Grants from GHR Foundation and Conrad N. Hilton Foundation support training for women religious
Congregations of Catholic sisters will have an opportunity to strengthen their fundraising and development efforts through a comprehensive resource development program for women religious offered by Lake Institute on Faith & Giving.
“Advancing Mission: Women Religious in the 21st Century,” includes training for congregational leaders and an opportunity for congregations to secure multi-year grant funding to build congregational fundraising and development capacity, as well as ongoing support through coaching and peer learning.
The training, which is the second offering of the multi-year program, is supported by the GHR Foundation and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation with more than $1.6 million in grant funding. The two foundations also supported the launch of Advancing Mission in 2013.
“It is an honor to work alongside congregations of women religious in our Advancing Mission initiative to foster sustainability in these Catholic communities. These ministries and leaders remain essential to the vital work that religious organizations do here in the U.S. and around the world. And we are grateful for the support of the Hilton and GHR foundations that continues to make this work possible,” said David P. King, the Karen Lake Buttrey Director of Lake Institute on Faith & Giving.
A select group of congregations will have the opportunity to:
• deepen appreciation for fundraising and development as ministry,
• connect congregational mission to fundraising and development, and
• implement a robust program for mission advancement in the 21st century.
"GHR Foundation is glad to see sisters and lay colleagues able to draw upon the wonderful resources of the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving to build capacity for congregational mission and well-being,” said Kathleen Mahoney, senior program officer of GHR Foundation.
A four-year, nearly $825,000 grant from the GHR Foundation and $800,000 grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation will fund development and implementation of the program. Both foundations have a strong commitment to supporting Catholic sisters.
“We want to help Catholic sisters in the U.S. attract the resources they need to further their mission and ministries in support of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people,” said JC Walsh, senior program officer of the Catholic Sisters Strategic Initiative at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. “Lake Institute has stepped up with a training program that takes into account the opportunities and challenges facing Catholic sisters today.”
The participating congregations are:
Benet Hill Monastery, Colorado Springs, CO
Congregation of Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX
Daughters of St. Paul, Boston, MA
Notre Dame Sisters, Omaha, NE
School Sisters of Notre Dame, Baltimore, MD
Sisters of Charity of New York, Bronx, NY
Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Danville, PA
Sisters of St. Joseph of Baden, Baden, PA
Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus & Mary U.S.-Ontario Province, Marylhurst, OR
St. Paul's Monastery, Sisters of Saint Benedict, St. Paul, MN
The first gathering of this cohort was December 2-5 in Indianapolis. They will meet as a group twice more before the end of the grant. The program will begin with a development audit in 2019, which will help inform and shape the education and learning events to follow through 2020.
Lake Institute on Faith & Giving is the recognized leader in helping faith-based organizations build fundraising capacity. The institute served more than 1,000 denominational and congregational clergy and lay leaders nationwide during its most recent fiscal year.
“Women religious live out their faith in visible witness, and they model generosity with their whole lives, in community and through diverse ministry. The opportunity to help them develop integrated, faithful strategies of mission advancement for the 21st century is a privilege, and we at Lake Institute continue to learn from their excellent practices and creative innovations,” says Melissa Spas, managing director of education and engagement at Lake Institute on Faith & Giving.
About Lake Institute on Faith & Giving
Lake Institute on Faith & Giving exists to serve the public good by exploring the multiple connections between philanthropy and faith within the major religious traditions. Its mission is to foster greater understanding of the ways in which faith inspires and informs giving. Lake Institute is a program of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Follow us on Twitter or “Like” us on Facebook.
About the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI is dedicated to improving philanthropy to improve the world by training and empowering students and professionals to be innovators and leaders who create positive and lasting change. The school offers a comprehensive approach to philanthropy through its academic, research and international programs and through The Fund Raising School, Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, the Mays Family Institute on Diverse Philanthropy and the Women’s Philanthropy Institute. Follow us on Twitter @IUPhilanthropy or “Like” us on Facebook.
About Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation was created in 1944 by international business pioneer Conrad N. Hilton, who founded Hilton Hotels and left his fortune to help the world’s disadvantaged and vulnerable people. The Foundation currently conducts strategic initiatives in six priority areas: providing safe water, ending chronic homelessness, preventing substance use, helping young children affected by HIV and AIDS, supporting transition age youth in foster care, and extending Conrad Hilton’s support for the work of Catholic Sisters. In addition, following selection by an independent international jury, the Foundation annually awards the $2 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to a nonprofit organization doing extraordinary work to reduce human suffering. In 2018, the Hilton Humanitarian Prize was awarded to SHOFCO (Shining Hope for Communities), a grassroots organization based in Nairobi, Kenya that catalyzes large-scale transformation in urban slums by providing critical services for all, community advocacy platforms, and education and leadership development for women and girls. From its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $1.6 billion in grants, distributing $114.9 million in the U.S. and around the world in 2017. The Foundation’s current assets are approximately $2.8 billion.
About GHR Foundation
GHR Foundation improves lives by working toward a just, peaceful and healthy future. Built on faith in entrepreneurial creativity, the foundation accelerates systemic change by nurturing promising new possibilities and partnerships in the areas of global development, education and health. For 50-plus years, GHR has been pioneering design-build philanthropy as it collaborates with community experts to design and build opportunities and favorable environments for change to take hold.