grants is that our parish communities have empowered and engaged leadership, beautiful liturgies and worship opportunities, intergenerational formation opportunities, robust faith-sharing small groups, welcoming cultures with outreach to the local community,” Nadine says. “And most of all, a place where many can continue to devote their professional lives leading people to Jesus.”
A Welcoming Initiative
In June 2024 the Hmong Catholic community of St. Vincent de Paul in St. Paul was welcomed into its new home at Presentation of Mary in Maplewood. The transition marked the beginning of a new chapter for the community of more than 50 families.
“This journey began in January 2023, when Archbishop Hebda proposed the idea of bringing together the Hmong Catholic community of Saint Vincent de Paul and the community at Presentation of Mary Church,” says Father Toulee Peter Ly, pastor of Presentation of Mary. “This union promised to enrich both parishes with a stronger, more diverse family of faith.”
As Hmong parishioners began to lead and participate in a small group, they needed materials translated from English to Hmong. Adult faith formation coordinator Kay Mottaz applied for a small group grant from CCF on behalf of the parish. The grant has allowed Presentation of Mary to pay for translation services.
“The ‘Reclaiming Sundays Series’ provided by the Archdiocese is being translated in its entirety, allowing our Hmong parishioners an opportunity to
participate with their families as part of our Sunday Faith Formation program,” says Kay.
Choua Yang is one of the small group participants. “This year is our first time being part of a small group, and we focused on learning about the Mass,” she says. “This helped us to better understand God’s love and His presence with us, and it has drawn us closer to Him.”
“We are grateful for the financial support received from the Catholic Community Foundation that has helped expand our adult faith formation opportunities for our Hmong parishioners,” Father Ly says.
Choua reflects on the profound impact of the small group, “My hope is that we can keep creating a welcoming space where people encounter God’s love and discover lasting hope.”
“Today, we stand together, united in our decision to form one parish family,” Father Ly shares. “This union opens gospel-driven opportunities for growth and service, allowing us to better minister to our community and all families within our reach.”
“Beyond the impact of each grant and its specific purpose, CCF hopes the support provides affirmation for the parishes,” says Anne Cullen Miller, “because the grant was made possible by donors past and present all over the Archdiocese.”