About
Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) is the national membership organization for Catholic Charities agencies throughout the United States and its territories, providing them support and resources. Founded in 1910, CCUSA is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, and is a member of Caritas Internationalis, a worldwide federation of Catholic social service organizations. Its network of 170 diocesan member agencies serves people in need across the country regardless of their faith or background.
Mission
The mission of Catholic Charities is to provide service to people, families and communities in need, to advocate for justice in social structures and to call the entire church and all people of good will to do the same. Its agencies serve people without homes, the unemployed and underemployed, hungry children, isolated elderly persons, migrants and refugees, families recovering from natural disasters, pregnant women and new mothers, and persons with disabilities.
What they do
As the national office for the Catholic Charities network, CCUSA supports its member agencies through:
- Disaster response: commissioned in 1990 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as the official domestic disaster relief agency of the Catholic Church, CCUSA coordinates responses to natural and human-made disasters and grants relief funds to local agencies.
- Funding and in-kind donations: millions of dollars in financial assistance each year, including joint grant opportunities and housing gap loan funding.
- Innovation: joint grant applications and pilot programs, from job training to technology integration.
- Advocacy, communications and research: engagement with national policymakers, plus an annual survey reporting the national impact of the Catholic Charities network.
- Convening: bringing together agencies and community leaders to solve local and national problems.
Member agencies work in areas including affordable housing, food and nutrition, integrated health, disaster relief, social enterprise and workforce development, and immigration services.
History
The organization was founded in 1910 as the National Conference of Catholic Charities, described at its first meeting as "the attorney for the poor." Msgr. John O'Grady, named executive secretary in 1920, fostered growth over a 40-year tenure, establishing diocesan agencies and advocating for workers, families and the poor. The organization adopted the name Catholic Charities USA in 1986. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, CCUSA disbursed $31 million in donations to member agencies, and following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 it received and distributed more than $163 million for Gulf disaster response. Kerry Alys Robinson became president and CEO in July 2023, succeeding Sister Donna Markham OP, PhD, who in 2015 had become the first woman to lead the organization.
Scale and impact
According to CCUSA, Catholic Charities agencies nationwide served more than 15 million at-risk neighbors last year. The membership comprises 170 diocesan Catholic Charities agencies, each under the auspices of its local bishop or archbishop.
Governance
CCUSA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 53-0196620). The IRS designates it as a religious organization, so it is not required to file Form 990; because it spends over $750,000 in federal grant money annually, it files federal audit documents, which ProPublica lists for fiscal years 2016 through 2025.
