Grants Awarded

2024 Cycle Two

The following organizations were awarded grants from the CPPS Heritage Mission Fund in Cycle Two of 2024. We wish them every success in the accomplishment of their goals in serving God’s people. Click on the organization names to visit their websites.

Affecting Community Transformation dba Oasis House
Project: Safe House Management and Beyond
Organization Mission: To offer hope and support to female survivors of sexual exploitation and human trafficking by promoting healing, empowerment and restoration through Christ’s unconditional love, teaching practical life skills and advocating in a transformational process.

Africa Exchange
Project: Change for Children – Kalacha
Organization Mission: Africa Exchange creates partnerships with marginalized rural communities in Kenya to enhance local capacity, protect vulnerable children and preserve fragile environments.

Asociación Instituto Para La Superacion de La Miseria Urbana de Guatemala (ISMUGUA)
Project: Creating habitable dwellings with separate bedrooms, cement floors and electricity for families living in extreme poverty
Organization Mission: We are an organization that supports diverse communities working on solutions for the development of a healthy environment for families living in conditions of poverty and extreme poverty, through democratic participation for self-sufficiency, political advocacy, knowledge management, the advancement of gender equity, and respect for human rights.

Bethany House Services
Project: Wraparound Services to Stabilize Families Experiencing Homelessness
Organization Mission: Founded in 1983, the mission of Bethany House Services (BHS) is to empower homeless and at-risk families with the solutions to achieve housing stability and long-term self-sufficiency. BHS provides comprehensive support services and shelter for women , children, and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Cincinnati. Since opening its doors, BHS has served more than 40,000 individuals and provided more than 740,000 nights of shelter. BHS’ programming, integrating emergency shelter services with dedicated family support, is a proven model that addresses the holistic needs of families. BHS’ services aim to address the root causes of homelessness and promote long-term self-sufficiency.

Beverly’s PGH
Project: The Greater Pittsburgh Infant Formula Bank
Organization Mission: At Beverly’s PGH, our mission is to celebrate and strengthen families in Southwestern PA through our three divisions, Birthdays, Babies, and Basic Care. Our goal is to empower families and help them thrive by using celebration as a vehicle to create positive social-emotional experiences, provide resource connectivity, and support basic material goods.

Call to Freedom, Inc.
Project: Marissa’s House: Supportive Housing for Adult Female Survivors of Human Trafficking and their Children
Organization Mission: Call to Freedom brings wholeness to all individuals impacted by sex and labor trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation by navigating a healing path through our continuum of care model. Statement of Faith: We model Christ in our approach to restore wholeness to those impacted by sex and labor trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.

Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition
Project: Expanding Ministry Reach to Spanish Speaking and Juvenile Detention Ministers
Organization Mission: The Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition (CPMC) promotes ministry to all people affected by incarceration and detention. We recruit, train, support and empower those called to this ministry. We strive to create a more just and merciful criminal justice system that upholds the dignity of every human person and advances restorative justice.

Catholic Social Services, Inc.
Project: Little Blessings/Pequeñas Bendiciones
Organization Mission: Since 1945, Catholic Social Services (CSS) has been a source of compassion, dignity, and hope for those Christ calls us to serve throughout our community. Serving over 10,000 individuals annually, our mission is supported by dedicated volunteers who help seniors find connection, guide families towards a brighter future, and assist young adults in transitioning to the workforce. Rooted in the belief that every person reflects the image of God, we journey together as neighbors, empowering individuals to shape their own futures with our unwavering support.

Circle of Hope International
Project: Empowering Christ-Centered Whole Child Learning at Grace Alliance Primary School, Malawi, Africa
Organization Mission: Our mission is to empower holistic community transformation as our spiritual act of worship, focusing on education, economic development and comprehensive health care programs. Grace School’s student population is made up of 850 children from extremely poor homes. We love to see our children actively engaged in learning in an environment that is Christ-centered. Our Grace School Mission states: We will teach a child to be curious by asking questions, exploring, solving problems and being creative in order to think and wonder about the world. We will teach a child to be confident and to care for others with empathy. We will create a foundation that will allow our children to thrive and succeed throughout their lifetime.

Cornerstone Center for Early Learning
Project: Early Intervention Program
Organization Mission: The mission of Cornerstone Center for Early Learning is to nurture confident young minds and support all families. Cornerstone prioritizes economically vulnerable children and their families with an award-winning early childhood education program including wraparound services for the entire family. More than half of Cornerstone children come from households eligible to receive childcare assistance, paying $25 or less per week. While children safely attend Cornerstone, their families can focus on employment and higher education opportunities, enabling them to improve their standard of living.

CrossRoads Corporation for Affordable Housing and Community Development
Project: Affordable Housing Development and Critical Home Repair
Organization Mission: CrossRoads Corporation is a nonprofit organization that through partnerships honors the history and supports the collective vision of rejuvenation, economic stability, healthy living, and educational achievement within the Grier Heights community. Our vision is that Grier Heights will be transformed residentially and economically, and the quality of life will improve dramatically with a constant focus on justice for its residents throughout the process. Our work and our purpose is to honor the history of this historic Black community and to mitigate gentrification, displacement, and dispossession for those who have called it home for generations

CUMAC Echo, Inc.
Project: Supporting CUMAC’s Food Rescue Team
Organization Mission: CUMAC’s mission is to fight hunger and its root causes through a holistic, trauma-informed approach that provides fresh and healthy groceries and basic necessities to individuals and families in need. By partnering with individuals and families, CUMAC provides access to important resources vital to obtaining equitable opportunity, alleviating food insecurity, and empowering guests to live a healthy, independent life. CUMAC’s work is guided by our Trauma-Informed Community Building strategy to change systems and perceptions that exacerbate food insecurity as we work together to (1) build on the existing resiliency and agency of guests, (2) decrease the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and (3) break the cycle of poverty.

Dayton Diaper Depot
Project: Healthy Babies Campaign 2024
Organization Mission: Our mission is to improve the community’s social, economic, and health outcomes by providing access to basic hygiene products for those who need them most. Our vision is for every baby’s cry to be met with a clean diaper and help every parent to be equipped to fully participate in life no matter what. Through our network of 49 community distribution partners the diapers go directly to families in need to ensure that babies are not forced to remain in soiled diapers and are less subject to health risks, predatory infections and potential violence from caregivers. Healthy babies are happier babies who have a more successful development path as they bond with their parents and can learn and be nurtured more simply.

EarthLinks, Inc.
Project: EarthLinks Workshop Program
Organization Mission: EarthLinks’ mission is to cultivate transformation and self-worth with people experiencing homelessness and poverty. By creating opportunities through Earth-centered programs, individuals step out of isolation and into community—restoring each other and the planet. Participants are the heart of the EarthLinks community and include creative, passionate, and incredibly resilient Metro Denver adults. Along with their strengths, participants bring with them a myriad of challenges; all are living below the Federal Poverty Level, currently or at imminent risk of experiencing homelessness, and facing a numerous complex and intersecting barriers to securing and maintaining stable housing.

Ecuador Quilt, Inc.
Project: Building Homes for Impoverished Families in San Pablo, Ecuador
Organization Mission: Ecuador Quilt, Inc. works with, and for, some of the most impoverished children and adults of Ecuador to improve their lives through financial and humanitarian support, including housing, education, food, and health services. In collaboration with local Ecuadorian residents, other U.S. individuals and organizations, and in concert with programs of the government of Ecuador, our work is non-profit, non-sectarian, and apolitical. Our vision is that adequate health care, nutrition, and relevant training and education will lift residents out of poverty to create a path to a self-sustaining future.

Finding Freedom through Friendship
Project: Widow Program
Organization Mission: Finding Freedom through Friendship, Inc. (FFF) is a 501©) nonprofit organization focused on the holistic transformation of women and children in endemic deprivation in Egypt and Guatemala. We aim to alleviate poverty by providing shelter, health, nutrition, education, economic skills, and emotional comfort for long-term sustainability for the individual and the community.

Fundación Educativa Fe y Alegría
Project: Inclusive Quality Education for Children in Alotenango, Guatemala
Organization Mission: The International Federation of Fe y Alegría is a nonprofit based in Colombia, with federation members in 22 countries, including Guatemala. Its mission is to promote from, with, and for the communities in which it works comprehensive and inclusive educational processes promoting and defending the universality of the right to quality education as a public good. Fe y Alegría is committed to the transformation of people and the promotion of global citizenship for the construction of democratic social systems. La Fundación Educativa Fe y Alegría Guatemala’s mission is to promote and develop free quality education for people living in social exclusion conditions.

Good Knights, Inc.
Project: Community Bed Blitz
Organization Mission: Good Knights of Lorain County is dedicated to ensuring that every child in Lorain County and Inner-city of Cleveland has a comfortable and secure place to sleep. We provide new beds, including mattresses, frames, bedding, and pillows, to children in need, fostering a sense of stability and well-being.

Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley
Project: Miracle Clubhouse Operations
Organization Mission: At Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley our mission is to empower people with disabilities and other disadvantages to achieve independence and improve their quality of life. Our vision is to make it possible for all people to live, learn, work and play with full inclusion in the life of the community.

Grace Urban Development
Project: Dayton Cooks
Organization Mission: The mission of Grace Urban Development is to empower the Greater Dayton community by addressing social, racial, economic, and health disparities. Through programs in workforce development, Healthy Living Zones, prevention and intervention, and youth development, we foster dignity, self-worth, and well-being. Our commitment is to create an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

Health Horizons International Foundation
Project: Improving Women and Children health outcomes in rural bateyes of the Dominican Republic
Organization Mission: To improve community health and access to healthcare, a human right, by strengthening the primary care system in the DR, empowering local communities to be the architects of their own wellbeing. HHI’s model empowers local leaders, strengthens primary health care quality, and is a bridge between health services, systems, and disadvantaged populations. By addressing the social determinants of health, including education, employment, access to clean water, lack of sanitation, sustainable housing, democratic participation, access to resources, and gender disparities, HHI strives to ensure that healthcare is an affordable, accessible, and universal human right for primarily low-income Dominicans and Haitian immigrants in isolated villages.

Home Roots Foundation
Project: Expanding the Women’s Goat Project to Restore Livelihoods
Organization Mission: Our purpose is to do God’s work by being in solidarity with the poor and socially marginalized. Specifically, we empower women economically and uplift children in Haiti to overcome poverty through quality education, entrepreneurship, and sustainable livelihoods. We believe a special focus on women’s economic empowerment and children’s well-being is the best way to ensure that no one is left behind.

Hope Network of Raytown, Inc.
Project: Food Assistance for the Poor
Organization Mission: The mission of Hope Network is to offer hope to the hungry and hurting by delivering exemplary care, affirming value, and meeting basic needs.

House of Mercy
Project: House of Mercy Food Pantry
Organization Mission: House of Mercy is a Catholic 501-c3 Non-Profit whose mission is to create environments where God’s mercy flourishes by providing basic necessities and opportunities for personal and spiritual growth. Founded by a Catholic priest in 2005 with the focus to serve the most basic necessities to the most under-served populations, House of Mercy helps sustain the body, as well as the soul, by feeding, clothing, and praying for and with anyone in need who walks through our doors. We operate a Thrift Store, Donation Center, and Food Pantry with the sole intent to serve the whole person by giving free food and clothing to those who need it most, with no demographic or geographical boundaries, while also reminding them of the dignity they deserve.

Ignatian Spirituality Project
Project: Ambassadors of Hope
Organization Mission: Founded in 1998 in Chicago by Fr. Bill Creed, SJ, and Ed Shurna (then-Executive Director of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless), the Ignatian Spirituality Project (ISP) is a Jesuit ministry which invites people recovering from homelessness and addiction to encounter God’s love, hope and healing through spiritual companionship that transforms lives. ISP delivers spiritual care and companionship programs, including overnight retreats, and ongoing spiritual reflection sessions, that walk with participants on the journey of recovery.

Instituto del Rincon AC (The Corner Institute)
Project: Program for Peace, Justice and Reconciliation
Organization Mission: The Corner Institute’s mission is to promote our rural Mexican region’s educational and economic development, prioritizing programs for those in greatest need. Our assistance to migrants’ families and children helps families resolve critical difficulties before these become family-fragmenting crises, while generating educational and earning opportunities. Our peace-building programs strengthen security by in partnership with church, community and the most vulnerable poor, empowering them to achieve better access to needed services by building transparency in local agencies, which helps prevent corruption while strengthening citizen participation in rural-appropriate responses to crime, natural disasters and regional emergencies.

Issa Trust Foundation
Project: Vision Mission
Organization Mission: The mission of the Issa Trust Foundation (ITF) is to provide a system of prevention, health promotion and education, community health improvement, and other services to promote well-being and development for the people of Jamaica. We work with partners throughout Jamaica to improve the health of children by increasing access to health services and education in a cost-effective and inclusive manner.

Just Roots
Project: It Takes A Village Community Farm
Organization Mission: Just Roots envisions caring communities that motivate and support all residents to participate and access food in ways that promote and sustain the holistic health of people and the environment. In pursuit of that vision, we lead community farms in collaboration with organizations rooted in disinvested communities.

Kupenda for the Children
Project: Equipping Christian Leaders in Kenya to Reduce Harmful Traditional Beliefs and Practices About Disability and Become Advocates for Children with Disabilities
Organization Mission: Since 1999, Kupenda has been working to transform harmful beliefs surrounding disability to those that improve children’s lives.

Ladies Empowerment and Action Program Inc
Project: A Chance for Change
Organization Mission: LEAP helps incarcerated women transcend their past and successfully reenter society by providing transformational education, programming and support. We serve as a model, voice, and advocate for the power of rehabilitation over retribution. LEAP strives to help women overcome the numerous barriers faced during reentry to the community. Our vision is for every woman who is or has been incarcerated and is committed to change to have the opportunity and tools to achieve her full potential.

Last Mile Food Rescue
Project: Increasing Capacity to Shrink the Hunger Gap
Organization Mission: Last Mile is on a mission to address the disconnect between food waste, hunger, and environmental sustainability by rescuing fresh, desirable food about to go to landfill and distributing it directly to over 100 nonprofit organizations in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

Loreto House
Project: Building Unbreakable Bonds
Organization Mission: Loreto House strives to see Jesus in all it serves, as life is sacred and precious. All persons, from conception till natural death, deserve the dignity given to them as a Child of God, made in His image & likeness.

Lumen Christi Institute
Project: Dialogues to Reform: a Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network Initiative
Organization Mission: An initiative of Lumen Christi, the Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network (CCJRN), is a network of legal professionals, scholars and Catholic leaders whose mission is to advance the humanization of the U.S. criminal justice system through a process of adaptive change. To date, CCJRN includes more than 120 legal practitioners (judges and attorneys), scholars, activist clergy and religious, as well as a coalition of 17 key institutional partners– namely the Chicago Catholic Lawyers Guild, six top-tier law schools including the participation of the Association of Jesuit Law Schools, 10 community-based organizations in the Chicago area, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.

Miami Valley Meals
Project: Prepared Meal Program
Organization Mission: Chefs transforming donated food into nutritious meals. Serving Those Who Serve The Hungry.

Power Of Love Foundation
Project: Provision of Comprehensive Healthcare Services, School support and Training to Children living in slum townships in Lusaka, Zambia
Organization Mission: Our mission is to build strong and vibrant communities by delivering innovative healthcare solutions and empowering women. Our work in Zambia addresses a population where 40% live in extreme poverty. Many children suffer from malnourishment, illness, mental health issues, and lack of education. We empower families with skills to care for their health by providing training in basic nursing, disease prevention, counseling, and medication adherence. We also offer food, high-protein soy supplements, medicines, and school support.

Pregnancy Resource Center, Inc.
Project: Free Clinical Care for Families with Unexpected Pregnancies
Organization Mission: Marsha’s Place is a support network for mothers and fathers in crisis with an unplanned pregnancy. Too often, generational poverty and abusive or tumultuous family situations strip young parents of the networks and resources they need to live a life of thriving, not simply surviving. Marsha’s Place focuses our efforts on meeting immediate medical needs for women with unplanned pregnancies, helping parents make informed choices, and investing relationally in moms and dads to help families grow and thrive.

Prince of Peace Center
Project: Strengthening Families, Building Community and Reducing Poverty
Organization Mission: Prince of Peace Center (an affiliate of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Erie) is dedicated to strengthening families, building community, and reducing poverty throughout all of Mercer County, PA. We have served the needs of the impoverished in Farrell, PA since 1983. Last year we served over 5,000 unduplicated individuals. In our programs, we feed the hungry through our soup kitchen and food pantry, we provide emergency assistance through immediate and short-term crisis intervention, educational classes to build self-sufficiency, and we also provide clothing and furniture assistance through our thrift store.

Rebirth Homes
Project: Victim to Survivor Program
Organization Mission: Rebirth Homes exists to combat human trafficking through education, awareness, and by providing a holistic residential program for survivors of human trafficking. We journey with survivors as they become empowered to be all they were created to be.

Rebuilding Together Dayton
Project: NeighborCare – Falls Prevention
Organization Mission: Rebuilding Together Dayton’s mission is to build community partnerships and provide home rehabilitation for low-income Dayton area homeowners, particularly the elderly, so they can live in warmth, safety, and independence. Rebuilding Together Dayton’s vision is a safe and healthy home for every person.

Refuge for Women, Inc.
Project: Long-Term Restorative Housing and Care for Female Survivors of Sex Trafficking & Sexual Exploitation
Organization Mission: The mission of Refuge for Women is to empower sexually exploited women to live a life of freedom through faith-based, residential healing programs.

Rehabilitation Center for Neurological Development
Project: Brain & Body Integration Program for Children
Organization Mission: The Rehabilitation Center for Neurological Development’s Mission Statement: To offer those with special needs the opportunity to achieve their maximum potential utilizing individualized neurodevelopmental, neuroeducational and wellness programs. To offer the general community the opportunity to increase their well being utilizing a variety of services within the wellness program.

Santa Maria Community Services
Project: Santa Maria Supportive Services
Organization Mission: Founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1897, Santa Maria Community Services serves Lower, East, and West Price Hill. Our mission is to serve as a catalyst and advocate for Greater Price Hill families to attain their educational, financial, and health goals, helping Price Hill become a vibrant, thriving, and self-sustaining community.

St. Francis Seraph Ministries
Project: Mother Teresa of Calcutta Dining Room – Accessing Basic Needs
Organization Mission: Saint Francis Seraph Ministries (SFSM) provides access to food, skills training, care, and community for the homeless and marginalized in Over-the-Rhine (OTR). Established in 2011, SFSM continues the legacy begun by the Franciscan Friars in 1844 that every individual has the right to nourishment and well-being. We embody the vision “We Are One:” One Table to nourish the body, mind, and spirit of those in need; One Team that works with our clients to make a difference in each of their lives; and One Community that engages greater OTR to increase our impact. Annually, we provide over 87,000 meals, equip individuals with skills training and pathways to employment, supply necessities for the homeless, and offer foot care clinics.

St. Jeanne de Lestonnac Free Clinic
Project: Bridge to Care Program
Organization Mission: Lestonnac Free Clinic was founded in 1979 by Sister Marie Therese Solomon to provide for the health needs of the poor and disenfranchised. Our ministry and mission are to provide free healthcare for low-income and uninsured residents of four Southern California counties. We also provide care via a street medicine ministry for people experiencing homelessness. Our program is blessed to have dedicated medical volunteers who donate their professional expertise to serve our patients. Our goal is to ensure that everyone has access to high-quality medical, dental, and behavioral health care services in a compassionate, caring environment to improve their quality of life. No one should be forced to forego healthcare due to an inability to pay.

St. John Vianney Parish Flint
Project: St. John Vianney School Boiler Replacement
Organization Mission: We, the faith community of St. John Vianney, are people called by God to be a people of prayer, to live the Word, and to celebrate the Sacraments. We commit ourselves to become a warm and welcoming community, reaching out to others in need. By calling forth the varieties of gifts, talents, and ministries, we seek to provide an open environment with opportunities for all to grow in holiness and loving service.

St. Vincent de Paul Social Services, Inc.
Project: Operating Support of Homeless Shelters
Organization Mission: The vision of St. Vincent de Paul Dayton District Council is to improve the lives of people in need in the Miami Valley. Our mission is to, with Christian purpose, accompany those in need one person at a time by focusing on shelter, food, and clothing. We hold unconditional service, hospitality, stewardship, and gratitude to be our core values.

StepStone, Inc.
Project: Operating Support for Transitional Housing and Outreach Services for Survivors of Domestic Violence
Organization Mission: Founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, StepStone responds to the critical needs of survivors of domestic violence and their children to nurture lives of stability and hope. Providing advocacy, counseling, transitional housing, and support services, our staff and volunteers are motivated by the God-given dignity of each person.

Tender Mercies Inc.
Project: Permanent Supportive Housing
Organization Mission: Tender Mercies mission is to transform the lives of homeless adults with mental illness by providing a community where residents can achieve their highest level of well-being. Tender Mercies is the only organization in our community devoted exclusively to providing permanent housing for adults battling mental illness and homelessness. We provide low-barrier access to housing to individuals living on streets or in a shelter, operating under the conviction that everyone is ready for housing regardless of their mental health status, sobriety, or criminal justice history. At Tender Mercies, we assess needs, develop effective interventions, monitor progress meticulously, and tailor our services to address individual circumstances.

The City Mission
Project: Laura’s Home Women’s Crisis Center
Organization Mission: Providing help and hope to all people through the transforming power of God’s love.

The Foundry Christian Community Center
Project: The Foundry Preschool Academy
Organization Mission: We empower the child, family, and community through a targeted mission. Specifically, we lay the foundation for future leaders to serve our community from the West End of Bowling Green through education, health and wellness, and spiritual development. Our ultimate goal is to join our neighbors in doing whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to bring about spiritual and community transformation in the West End.

Ugandan Water Project, Inc.
Project: Reduce Harm to Children by Providing Water Infrastructure
Organization Mission: As a tangible expression of Christ’s love, the Ugandan Water Project implements and advocates for safe and sustainably managed water, sanitation, and hygiene resources across Uganda, deploying the best available version of each resource and working collaboratively with local stakeholders to ensure they last.

Welcome House, Inc.
Project: Providing Food and Clothing for Homeless in Addiction Recovery
Organization Mission: Welcome House (WH) is committed to providing high quality, moral, and inclusive residential program to recovery alcoholics and drug addicted men and their families facing the difficult transition from treatment, incarceration, & homelessness to reintegration to society as productive citizens.

WPCU Sunshine Community Fund
Project: MoneyMagnifier™ – Lifting Students with Tools for Long-Term Success
Organization Mission: The WPCU Sunshine Community Fund’s mission is to strengthen the financial health and well-being of the communities in which WPCU, its members and partner-employees live and work.