The Papal Foundation, a U.S.-based charity that funds projects requested by the pope, announced May 2 that it approved more than $15 million in grant allocations for Church-run projects in 2026, a record amount in the organization’s 38-year history, Vatican News reported.
The announcement came as members of the foundation met with Pope Leo XIV during their annual pilgrimage to Rome. The outlet reported that the grants will support 144 projects across 75 countries, with a focus on infrastructure, education, humanitarian aid, and pastoral programs for poor and vulnerable communities.
The foundation’s board approved $12.5 million in immediate grants, along with an additional $3 million to be distributed through the foundation and its affiliates before the end of 2026. According to Vatican News, the projects include the construction and renovation of Catholic schools, classrooms, monasteries, orphanages, and medical clinics, as well as targeted initiatives such as a dormitory in Tanzania to help protect girls from trafficking and sexual abuse, a safe school for tribal children in India, and clean water infrastructure in Guinea.
Ward Fitzgerald, the foundation’s board president, described the grants as a concrete sign of hope that responds to urgent needs and strengthens Catholic communities in developing nations, Vatican News reported.
The foundation selected the grants through a review process led by a committee chaired by Dr. Tammy Tenaglia of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The committee reviewed requests submitted by the Vatican in fall 2025 and recommended the grants for approval, with support from the foundation’s Mission Fund Committee, according to the report.
Since its founding in 1988, the Papal Foundation has distributed more than $270 million in grants, scholarships, and aid to more than 2,700 projects approved by Pope Leo XIV, Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI, or Pope St. John Paul II.