The Papal Foundation announced more than $15 million in grant allocations for 2026, supporting over 144 projects in 75 countries and marking a record level of global impact.

In a press statement released on Saturday just ahead of their audience with Pope Leo XIV, The Papal Foundation said the grants will support infrastructure, programming, and humanitarian aid identified by the Vatican, with a focus on communities most in need around the world.

The 2026 grants will assist a wide range of initiatives serving the poor and the Church. These include the construction and renovation of Catholic schools, classrooms, monasteries, orphanages, and medical clinics in numerous countries.

Other projects include a dormitory in Tanzania to help protect girls from early marriage, trafficking, and sexual abuse, and boys from leaving school; a safe school for marginalized tribal children in India; a library and technology center in the Central African Republic; professional IT training for vulnerable women in the Philippines; and a well and water tower in the Republic of Guinea.

Ward Fitzgerald, President of The Papal Foundation Board of Trustees, said the grants are at the heart of the Foundation’s mission.

He described the projects as a sign of “hope,” responding to urgent needs and strengthening Catholic communities in developing nations.

The grants were approved following a review process led by the Foundation’s Grants Committee, chaired by Trustee Dr. Tammy Tenaglia of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

The committee reviewed requests submitted by the Vatican in the Fall of 2025 and recommended 144 grants for approval, with support from the Foundation’s Mission Fund Committee.

The Board of Trustees approved more than $15 million in total allocations, including $12.5 million in current grants and an additional $3 million to be distributed through the Foundation and its affiliates before the end of 2026.

The Foundation also noted continued growth among its Stewards of Saint Peter, with 25 new families joining since the election of Pope Leo XIV.

Its annual pilgrimage to Rome has brought together 56 Steward families.

The pilgrimage, the first since the election of Pope Leo XIV, includes visits to St. Peter’s, the Lateran Palace, the Angelicum, a candlelight rosary at St. Mary Major, and an audience with the Holy Father.

David Savage, Executive Director of The Papal Foundation, said the Foundation’s growth reflects a shared commitment “to serve, to give, and to bring the Church’s mission to life in meaningful ways across the globe.”

Since its founding in 1988, The Papal Foundation has distributed more than $270 million in grants, scholarships, and humanitarian aid to more than 2,700 projects selected by Pope Leo XIV, Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope St. John Paul II.

Pope Leo: The Papal Foundation’s generosity shows goodness of God

Pope Leo XIV met with stewards, trustees, and members of The Papal Foundation on Saturday, May 2, as the US-based charitable organization makes a pilgrimage to Rome.

He recalled that his former Diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru, received financial support from the foundation, and thanked them for their mission to assist the Successor of Peter’s ministry to the universal Church.

“I was pleased to learn that membership in the Foundation continues to grow each year and that you have expressed an openness to increase the support provided as well as find new ways of being of service,” he said.

Though Christ commissioned the Apostles and their successors, the bishops, to guide the Church, he said, every Catholic has been entrusted with the mission to proclaim the Gospel in word and charitable deed.

“As St. James wrote to the early Christian community, faith without works is dead and has no power to save,” he said, “and the Gospels teach us that the Lord expects His disciples to care for the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable.”

Pope Leo noted that The Papal Foundation provides humanitarian aid and scholarships for people from around the world, participating in the Church’s evangelical mission.

These include priests and consecrated religious who are able to receive an advanced education so that they may become future leaders in the Church.

“Your generosity,” he said, “has allowed countless people to experience in a concrete fashion the goodness and kindness of God in their own communities.”

The Pope thanked members of The Papal Foundation for their generosity on behalf of all those who have benefited from their kindness.

Recalling that their encounter takes place during the Easter Season, he pointed to the Lord’s greeting “Peace be with you!” and renewed Christ’s invitation for His disciples to be instruments of peace.

Pope St. Paul VI, he noted, called development “the new name of peace,” adding that his predecessor meant that “true harmony is not simply the absence of conflict, but comes from actively promoting an authentic integral human development.”

“Fostering genuine progress through tangible initiatives like those supported by the Foundation is a sure way to encourage concord among communities and individuals,” he said.

Finally, Pope Leo XIV renewed his gratitude to The Papal Foundation for their pilgrimage to Rome and for their support for his ministry and the work of the universal Church.

“I ask for your continued prayers for my ministry as the Successor of Saint Peter and for the needs of the Church.”