Background

History of the Catholic Cares Coaliton

Founded in response to the global pandemic, the Catholic Cares Coalition emerged in February 2021 from a call by four leading Catholic organizations inspired by Pope Francis’ call for solidarity:

"At a time when everything seems to disintegrate and lose consistency, it is good for us to appeal to the 'solidity' born of the consciousness that we are responsible for the fragility of others as we strive to build a common future. Solidarity finds concrete expression in service, which can take a variety of forms in an effort to care for others. And service in great part means 'caring for vulnerability, for the vulnerable members of our families, our society, our people.'"

Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti

In response, the coalition promoted vaccine equity in the U.S. and around the world, drawing on Catholic social teaching, for people who are underserved or marginalized. This includes communities of color, rural areas, and others with limited vaccine availability in the U.S., as well as access for developing countries and among refugees and other displaced people who may not be citizens in their current home.

The four founding members were soon joined by more organizations seeking to amplify the teachings and work of the Catholic church, pool resources and spread the word about their activities. Four quickly grew to 50 and eventually [65 organizations] became members. 

The distinctly Catholic perspective and resources of each coalition member, and long history of success in their varying missions, offered a unique opportunity to address three goals:
 

1. Leverage their communication channels and resources to share consistent information about the importance and moral responsibility of individuals to accept a COVID-19 vaccine when available.
2. Provide human, spiritual, and pastoral support for those struggling to understand, affirm, and act on Catholic social teaching, including the teachings of Pope Francis and the U.S. Catholic Bishops.
3. Advocate for the equitable distribution of the vaccine in the U.S. and globally.

One key tool for the work of the coalition, providing microgrants for vaccine awareness and acceptance, was originally funded by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and then the Kaiser Permanente Foundation.

Microgrants in the amount of $10,000-$15,000 were awarded to nonprofit organizations that were aligned with Catholic Social Teaching and working to educate and create opportunities for African American and Latino populations to have access to and accept the COVID-19 vaccine. Grant recipients received multiple levels of support through consulting, marketing, and communications assistance through the Catholic Cares Coalition.

Throughout 2021 and 2022, the coalition also wrote letters, participated in vaccine equity events on the National Mall in Washington DC, and highlighted the work of its members, from parish and university awareness events to brainstorming about progress and challenges in Haiti to a rural doctor’s reflection on her faith. Members of the coalition collaborated to provide timely conscience formation resources that aid individual Catholics seeking to understand how to respond to signs of the times by following the Church’s teachings. One visible effort was a bilingual social media campaign called #HazloPorAmor which provided videos, images and text for organizations working to increase vaccine acceptance and equity.

In February of 2022, the Catholic Development Council and the Nonprofit Alliance recognized the Catholic Cares Coalition as the Catholic Nonprofit of the Year at the Faith and Fundraising Conference. 

That fall, the steering committee recognized that signs of the times were changing and established the current goals.