Catholic Campaign for Human Development

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development is the domestic anti-poverty program of the U.S. Catholic Bishops, working to carry out the mission of Jesus Christ "... to bring good news to the poor ... release to captives ... sight to the blind, and let the oppressed go free." (Luke 4:18)

Building a Strong Catholic Foundation

CCHD has a complementary mission of educating on poverty and its causes. This strategy of education for justice and helping people who are poor speak and act for themselves reflects the mandate of the Scriptures and the principles of Catholic social teaching.

Funds for CCHD’s work come from a national collection, held each September in all parishes in the Archdiocese of Seattle. With your support, we can join Catholics across America to break the cycle of poverty.

CCHD Internship Opportunity

Calling all social-justice minded, low-income Catholics! The Archdiocese of Seattle has an opening for a paid Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) Intern. This intern will assist local CCHD archdiocesan staff in promoting CCHD in the archdiocese. Tasks will vary but may include: providing anti-poverty education to schools, parishes, and community partners; creating digital and physical CCHD promotional materials for the Archdiocese; and connecting with potential local CCHD Grant applicants and confirmed CCHD National Grant applicants. Internships will run for 24 weeks beginning this Fall, with 15-16 hours of work per week. More information on CCHD internships can be found here. If you are interested in this position, please complete your application and return it to Annual Campaigns staff either by email at elijah.morgan@seattlearch.org, or physically at:

Archdiocese of Seattle
ATTN: Annual Campaigns - CCHD Intern
710 9th Ave
Seattle, WA 98104

CCHD Local Grants

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development local grant application packet is available each spring. The Annual Campaigns Office accepts grant applications from organizations that support the efforts of people with low incomes to change the social, political and economic conditions which cause and perpetuate poverty in Western Washington. A preference is given to organizations controlled by low-income people. The 2020 Local Grant program is currently closed.

Grant Materials

2020 CCHD Local Grants

Friends of the Carpenter — View
Vancouver, Washington. Simple woodworking is used as a way of creating a safe and supervised space for volunteers and homeless people to form friendships and help those who are homeless to network to find support and resources to change their life situations.
Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center — View
The Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center acts for justice in the church and in the world. IPJC is sponsored by twenty-two religious communities and collaborates with Catholic, ecumenical, interfaith and other organizations in carrying out this mission.
King County Community Partnership for Transition Solutions (KCCPTS) — View
KCCPTS comprises a group of over 40 partners that work with justice involved individuals released from prison or jail that are transitioning to their families and community. KCCPTS has been partnering with community organizations for over sixteen years. These partners are federal, tribal, state, county, city, faith, non-profits, community based and most importantly former consumers of the justice system.
Women's Housing, Equality, and Enhancement League (WHEEL) — View
Projects on homelessness among women in Seattle/King County, including planning for micro-enterprise and advocacy for increased shelter and housing.

CCHD National Grants

"The projects assisted by the Campaign have helped to create a more human and just social order, and they enable many people to achieve an increased measure of self-reliance." — Pope John Paul II

The following are current recipients of national grants from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. These funded projects operate in Western Washington. CCHD is committed to supporting groups of low-income individuals as they work to break the cycle of poverty and improve their communities. By helping those on the margins in our society to participate in the decisions and actions that affect their lives, CCHD empowers them to move beyond poverty.

An added benefit of receiving grants is the education that occurs in our parishes when connections are made with the funded organizations. CCHD is a unique effort in our Church, linking Catholic social teaching and organizing at local levels.

2020 CCHD National Grant Recipients

Through the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. To learn more about CCHD and the CCHD national grants process, and for a full listing of grants made in the U.S. through the USCCB, with approval by the local (arch)diocese, please visit the CCHD web site.

AMHO — Association of Manufactured Homeowners
Recognizing the unique legal and economic challenges manufactured homeowners face in today’s difficult housing market, the Association of Manufactured Homeowners strives to protect and expand the rights and interests of manufactured homeowners in the State of Washington through communication, education, negotiation and preservation of existing communities.
Capital Homecare Cooperative
A worker-owned and operated home care agency based in Thurston County, the mission of Capital Homecare Cooperative is to create and operate a worker-owned community of justly paid professionals providing exceptional in-home care to seniors and people with disabilities.
Centro Rendu (of SVdP) Centro Rendu
Centro Rendu gives voice to low-income Latino immigrant community members through education, access and leadership opportunities that help to build capacity, empowerment and authentic engagement. Their goal is to use their base to bring Latinos closer to the Saint Vincent de Paul mission by becoming Vincentians, participating and taking leadership roles in throughout the organization.
Circle of Life | A Caregiver Cooperative
Founded in 2009, Circle of Life Caregiver Cooperative is a worker-owned cooperative business providing in-home personal and home care services for elders and disabled persons in Bellingham and Whatcom County, allowing these groups to receive individualized, dignified care at from engaged, fairly compensated caregivers.
Tenants Union
TU Founded in 1977, the Tenants Union of Washington State works for housing justice through empowerment-based tenant education, organizing, leadership development, and advocacy. The TU is working to build a strong base of low-income tenant leaders across Washington State are mobilized to address barriers to housing and to work together to win comprehensive tenant protections in their communities.

CCHD Collection and General Resources

CCHD Links

CCHD - Catholic Campaign for Human Development — View
A national program of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, CCHD supports the efforts of low-income people seeking to change the social, political and economic conditions that perpetuate poverty.
Poverty USA — View
We Are Salt and Light — View
This online project from the USCCB includes resources intended as a catalyst for both the New Evangelization and the continuing development of vibrant communities living the Gospel in the United States.
The New Evangelization — View
The New Evangelization calls us to make our lives a proclamation of the Good News through our witness of love and justice. Learn more through the handout, “The New Evangelization: Disciples on Mission in the World”
New Evangelization and Social Justice Quotes — View
… About social justice as “an integral part of evangelization, a constitutive dimension of preaching the Gospel, and an essential part of the Church's mission"
Journey to Justice daylong retreat — View
The Journey to Justice retreat from the USCCB/CCHD facilitates an experience of encounter with people living in poverty and helps participants grow in understanding of the root causes of poverty in their community and reflect on how the Gospel challenges us to respond.
Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth) lesson plans and individual study guide — View
This resource can help you learn more about Pope Benedict's encyclical, which explores Catholic teaching on human development, economic life and other pressing global issues.
Poverty Awareness Month (January) — View
Celebrate this month with an online and print calendar and daily reflections. You can also sign up to have daily reflections emailed to you during January, from the USCCB/CCHD.
The Pope’s message at the Meeting of Popular Movements in California — View
Responses to questions about CCHD Grantmaking — View

Subcommittee on the CCHD

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development is overseen by a subcommittee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The USCCB is an assembly of the hierarchy of bishops who jointly exercise pastoral functions on behalf of the Christian faithful of the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands.