General Operating Support Applications go live February 15th and close March 16th.
JPII Fund for Faith Formation and St. Therese Fund for Evangelization Applications go live February 15th and close May 1st. Visit Application Information tab below for details.
General Operating Support Applications go live February 15th and close March 16th.
JPII Fund for Faith Formation and St. Therese Fund for Evangelization Applications go live February 15th and close May 1st. Visit Application Information tab below for details.
Grant funding supports Parishes and pastoral programs in the Diocese of Bridgeport. With a focus on reinvigorating our Catholic faith and formation, this foundations prioritizes Priests, vocations, faith formation, discipleship, evangelization and justice. We are on a life long journey and strive to love and accompany our brothers, sisters and neighbors especially the most vulnerable among us. Click here to learn about the nine funds/ministries.
Grant Opportunities
We prioritize funding Parishes most in need. The Foundation values collaborations and partnerships. Parishes and Diocese of Bridgeport programs have the opportunity to apply and receive grants to support Bishop Caggiano's vision for The One by reimaging faith formation, exemplifying discipleship, engaging in evangelization and missionary outreach. The foundation has four types of grants designed to elevate relevant, creative, and replicable approaches to enhancing Pastoral Ministries. Click here to read more.
Welcome To
Foundations In Faith
Foundations in Faith embraces innovative approaches to funding Pastoral ministries in the Diocese of Bridgeport. Resources focus on energizing lifelong formation and discipleship and fostering a commitment to justice and accompaniment with our most vulnerable.
From Seminarians to Retired Priests, from Baptism to Last Rites, from suburbs to Inner cities.
The reach is broad, and the impact is meaningful.
Ensuring the vitality of our church demands immediate and ongoing efforts to listen, learn, connect, create, leverage and partner. Investments in time, talent and treasure will create furtile ground to plant seeds of discipleship. In our parish ministries, we must innovate, increase our evangelization efforts to welcome folks to come to or in some cases return to participation in parish life. Forming young people committed to Christ requires the reimagining of faith formation and the expansion of meaningful youth ministry programs. Our seminarys must continue to welcome, educate and form men for the priesthood, and as a Catholic community we will embrace our commitment to provide for the needs of our retired priests.
In our community, we must continue to show God’s love to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities; and meet the spiritual needs of the elderly living in nursing homes. Foundations in Faith will empower the Church in Fairfield County to support, strengthen and build collaborations to enrich our varied pastoral ministries.
Since 2019 more than $40,000 has been distributed through this program that meets a very specific need for ministries in our parishes and in the diocese: funding for innovative approaches or when an exceptional need such as financial constraints prevents the applicant from fulfilling the ministry’s mission. So far this fiscal year, Foundations in Faith Read More ››
Starting on February 15, parishes and ministries of the Diocese of Bridgeport will once again be able to apply for funding from Foundations in Faith via the JPII Fund for Faith Formation and the St. Therese Fund for Evangelization. Since 2019, both funds have provided more than one million dollars to faith formation and evangelization Read More ››
Every vocation begins with a “Yes,” and in the Diocese of Bridgeport, as of the end of 2025 thirty-eight men have answered the call and are currently at different stages of formation for the priesthood. More “Yes” are anticipated from at least a handful of men currently in the discernment process. We know this as Read More ››
Today we’d like to remind all General Operating Support grantees that your deadline for Final Reports is fast approaching on February 15. We made it easy and opened the application window for the 2026- 2027 year on the same day! 📝✅
📧 cschirm@foundationsinfaith.org with your questions, Carol is ready to assist!
Thank you to our grant recipients who have already submitted their reports 💛 If you have not, please log into your Grant Applicant Portal and submit your Mid Project Report for your JPII Fund for Faith Formation or St. Therese Fund for Evangelization award. And if anything comes up, please reach out to Carol 📧 cschirm@foundationsinfaith.org.
☎️ By the way, if you tried reaching Carol by phone this week, we experienced some tech issues that have been resolved now. Our apologies for the inconvenience 🤍✨
Attention all 2025-2026 JPII FUND FOR FAITH FORMATION & ST THERESE FUND FOR EVANGELIZATION Grant Recipients—your Mid Project Report is due next week! 📧 Carol cschirm@foundationsinfaith.org with any questions 🤍🔥✨
May the presence of our Lord be your peace and joy this Christmas and all through the year. ✨ Consider supporting the mission of Foundations in Faith—link in bio to our Give Central page for online giving or contact Kelly Weldon, Director 📧 kelly.weldon@foundationsinfaith.org.
Last month, Foundations in Faith’s the St. Francis Xavier Fund for Missionary Parishes celebrated FIVE years and $2.3M in grants by publishing an impact report. Go to link in bio to read about the transformative power of this ministry and consider joining the effort! 🔥 SFX FUND ✨ EMPOWERING PASTORS ✨ EQUIPPING PARISHES ✨ IGNITING RENEWAL 🔥
Faith Formation programs in parishes and from Diocese of Bridgeport offices have received $1M+ in grants from the St. John Paul II Fund for Faith Formation. Just in 2025-2026 33 recipients received $174,775 in grants ranging from $300 to $10,000 awards. The thing is, no matter the amount, these funds are helping conform hearts of all ages to Christ—the St. John Paul II Fund for Faith Formation and The One go hand in hand!
In addition to our general operating support and program support grants, each year the Board of Foundations in Faith allocates funds to its Mini Grants and Special Projects program so it can be ready to respond to the needs that arise throughout the year. Mini Grants focus on exceptional need or innovation from our parishes and diocesan offices and initiatives. Most recently, it funded three Catholic musicians to play at the second annual Christian Music Festival hosted by the Guild of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Jude Parish in Monroe.
With classes starting this week in our area, Foundations in Faith is proud to support Catholic schools in the Diocese of Bridgeport through three different initiatives: the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Fund for Catholic Schools which helps keep the cost of tuition low, the St. John Bosco Fund for Special Needs in Catholic Schools which supports implementation of special needs programs, and the St. Catherine Center for Special Needs Fund which provides general support for its namesake school in Fairfield. 📚🤍
Each year since 2021, Foundations in Faith has supported pastoral care teams at nursing homes in Stamford, Trumbull, and Danbury. Our grants bring resources to priests, religious, and lay staff and volunteers walking with some of the most vulnerable among us. Over the past few years the Lourdes Fund has helped bring technology to these teams which has become a major component of these ministries, streaming catholic content like movies, music, and live prayer and devotions to residents. 💐
Last year Foundations in Charity merged into Foundations in Faith and the Catholic Charities of Fairfield County Fund was established. This year the first grant was made to Catholic Charities of Fairfield County Inc in support of one of the largest private family service agencies in Fairfield County, serving the most vulnerable in our community. 🤍
