By Daniel Payne
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 27, 2024 / 16:45 pm
The Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund (KCCF) has exceeded $100 million in awards given since the project was founded five years ago, the fraternal organization said in a press release this week.
The fund “has crossed a significant milestone” in surpassing the six-figure mark, the organization said in the release. The charity, founded in 2019, is run out of the Knights’ New Haven, Connecticut, headquarters.
The charity on its website says it is meant to “inspire a legacy of generosity within the Catholic Church.” The organization ensures that “all charities supported by the fund are deeply consistent with the values and teachings of the Catholic Church.”
Among the causes to which the KCCF awards grants are “higher education, evangelization, religious formation, and pro-life apostolates.”
Dennis Gerber, the president of the fund, said in the press release this week that the $100 million milestone is “a dream realized.”
“And for KCCF to achieve this charitable impact in just five years is very encouraging for our work going forward,” Gerber said.
“While this is an outstanding milestone, we believe it is just the first of many in our work of building a powerful new engine for supporting the Church and our communities.”
The fund has more than $120 million in assets under management, the press release said. It has “distributed over 11,000 grants to more than 2,000 organizations” across North America as well as Europe and Asia.
Among the group’s initiatives include the Ukraine Solidarity Fund, which works to provide shelter, food, medical supplies, and other necessities to Ukrainian families amid that country’s war with Russia.
The charity works with the Christian Refugee Relief Fund, which offers humanitarian assistance to Christians at risk of persecution, particularly in the Middle East.
The fund also supports the housing initiative Habitat for Humanity, as well as the Special Olympics and the American Wheelchair Mission.
Also notable among the Knights’ charitable works is its ultrasound purchasing program, in which the organization buys ultrasound machines for pregnancy centers.
The program helps save unborn lives by “giving [mothers] the opportunity to view their unborn children on ultrasound machines at pro-life pregnancy centers,” the Knights say on their website.
The Knights further offer broader assistance to pregnancy centers — including material and spiritual support — through the Aid and Support After Pregnancy (ASAP) Initiative.
Gerber this week said that St. Paul’s admonition to be “a cheerful giver” is “a driving force behind what we do with KCCF.”
“Our goal is to help provide the tools to inspire Catholics to give more generously and have a larger impact on organizations that are doing great work,” he said.
Daniel Payne is a senior editor at Catholic News Agency. He previously worked at the College Fix and Just the News. He lives in Virginia with his family.