Catholic Relief Services (CRS), one of the largest international Catholic humanitarian organizations, is facing devastating funding cuts as a result of policy changes under the Trump administration. According to a Feb. 3, 2025, internal email from CRS president and CEO Sean Callahan, CRS is bracing for “massive cuts — as much as 50% this year” due to the elimination of U.S. foreign assistance funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) (National Catholic Reporter (NCR), Feb. 5, 2025).
“We anticipate that we will be a much smaller overall organization by the end of this fiscal year,” Callahan wrote in the email, warning that layoffs and program shutdowns are already underway (NCR, Feb. 5, 2025). The impact will be felt worldwide, disrupting essential humanitarian services such as water sanitation, disaster relief, healthcare, and education in over 120 countries.
While many Catholics might see this as a call to rally behind CRS financially, it raises an important question: is CRS truly the best place for faithful Catholics to invest their charitable giving? Or is there a more effective, mission-driven alternative?
The CRS Funding Crisis and the Reality of Deplatforming
CRS’s dependence on USAID funding, which accounted for 62% of its 2023 revenue, underscores a major vulnerability. For years, CRS has been financially tethered to government funding rather than direct support from the Catholic faithful. When that funding is suddenly withdrawn, CRS finds itself scrambling, unable to sustain its programs (NCR, Feb. 5, 2025).
Contrast this with Your Catholic Voice Foundation (YCVF) and Catholic Online School, organizations that rely not on government subsidies but on the generosity of Catholics like you. While CRS is being gutted by budget freezes, Catholic Online School continues to grow—offering over 7,000 free Catholic courses to students in 193 countries worldwide.
Why? Because we don’t rely on government handouts. We rely on you.
CRS’s Crisis vs. Our Mission to Educate and Evangelize
Catholic Online School has never been at the mercy of government funding. Instead, it has been targeted for its unwavering commitment to Catholic truth. In a world increasingly hostile to Christian education, we were deplatformed by Shopify —not because we failed to provide value, but because we stood firm in Catholic teaching and our Pro-Life stance.
CRS is experiencing a crisis because the government decided to cut its funding. We experienced a crisis because the secular world wanted to silence the Catholic message. The difference? Instead of collapsing under pressure, we adapted and expanded—reaching millions without compromising our values, thanks to support from donors like you.
Where Should Catholics Invest Their Charity?
CRS undeniably does good work. But its reliance on secular government funds has made it vulnerable, while its charitable donations from the Catholic faithful remain relatively low. Meanwhile, Your Catholic Voice Foundation, Catholic Online School, and related initiatives have been building a sustainable, faithful alternative—one that doesn’t depend on Washington but on the generosity of Catholics who believe in truly independent Catholic education and evangelization.
Bishop Gerald Kicanas, a former board chairman of CRS, warned that the USAID freeze will have “serious ramifications” worldwide, affecting “countless numbers of people in countries around the world” (NCR, Feb. 5, 2025). But what about the ramifications of the Catholic education crisis here at home? What about the millions of children who no longer receive proper Catholic instruction because schools have shut down or been forced to water down the faith?
CRS’s crisis is unfortunate, but it is not the most urgent crisis facing Catholics today. The most urgent crisis is the loss of faith among our youth and the deliberate efforts to erase Catholic education from the public square. That’s why Your Catholic Voice Foundation and Catholic Online School are fighting every day to restore and preserve authentic Catholic teaching—without being beholden to government funding.
You Have a Choice: CRS or Catholic Online School?
As Catholics, we are called to be good stewards of our resources. If you want your donation to have the biggest impact, consider this:
- CRS relies on secular government money, and when that money disappears, so do its programs.
- Catholic Online School has survived tech censorship and deplatforming to reach millions with free Catholic education.
- CRS is now cutting staff and shutting down programs because it never built a donor-driven foundation.
- Catholic Online School has only grown stronger through adversity because we depend on faithful Catholics like you.
The choice is clear. Give where your donation will make a lasting difference. Support Your Catholic Voice Foundation and Catholic Online School—organizations that have never compromised their mission and never will.
Donate today and ensure Catholic education and evangelization continue for generations to come.
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