Contact
Ambassador's Fund for Catholic Education
Office: 610-502-5313
Mobile: 917-921-8998
Apply Now!Guidelines
The Ambassador’s Fund for Catholic Education supports innovative programs that advance Catholic education and ministry.
Grant Size & Term: One-time grants, typically $25k–$75k, for one year. Pilot programs may be funded for up to 2–3 years. Requests outside this range will be considered.
Funding Priorities: Fresh thinking, new action, and emerging concepts that strengthen Catholic education, engage youth, or deepen faith. The Fund may also invite organizations into funding conversations.
Spring 2026 Grant Cycle Timeline:
Portal Opens: March 17, 2026
Deadline: April 14, 2026 (11:59pm ET)
Award Notification: July 2026
Funds Available: July 2026
Not Funded:
Individuals, scholarships, tuition, financial aid
Non-program capital projects or campaigns
Annual operating/budget relief, prior expenses, or fundraising events
Endowments, debt reduction, political causes, other foundations (except in rare cases)
Stand-alone conferences or technology purchases (with limited exceptions)
Non-program staff positions
Application Process
LOI (Letter of Inquiry): Complete the Letter of Inquiry form to confirm eligibility and outline your project. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Fund (grants@ambassadorsfund.org) for guidance.
Proposal (if invited):
Narrative
Program Budget
Balance Sheet
Optional: up to two one-page supporting documents
All proposals must be submitted via the online portal. FAQs below clarify restrictions and requirements.
Organizations are encouraged to submit only one proposal per cycle, with limited exceptions.
Tip: Draft in Word/Excel, save copies, then upload.
Grants are awarded on a one-time basis and generally for a one-year period. Pilot programs may be considered for a 2–3 year period.
Catholic colleges: Yes, for initiatives that strengthen student understanding and practice of our Catholic faith, for example, through a series of Scripture studies, compelling theme-based retreats, rigorous examination of Catholic intellectual history, or other programs that increase appreciation of Church teaching and of its thinkers, authors, and rich insights.
Secular institutions: Yes, support is restricted to Newman Club programming at the Philadelphia-area public and private non-Catholic institutions and is generally overseen by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Office for Catechetical Formation.
As part of the proposal process, grant applicants might be invited to meet in the Ambassador’s Fund office with the Grant Review Committee to discuss the elements of their grant proposal. This is an opportunity to respond to specific questions and to elaborate on project/program details.
With some exceptions, site visits generally occur during the course of the funded program rather than as a component of the proposal application process.
Yes, in two words, impact and sustainability.
The Grant Review Committee will be looking for the expected program results as measured against the proposal objectives (outcomes).
The committee will also be looking for indications of sustainability of the funded program, i.e., how it will be integrated into the life of the school, parish, or organization once funding is completed. The committee will look for indications of funding that will be required after the grant period ends, an associated funding strategy, and sources of anticipated follow-on funding.
Overall, the committee will be looking for concepts or problem solutions that are new, better, or different; clarity and coherence in the presentation of the case for support; a clear and solid project budget.
The Grant Review Committee will look for the connection between the proposed program/project and the budget structured to carry it out. The proposed program elements drive the budget. Applicants should not determine a desired grant award, e.g., $50,000, and create a program that backs into that amount.
Applicants should not request funding to support staff or faculty positions or for traditional needs, materials, or equipment that would be included in the annual operating budget. This would include the purchase of specific academic or student services programs that should be planned for or projected for addition over a series of years and then incorporated into the school’s operating budget of the relevant fiscal year.
Each grantee will be required to submit an interim report by January 15 of the funded year and a final report in June–July. For the Fall 2024 Cycle, an Interim Report will be due June 30, 2025 and the final report will be due December 31, 2025. Terms and conditions of the grant are defined in the grant award letter, which requires the countersignature of the organization’s primary officer. Reporting guidelines are noted in the grant award letter. Reports will be submitted through the online portal. In some cases, grantees will be invited to update the Fund on their progress through an oral report session.
The board meets in January to determine awards requested in the November deadline cycle. The board evaluates grant requests from the April deadline cycle in June.
Grant funds are payable upon receipt of a signed agreement letter from grantees.
Contact Megan Famular, Director of Grants Management, at megan@ambassadorsfund.org with questions on any aspect of Ambassador’s Fund for Catholic Education programs and guidelines.
Additional email option at famularmegan@gmail.com.