The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is a national social justice program of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB). 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 education of the non-poor.

Each year in November, the Diocese of Owensboro participates in the national Catholic Campaign for Human Development collection. Catholic Charities retains a percentage of the collection to provide grant funding to local organizations that meet CCHD criteria. The board of Catholic Charities administers this grant allocation.

Catholic Charities must receive applications for grant funding by June 5, 2002, so that grants can be awarded by July 2002.

This grant is non-renewable and must be applied for annually. Each year approximately four grants are awarded ranging from $800-$2500 each. To apply, interested parties should request a grant application by calling Richard Murphy at 270-683-1545.

Criteria:

1. The applicant’s project must be within the thirty-two counties that comprise the Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro. These counties include Fulton, Hickman, Graves, Ballard, McCracken, Carlisle, Calloway, Marshall, Trigg, Lyon, Livingston, Caldwell, Christian, Hopkins, Muhlenburg, Todd, Logan, Simpson, Allen, Warren, Butler, Edmonson, Grayson, Ohio, Breckinridge, Hancock, Daviess, McLean, Henderson, Union, Webster and Crittenden.

2. The applicant project’s policymaking board must be at least one-third low-income. If this is not so, the applicant must explain why the board does not have sitting low-income board members. (Low-income board members do not include those considered voluntarily poor such as clergy, religious sisters, students, VISTA volunteers, etc.)

3. The applicant project’s efforts must seek to benefit a poverty group.

4. The applicant project must seek to create institutional or systemic change by changing the structures that keep people poor and powerless.

5. The activity for which funding is requested must be consistent with the moral teachings of the Catholic Church.