Rachel Evans
Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the official international humanitarian agency of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, is the top recipient of funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID). CRS received $4.6 billion from USAID between 2013 and 2022, primarily for disaster assistance. USAID has been a significant and longtime partner of the US and global Catholic Church, providing grants for emergency assistance and long-term transformational development in multiple areas, including food, health, education, water, and peace-building. However, the Trump administration's push to eliminate USAID has resulted in funding cuts and layoffs for Catholic Relief Services, threatening the humanitarian work of Catholic aid groups.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Catholic Relief Services' funding from USAID | $4.6 billion from 2013 to 2022 |
| Catholic Relief Services' funding as a percentage of USAID's budget | 50% to 60% |
| Catholic Relief Services' total budget | $1.5 billion |
| Catholic Relief Services' funding from the U.S. government | $700 million per year |
| Catholic Relief Services' funding from the U.S. government in 2023 | $600 million |
| Catholic Relief Services' layoffs | 50% |
| Number of Catholic Relief Services employees | 5,000 |
| Number of countries Catholic Relief Services operates in | 100+ |
| Number of people Catholic Relief Services serves | 100 million |
| Number of projects Catholic Relief Services undertakes | 1,000 |
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What You'll Learn
- Catholic Relief Services is the top recipient of USAID funding
- USAID grants enable Catholic Relief Services to undertake emergency assistance
- Catholic Relief Services is governed by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops
- Catholic Relief Services has had to shut down some USAID-funded programs
- Catholic Relief Services received \$4.6 billion from USAID from 2013 to 2022
Catholic Relief Services is the top recipient of USAID funding
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the top recipient of funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). CRS is a nonprofit organization that received $4.6 billion from 2013 to 2022. In 2023, it worked in about 120 countries, serving over 200 million people through 1,000 projects.
CRS is the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, serving 100 million people in over 100 countries through programs that span diverse sectors, including emergency relief, agriculture, health, education, water, microfinance, and peace-building.
USAID has provided funding and non-financial support to CRS for decades, accounting for about 50 to 60 percent of its budget, or between $500 million and $700 million per year. The grants enable CRS to undertake emergency assistance and long-term transformational development work that covers multiple areas, including food, health, livelihoods, agriculture, education, water and sanitation, child development, access to capital, and peace-building.
CRS's signature approach is recognized by its regard for local culture, engagement of community members, accountability, and deep respect for the human person. For example, in Pajut, South Sudan, CRS provided food assistance, with USAID funding, to communities and people who returned to the area after being displaced during violence in 2013.
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USAID grants enable Catholic Relief Services to undertake emergency assistance
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the top recipient of funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). In 2023, CRS worked in about 120 countries, serving over 200 million people through 1,000 projects. CRS serves people on the basis of need, not creed. The U.S. government funded nearly half of the 2023 CRS budget of $1.2 billion. USAID grants enable CRS to undertake emergency assistance and long-term transformational development. This work covers and integrates multiple areas for human flourishing, including food, health, livelihoods, agriculture, education, water and sanitation, child development, access to capital, and peace-building.
CRS is governed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, with the mission to serve the poorest and most vulnerable overseas. CRS works with and through 2,000 field partners, about half of which include local Catholic parishes and dioceses. USAID has been a significant and longtime partner of the U.S. and global Catholic Church.
An example of a USAID-funded project in agriculture is that of Ernesto, a corn farmer whose assets were decimated because the return on his corn harvest no longer covered his costs. Contributing to the farm's demise were eroded soil, temperature changes, unreliable rainfall patterns, pests, and limited market demand.
Another example of a USAID project is one in which communities form savings groups that build up a capital pool, offering more favorable loan terms to members. Subsequent investments in water infrastructure support greater output and improve the lives of women and girls. Such infrastructure means that instead of walking miles for water, women can start small business ventures (e.g., selling chickens, eggs, pastries, etc.), and young girls can go to school. The internal savings group often becomes the collective unit for learning about nutrition, maternal care, cooking methods, water filter options, household budgeting, and more. In the most successful cases, external investors become interested in funding higher outputs, new kinds of produce, or value-added processing (refrigeration, canning, milling, washing, etc.).
In 2022, USAID provided 5,000 Starlink satellite terminals manufactured by SpaceX to Ukraine.
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Catholic Relief Services is governed by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian agency of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. It was founded in 1943 by US Catholic Bishops. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops governs the organisation with the mission to serve the poorest and most vulnerable overseas.
CRS has delivered lifesaving emergency assistance to vulnerable communities around the world for over 80 years. In 2023, it worked in about 120 countries, serving over 200 million people through 1,000 projects. The organisation serves people on the basis of need, not creed. CRS works with and through 2,000 field partners, about half of which include local Catholic parishes and dioceses.
CRS has received USAID funding and non-financial support for decades, accounting for about 50 to 60 percent of its budget, or between $500 million and $700 million per year. The US government funded nearly half of the 2023 CRS budget of $1.2 billion. USAID grants enable CRS to undertake emergency assistance and long-term transformational development. The work covers and integrates multiple areas for human flourishing: food, health, livelihoods, agriculture, education, water and sanitation, child development, access to capital, and peace-building.
CRS has warned that cuts in US foreign assistance will drastically reduce its workforce, by as much as 50%. The Vatican’s global charity arm, Caritas, has warned that millions of people will die as a result of the “ruthless” US decision to “recklessly” stop USAID funding, and hundreds of millions more will be condemned to “dehumanizing poverty”.
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Catholic Relief Services has had to shut down some USAID-funded programs
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has been forced to shut down some USAID-funded programs due to significant cuts in U.S. foreign aid funding. CRS is the top recipient of funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which provided about half of the organization's $1.5 billion budget in 2023.
CRS, founded by U.S. Catholic bishops in 1943, serves people in need regardless of creed, working in over 100 countries with both faith-based and secular nonprofits. Its programs span diverse sectors, including emergency relief, agriculture, health, education, water, microfinance, and peace-building.
The Trump administration's decision to cut foreign aid funding and target USAID with a spending freeze, office closures, and staff cuts has had a devastating impact on CRS. In an internal email, CRS President and CEO Sean Callahan stated that the organization would likely be much smaller by the end of the fiscal year and that they had begun shutting down programs funded by USAID. Callahan also noted that CRS was unable to access U.S. government funds, severely limiting their options for maintaining operations.
The funding cuts have affected both long- and short-term programs, disrupting the distribution of food aid, vaccines, and treatments for HIV and AIDS. The loss of USAID funding has also impacted CRS's ability to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and run community development programs.
The State Department has offered waivers for organizations to continue "lifesaving" humanitarian work, but many exempted projects have not received the necessary funding. CRS and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have launched an online campaign to halt the deep cuts, urging fellow Catholics to call on Congress to lift the freeze on foreign aid.
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Catholic Relief Services received \$4.6 billion from USAID from 2013 to 2022
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the top recipient of funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). According to Forbes, CRS received $4.6 billion from USAID from 2013 to 2022. This amount accounts for about 50 to 60 percent of its budget, or between $500 million and $700 million per year.
CRS is a nonprofit organization that serves people on the basis of need, not creed. It is the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, governed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The organization's mission is to serve the poorest and most vulnerable overseas. In 2023, it worked in about 120 countries, serving over 200 million people through 1,000 projects.
CRS has been the subject of controversy in the past for supporting pro-abortion aid programs and attempting to mislead senators by stating that African bishops were not opposed to an AIDS relief program.
The Trump administration's push to eliminate the U.S. Agency for International Development threatens billions of dollars in funding across both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. This has prompted chaos among USAID staff in Washington and panic among organizations that the agency helps fund. USAID has been an early core target of President Donald Trump's efforts to curtail government spending, led by billionaire Elon Musk, who is heading the newly created Department of Government Efficiency.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Catholic Charities does get funding from USAID.
Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the official international humanitarian agency of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, received \$4.6 billion from 2013 to 2022. CRS is the top recipient of funds from USAID.
Catholic Relief Services serves 100 million people in over 100 countries through programs that span diverse sectors, including emergency relief, agriculture, health, education, water, microfinance, and peace-building.
The Trump administration's push to eliminate the US Agency for International Development (USAID) threatens billions of dollars in funding for Catholic Relief Services. CRS has been forced to shut down programs and lay off staff due to the spending freeze and office closures.
