U.S. Commits Over $240 Million to Catholic Relief Services for Worldwide Humanitarian Operations

Today, the United States announced more than $240 million in humanitarian and disaster response assistance to Catholic Relief Services (CRS). Ryan Shrum, Senior Bureau Official at the State Department’s Bureau of Disaster and Humanitarian Response, unveiled the commitment in Rome, Italy, alongside U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch; Lynda Blanchard, Permanent Representative of the United States to the UN Agencies in Rome; Jennifer Poidatz, CRS Vice President for Humanitarian Response; and Alistair Dutton, Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis.

This award to CRS marks the first in a broader series of global State Department grants to established, vetted implementing partners. The initiative is designed to accelerate the deployment of time-bound, life-saving aid during crises worldwide, empowering responders to act within 24 hours. The model complements the Department’s longstanding memorandum of understanding and $3.8 billion in funding channeled through the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). By streamlining bureaucratic grant management, the approach aims to deliver aid more swiftly, efficiently, and accountably to U.S. taxpayers.

Global Reach Through Local Partnerships

CRS operates through a vast network of local partners, including more than 160 Caritas chapters worldwide, ensuring that aid reaches the most vulnerable populations quickly and effectively. Following Hurricane Melissa, for instance, CRS proved its ability to deliver assistance in politically complex settings such as Cuba, where local partnerships allowed humanitarian goods to reach those in need without interference from the regime.

Multi-Sectoral Support for Active Crises

CRS will direct this funding toward multi-sectoral assistance—spanning food, nutrition, health, water, sanitation, shelter, and other critical areas—in nations facing severe humanitarian needs, including Burma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Nigeria, and Sudan. The organization already maintains offices and personnel in the DRC supporting Ebola containment efforts. This new funding will augment those Ebola response activities and expand its broader humanitarian programming across the country.

Rapid Reaction to Disasters and Shocks

The contribution will also underwrite a global rapid-response fund, enabling CRS to immediately deploy its extensive local partner network, including Caritas organizations, to deliver assistance wherever needs arise—whether in sudden-onset disasters or escalating complex emergencies. Because the funds are pre-positioned, CRS can react instantly, circumventing protracted procurement procedures.

Complementing Existing Assistance

State Department officials are coordinating closely with CRS and other implementers, including OCHA, to ensure that U.S. taxpayer-funded aid is distributed efficiently, accountably, and with maximum life-saving impact, while minimizing administrative overhead and duplication.

Faith-Based Partnerships in Practice

This support underscores the Administration’s commitment to collaborating with faith-based organizations that embody their mission through proven, effective humanitarian delivery in the world’s most challenging environments.

CRS has consistently demonstrated exceptional capacity in humanitarian service, making it a natural partner for this category of global assistance. The State Department looks forward to advancing its collaboration with CRS, OCHA, and other key implementers to realize a faster, more accountable, efficient, impact-driven, locally rooted, and sharply prioritized model of humanitarian aid.

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