ACN’s annual report highlights the resilience of faith-based giving, with nearly 360,000 benefactors contributing, despite global economic uncertainty.
In a year marked by conflict and hardship, the international pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) raised $150.4 million in 2024 to support Christians in 137 countries. With an additional $2.4 million from prior reserves, the foundation funded over 5,300 projects—ranging from emergency aid to formation programs and church construction—reaffirming its mission to serve where the Church suffers most.
ACN’s annual report highlights the resilience of faith-based giving, with nearly 360,000 benefactors contributing, despite global economic uncertainty. Notably, ACN operates independently of government funding, a choice that maintains its freedom to respond to the Church’s most urgent needs without political constraint.
Ukraine received the highest single-country aid at $9.1 million, reflecting ongoing support for communities torn by war. Lebanon and India followed closely, with $7.4 and $6.7 million respectively. Africa, however, emerged as the region with the highest overall support—over 30 percent of ACN’s project aid. Countries like Nigeria and Burkina Faso have seen dramatic increases in assistance as they battle both poverty and rising extremist violence.
“Our help for Africa accounted for the largest slice of our project aid last year,” said Regina Lynch, Executive President of ACN International. “The Church in Africa is growing rapidly… but it also suffers deeply, particularly from jihadist terror.”
This global reach is matched by a wide range of initiatives. In 2024, ACN supported nearly 10,000 seminarians—one in every 11 in the world—and distributed 1.85 million Mass stipends to more than 42,000 priests. These stipends provide not only vital financial assistance but also spiritual solidarity, with a Mass being offered for ACN’s benefactors roughly every 17 seconds.
The foundation also invested in essential infrastructure: over 750 construction projects were funded last year, along with the distribution of more than 1,100 vehicles—including motorcycles, boats, and even a lorry—to aid remote pastoral work. In total, 28.2 percent of funds supported the formation of clergy and laypeople, while nearly a quarter went toward church buildings, and about 10.7 percent addressed emergency needs.
Lynch emphasized that behind every donation is a personal response to faith: “Many of you experience your own hardships, but still, you have answered God’s call to bring hope to others.”
Aid to the Church in Need also channeled over $18 million into raising awareness about persecution and religious freedom. This includes publishing religious materials, launching prayer campaigns, and advocating for Christian communities in crisis.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “The works of mercy … are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor” (CCC 2447). ACN’s 2024 report gives that teaching a concrete and global expression—underscoring how mercy, when made practical, can travel far and wide.
