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Catholic Charities of ArkansasCatholic Campaign
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The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is the U.S. Catholic bishops’ domestic anti-poverty and social justice program. It was founded by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1970 to:
- Empower —CCHD is the nation's largest private funder of projects that empower the poor and seek to eliminate poverty and injustice. CCHD also educates the non-poor about root causes of poverty and Catholic social teaching.
- Raise Funds — The annual CCHD collection is held in parishes the Sunday before Thanksgiving. These funds are used to make grants for self-help projects. The diocesan office administers small grants while the national CCHD office allocates larger grants. Any group interested in obtaining a CCHD grant should contact the diocesan office.
Twenty-five percent of the annual CCHD collection stays in our diocese to fund small, local projects and 75 percent is sent to the national CCHD office to be used for the national grants. The Diocese of Little Rock has received $750,000 over the past 10 years to distribute as grants throughout the state to local groups and projects such as Birthright, Our House and Helping Hand.
During its history, CCHD has provided more than 7,000 grants, many in Arkansas, to self-help projects developed by grassroots groups of poor persons. The projects’ successes and the relationships developed have significantly changed the lives of the poor in our country. CCHD is supported solely by private donations. The program owes its success to the Catholic parishioners who contribute to the annual parish appeal. To learn more, see the local grants awarded in 2012