After a year of funding cuts for Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. State Department has announced a $240 million grant for emergency relief.
After a year of funding cuts that forced Catholic Relief Services to end aid to an estimated 20 million people, the U.S. State Department has announced a $240 million grant to resume humanitarian operations, the first in what officials say will be a series of awards.
More than 200 million people each year rely on Catholic Relief Services (CRS) for everything from emergency disaster relief to nutrition, medical care, and education, but many of those services had been on pause since USAID was dismantled in early 2025. Now this new funding will make it possible for emergency disaster relief in particular to resume.
This grant and any future awards “will focus on the rapid deployment of time-bound, life-saving assistance in response to crises around the world, with implementers able to respond within 24 hours,” according to the State Department press release. "With funds already on hand, CRS can respond immediately, bypassing lengthy procurement processes."
The focus of funding efforts is on CRS’ “global rapid response fund,” which allows assistance to quickly reach those most in need during new emergency situations. The funding will focus on urgent humanitarian needs such as emergency food, clean water, nutrition and shelter.
CRS is one of the largest U.S. charities, generating over $1.2 billion in annual revenue and employing some 5,000 people across more than 90 countries. Prior to 2025, CRS was the largest USAID recipient, receiving $476 million. The new grant represents roughly half of what CRS previously received annually from USAID.
Ryan Shrum, Senior Bureau Official for Disaster and Humanitarian Response, announced the grant June 5 at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, together with Brian Burch, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See; Ambassador Lynda C. Blanchard, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome; Jennifer Poidatz, CRS Vice President for Humanitarian Response; and Alistair Dutton, Caritas Internationalis Secretary General.
In a social media announcement, Burch said:
CRS's expertise, its deep roots in disaster response, and its network of local partners will help us deliver a fast, flexible, and efficient model of global humanitarian assistance. This grant is the first in a series of global State Department awards to trusted and vetted partners capable of rapidly responding to crises in America’s interest.
This funding will make it possible again for CRS to provide rapid relief for some of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
“As we speak, CRS staff are on the ground in DRC, supporting the response to the Ebola outbreak,” Burch said. “This funding will supplement CRS’s Ebola response efforts and their work to address other humanitarian needs throughout the country.”
In conjunction with the announcement, the embassy hosted a roundtable discussion on humanitarian relief with several faith-based groups including: the Community of St. Egidio, Doctors with Africa CUAMM, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Caritas Internationalis, and Catholic Relief Services.
