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The Catholic
Campaign for Human Development is the domestic anti-poverty, social justice
program of the U.S. Catholic bishops. Its mission is to address the root causes of poverty in America
through promotion and support of community-controlled, self-help organizations
and through transformative justice education.
Your Gift Helps…
CCHD
is supported solely by private donations. The program owes its success
to Catholic parishioners whose contributions to the annual parish appeal
have made meeting CCHD's objectives possible over the years. Most
funds come from the once-a-year CCHD collection, scheduled each
year on the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
Who Do We Fund?
During its
30-year history, CCHD has funded more than 3,500 self-help projects
developed by grassroots groups of poor persons across the United States.
Each year CCHD distributes national grants to more than 250 projects
based in local communities. In addition, hundreds of smaller projects
are funded through the 25 percent share of the CCHD collection
retained by dioceses. The projects' successes and the relationships developed
have significantly changed the lives of the poor in our country and in
the Diocese of Galveston-Houston.
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How to Apply for a Grant
CCHD funds two categories of projects: organizing and economic
development.
In organizing projects, people work together to address the needs
of their community. Poor and marginalized people are empowered by joining
together to make decisions, seeking solutions to local problems and finding
ways to improve their lives and neighborhoods. These projects assist individuals
to develop as community leaders and to mobilize the community's resources.
Economic development projects assist poor and low- income people
to develop new businesses and create new jobs. Projects provide the potential
for low-income people to share greater ownership of assets and participate
in decision-making.
Summary of criteria and guidelines for CCHD funding:
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Projects must benefit a poverty group, with at least 50 percent of
those benefiting from the project coming from the low-income community.
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Members of the poverty group must have a dominant voice in the project.
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CCHD-funded projects must conform to the moral teachings of the Catholic
Church.
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Projects should innovatively address the basic causes of poverty
and effect institutional change.
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Projects should generally contribute to a more integrated and mutually
understanding society.
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Education
When the U.S.
bishops created the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, they understood
the need to integrate support for community organizations with education
about poverty and injustice.
They believed
that CCHD would "lead the People of God to a new knowledge
of today’s problems" and that it would promote "a greater spirit
of solidarity among those who are successful, those who have acquired
some share of the nation’s goods, and those still trapped in poverty."
The bishops said the Campaign’s educational goal was to "impress
the facts about poverty on the non-poor and to effect in them a conversion
of heart."
The
Catholic Campaign for Human Development accomplishes this goal through
Target, a program of intensive justice education for parishes in our diocese,
and through Journey to Justice,
an education program which brings together Catholic parishioners and funded
group representatives in a shared retreat experience.
Publications and Parish Resources
Browse CCHD catalog of promotional resources and justice education
materials at: http://www.nccbuscc.org/cchd
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