History
The Catholic Foundation is established by Catholic businessmen and lay leaders in the community.
The Sistine Chapel Choir performs to benefit the Foundation. Funds from this performance, along with diocesan contributions, made possible tuition grants of nearly $225,000 to 648 families and 1,281 students.
The $10 million Legacy of Catholic Learning campaign funds an endowment for Catholic education.
The Church Maintenance & Repair Fund is created with an established gift of $100,000.
The Founders’ Club was established with 20 donors contributing $10,000 each. The goal of the Founders’ Club was to create an endowment to help cover future operations for The Catholic Foundation.
For the first time, the Foundation distributed nearly $1 million in grants in a single year and 100 funds under management.
After 10 years in operation, The Catholic Foundation holds over $24 million in endowed funds to benefit the parishes, schools and organizations in the diocese.
The Catholic Foundation exceeds $10 million in impact dollars distributed to the parishes, schools, and organizations in the diocese.
$48 million raised in The Challenge in Challenging Times campaign, funding six endowments to support needs across the diocese. The first grants from the campaign total $200,000.
The Catholic Foundation reaches $25 million in impact distributed to the Catholic community. Bishop Griffin announces his retirement and Bishop Frederick F. Campbell is named 11th Bishop of Columbus.
Twenty years after an initial $1 million in assets, the Foundation approaches $95 million in assets.
The Focus Funds are established to support key areas of need, including education, parish life and social services.
Impact dollars distributed to the Catholic community reach a total of $50 million. The Dei Gratia award is established to recognize individuals or organizations for their faith and generosity. The same year, the Foundation moved into the historic original Wendy’s corporate office and first restaurant building on Broad Street.
The Catholic Foundation distributed nearly $6 million in impact dollars, breaking previous records for grants in a single year.
For the third year in a row, the Foundation celebrated its biggest year ever for grants with $9.5 million distributed, bringing the total impact to over $86 million since its inception. The Catholic Foundation established two new association groups: The St. Martha Women’s Giving Circle (The Martha’s) and the St. John Fisher Stewards.
Bishop Robert J. Brennan was installed as the 12th Bishop of Columbus.
The unexpected and unprecedented impact of the coronavirus pandemic was felt by every parish in the Diocese of Columbus, especially by its food pantries. As a result, The Catholic Foundation established the Catholic Emergency Response Fund (CERF) which raised over $1 million.
The Catholic Foundation reaches a milestone with $225 million in assets under management. At the end of that year, the Foundation welcomed to its first floor as a tenant the Museum of Catholic Art & History.
Most Reverend Earl K. Fernandes was ordained and installed as the 13th Bishop of the Diocese of Columbus on May 31, 2022.
Granting impact was over $27 million and gifts exceeded $34 million. The Foundation launched the $20 million Forming Spiritual Entrepreneurs Campaign for evangelization and vocations.
