Building Foundation

Building Foundation is sponsored by Catholic Extension Society. Funds the operation of ministries that extend a basic church presence to the most under-resourced communities through salary support and small operations funding.

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Building Faith | Inspiring Hope | Igniting Change * Our Impact by the Numbers * Give In Honor/In Memory * Charitable Gift Annuities * Qualified Charitable Distribution * Legacy & Planned Giving ### Our Award-Winning Magazine For 120 years, Extension magazine has published stories showing the transformative work of our mission. Donate $25 or moreContribute $25 or more per year to our mission to receive our quarterly publication.

This story already has 0 shares More Pages in This Section * How to Make a Request for Funding * Approved Extension Dioceses * Building Churches and other Facilities * Engaging Young Catholics * Enhancing Pastoral and Social Ministry * Restorative Justice Ministry Certification * Young Adult Leadership Initiative * Addiction Ministry Training * Capacitación para el Ministerio de Adicciones * The U.S.-Latin American Sisters Exchange Program * Catholic School Leadership Development * Encuentro y Misión Program: Theological Education for Latino Millennials and Gen Z * ENL Hernandez Fellows Scholarship * Latino Engagement Initiative * Christian Parenting and Caregiving Initiative * SPRED Training for Ministries for Persons with Disabilities * Mission Diocese Fund LLC * Giving Tuesday Fundraising Opportunity – #iGiveCatholic * Seminarian Endowment Challenge * Legacy Sunday Planning Support for Rural Parishes * Francis Cardinal George OMI STL Scholarship * M.

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Scholarships at Mundelein Seminary * 2026 Increased Offertory Program * Catholic Gift Annuities * 2026 Diocesan Fiscal Management Conference * 2026-2027 Lumen Christi Award Nominees * 2026 International Catholic Stewardship Conference * Pastoral Leaders on the Frontlines To help maintain and extend the church’s basic pastoral presence and administrative functions in the most under-resourced communities, through salary support and small operations funding.

Click here to find out how “Building Foundation” funding brought a resident priest to a Texas parish and its missions in the diocese of El Paso This funding initiative supports activities crucial to sustaining or expanding a Catholic presence in a diocese, ensuring that all Catholics have the opportunity to experience the faith.

This type of funding is available only to support fundamental administrative and pastoral services through small operations funding and salary subsidies of ordained, religious, and lay ministers who extend the Catholic faith in their diocese’s most under-resourced areas. Financially stable parishes or ministries, even if located in an “Extension Diocese” are not appropriate recipients of this type of support.

Funding in this category is provided to the communities with the greatest financial need, where the basic operation of fundamental services and institutions would be nonexistent or severely limited without external funding. Recipients of this form of funding are nonetheless asked to demonstrate the progress of their ministry and justify their ongoing financial need for such support on an annual basis.

### Qualifying Funding Areas Catholic Extension Society will consider funding the following basic operational and staffing needs: * Salary subsidies for core pastoral leadership, including priests, women religious and lay leaders * Salary subsidies for core diocesan or parish administration, such as business managers * Essential operating costs, including heating expenses and minister travel * Other basic resources for ministries or Catholic Church administrators in a diocese ### Funding Request Document Requirements * Begin New Online Funding Request * Letter of endorsement from the diocesan bishop (one letter is sufficient for simultaneously submitted requests, but a copy of that letter should be attached to each online request) * Financial statements from the diocesan office/program, or entity seeking support * Program budget for the year in which you seek funding To access a draft version of the Building Foundation funding application form, please click here.

Please note that this cannot be submitted in place of the online funding request. This document is only meant to serve as a guide for the information needed, but the official funding request must still be submitted online using the link provided above in order to be considered for funding. ### In Case You Missed It Best of CES### She prayed for vocations.

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Take action today and make a difference * ### Catholic Kinship Across America * ### Mission Immersion Program for Pastors ##### Highlighted Sections * Catholic Kinship Initiative * Spirit of Francis Award [](https://www. facebook. com/CatholicExtension/)[](https://www.

instagram. com/catholicextension/)[](https://x. com/CathExtension) Catholic Extension Society 150 South Wacker Drive, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606 Call now: 1-800-842-7804842-7804) Catholic Church Extension Society of the United States of America is a registered 501(c)( 3 ) nonprofit organization.

Donations are tax deductible as allowed by law. ### Receive inspiring stories of faith Stay updated on the transformative work we're doing to build up faith communities in America's poorest regions. Subscription can be cancelled at any time.

### Our Award-Winning Magazine For 120 years, Extension magazine has published stories showing the transformative work of our mission. Donate $25 or moreContribute $25 or more per year to our mission to receive our quarterly publication.