Formation and Action Grant Program
Grant Program Impact Goal
Learning about Catholic social teaching and putting it into action takes time, and parishes and their members need to go through various stages of understanding before taking authentic action. This grant program seeks to support this work at all stages of formation: (1) learning, (2) supporting parishioners, and (3) supporting the larger community.
The goal of the program is to move parishes through these stages over time, with the ultimate goal of providing parishioners opportunities to engage directly in works of both charity (addressing immediate needs) and justice (changing systems).
Catholic Social Teaching
Catholic social teaching (CST) refers to a group of authoritative moral teachings of the Pope and the Bishops that are binding in conscience. They are deeply important but widely underrecognized. That is in part because of the breadth and complexity of the documents starting with Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum in 1891. In order to make them more accessible, the US Bishops undertook an effort to highlight several themes of CST:
- Life and Dignity of the Human Person
- Call to Family, Community, and Participation
- Rights and Responsibilities
- Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
- Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers
- Solidarity
- Care for God’s Creation
CST transcends political ideologies, offering a framework for building a civilization of love and justice that benefits all.
Examples of Funded Initiatives
Learning: Parishes could apply for grants for the formation of priests, parish staff, and parishioners. Formation initiatives could include training, speakers, or education programs (such as JustFaith), or various media offerings. Topics might include CST itself or subjects such as pro-life issues, immigration, poverty, racism, and care for creation.
Supporting Parishioners: Grants could be made for new hands-on activities serving parishioners, like forming a Care Committee, launching a BeFriender Ministry, helping parishes become more “green,” training Eucharistic ministers to the homebound, or efforts to build cultural competency to become a more welcoming parish.
Supporting the Larger Community: Grants can also support justice initiatives serving the wider community, such as regular organized parish volunteering efforts, political advocacy for those in need, or starting up a food shelf or community garden to serve those in the parish neighborhood.
Grant Program Details
Use of Grant Funds
Grants (which can range from $250 – $4,000) can be used for costs associated with implementing initiatives similar to those described above.
Grant Cycle Schedule
Applications will be accepted through Friday, September 26, 2025. Notifications will be made in late October.