The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is the domestic anti-poverty program of the Catholic Church that was started in 1969 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. CCHD has two purposes:

(1) to fund low-income controlled empowerment projects that help the poor to participate in the decisions and actions that affect their lives;

(2) to educate Catholics about the root causes of poverty within the context of Catholic social teaching.

Recently, CCHD underwent an intensive Review and Renewal, an introspective look at how to better serve God's people. Much has changed, but the mission of CCHD has remained the same.

What is New:

• Revised CCHD grant materials specify more clearly what CCHD, as an activity of the Catholic Church, will fund.
• A priority for Catholic participation in funded projects and a broader, more realistic definition of poverty.
• A continued requirement that poor people have a major role in decision-making, with the priests and religious living in the low-income communities they are serving included in the calculation.
• Larger grant amounts to meet needs and reduce the number of grants to be monitored.
• A new staff position on CCHD mission and identity, an ongoing consulting relationship with a moral theologian, and a CCHD Review Board to advise the bishops and CCHD.
• Ongoing communication with Catholics that shows how CCHD demonstrates who we are and what we believe.

What Remains:

• CCHD's commitment to and priority for the poor.
• Emphasis on self-help, bottom-up approaches, and the principle of participation.
• A focus on the pursuit of justice, addressing the causes of poverty, pursuing "the institutional path . . . of charity" (Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, no. 7).
• The policy that no group that acts in conflict iwth Catholic social or moral teaching can receive CCHD funds.
• The requirement that the local bishop must give approval before any group can be funded in a diocese.
• CCHD's efforts to help carry out the mission of Jesus Christ "to bring good news to the poor, liberty to captives, new sight to the blind and to set the downtrodden free" (Luke 4:18).
  

Today, the CCHD mission is urgent: In 2009, 39.8 million Americans had fallen below the poverty line according to the U.S. Census Bureau. For a family of four, the poverty line is $21,834 a year.

In order to fund anti-poverty projects and educate about social justice, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development conducts a national appeal that takes place in most Catholic dioceses on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. At any time during the year, however, donations can be sent to:

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Office of National Collections - CCHD
3211 Fourth Street NE
Washinton DC 20017

Please support the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. Eighty-nine cents of every dollar goes directly to community empowerment, economic development, and education programs that work to break the cycle of poverty. Click here for more information, including videos about some of the anti-poverty programs that have been funded through CCHD.

Accessing Funds

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development has two grant programs by which individuals and organizations can access funds for anti-poverty programs.

Community Organizing Grants support projects that bring diverse people together to address the root causes of poverty in their communities. Low-income people should be an instrumental part of the process of identifying barriers that keep marginalized and low-income people from reaching their full potential, brainstorming solutions, and taking action to better themselves and their community.

Economic Development Grants support projects that significantly include the voice of the poor and marginalized while developing new businesses that offer good jobs, and/or develop assets that will be owned and enjoyed by local communities.

Additional criteria, guidelines, application forms, and application tutorials are available here.

Organizations interested in applying for either of these grants are required to submit a pre-application between September 1 and November 1.

For additional information, please contact Debbie Snapp, the local CCHD Diocesan Director in southwest Kansas, by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or by phone at 620-227-1588.

For assistance from the local CCHD Grants Specialist, please contact Gloria Luna Moorman by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or by phone at 202-541-3370.