On April 26 – less than a month ago – the Pillar reported that the executive director of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Ralph McCloud, had resigned from the CCHD earlier that month. The Pillar revealed that under McCloud’s leadership, the CCHD maintained a spending deficit of $8-$10 million annually, depleting the nearly $60 million in assets it had accumulated by 2012.
The Lepanto Institute has been exposing the CCHD’s funding of organizations promoting abortion, contraception, homosexuality, and Marxism since 2015. Despite the recent departure of McCloud, the CCHD is continuing to maintain an air of secrecy regarding its most recent grants. The latest grants list provided by the CCHD is from 2021-2022, which is nearly a full two years behind. In accordance with our ongoing effort to force full transparency at the CCHD, we are continuing to publish discoveries from the last grants list, while calling on the USCCB to publish the most recent information.
The Fund For the City of New York (FCNY) received its first national grant from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) as part of the 2021-2022 grants cycle. According to CCHD’s published list of grantees, it gave a total of $65,000 to FCNY for immigrant rights work.
The problem is that FCNY is itself an organization that primarily operates through giving grants and fiscal sponsorships. It is important to note here that the CCHD specifically forbids providing grants to organizations that would “re-grant” the money or use it to fund other organizations. On the CCHD’s Community Development Criteria, Guidelines and Policies page, under the heading, “The following organizations are not eligible for CCHD Community Development funding,” point 9 says:
“Organizations that would use CCHD money for re-granting purposes or to fund other organizations.”
As is plain in the image above, the CCHD provided a “Community Development” grant to FCNY, so we must assume that the grant was specifically intended for FCNY itself. In light of this, what we discovered is that many of FCNY’s granted and supported projects are openly and flagrantly supportive of grossly evil practices such as abortion, contraception, homosexuality, transgenderism and even witchcraft. These projects are so readily and publicly announced that it is highly improbable that CCHD was ignorant, and if by some small chance it was, that would show a level of gross incompetence that would require an immediate end of its Catholic granting activities.
Established in 1968 by the Ford Foundation, FCNY describes itself as an organization that “[is building] long-term relationships between nonprofit and government partners through our fiscal sponsorship and nonprofit loan financing.” It also states: “reflected in our staff, the organizations we work with, and the initiatives we support, the Fund is committed to fostering an environment of equity, inclusion and multiculturalism.”
FCNY provides fiscal sponsorship and financial management to various nonprofit organizations via its “Partner Project Program.” FCNY’s website states:
“The Fund’s Partner Project Program provides robust and comprehensive administrative, operational and financial management support to over 80 nonprofit partners. We provide financial reporting and audits so that nonprofit leaders and their staff members are empowered to focus their energy and resources on the growth and innovation of their programs and services.”
Some examples of these sponsored organizations include the following:
- The American LGBTQ+ Museum
- Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality & Equality (WISE)
- Sisterhood Mobilized for AIDS/HIV Research and Treatment (SMART)
- New Pride Agenda
We will examine these FCNY-funded organizations one at a time.
The American LGBTQ+ Museum
The American LGBTQ+ Museum has been a project partner of FCNY since 2018. It’s entry on FCNY’s website describes it as:
“The American LGBTQ+ Museum preserves, investigates, and celebrates the dynamic histories and cultures of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, as well as those of the emergent and adjacent identities among our communities. Using exhibitions and programs, we seek to advance LGBTQ+ equality through the lens of social justice movements, including, but not limited to, race, gender, class, immigration, and disability. We envision a world in which all people work toward and experience the joy of liberation.”
FCNY itself describes the museum on its website and brags how its support has enabled the museum to reach many developmental goals:
“The American LGBTQ+ Museum has been a Partner Project with the Fund since 2018. The first of its kind, the American LGBTQ+ Museum will be opening a physical space on the grounds of the New York Historical Society in 2026 to preserve, research, and share LGBTQ+ history and culture. The museum’s participation in the Fund’s Partner Project Program has enabled the foundation to reach several milestones including an official state charter, the ability to hire full-time staff members, and the launch of public education programs to reach a nationwide audience. As a Partner Project, the museum can focus on “mission-critical work” while the Fund oversees financial and administrative responsibilities.” [emphasis added]
On February 23rd, 2023, Fund for the City of New York published an article on their website titled “Getting to Know FCNY’s Partner Projects: The American LGBTQ+ Museum“, in which Museum Executive Director, Ben Garcia, describes the LGBT organization’s dependency on FCNY.
“[Q.] How has the Fund impacted your organization?
[A] It has been a huge weight off our shoulders to have our human resources, financial administration, and benefits managed so that we can focus on building our program.”
In the same article, Ben Garcia says that he feels pride in regards to the museum’s recent “Salem Witch Trials: Reckoning & Reclaiming” exhibition, which features discussions with “contemporary queer witches”, fashion designers “inspired by the occult”, and dance performances.
“[Q.] What is a recent project or accomplishment your organization is proud of?
[A.] We were very proud to launch our first schedule of in-person public programming this past October at the New-York Historical Society in support of the “Salem Witch Trials: Reckoning & Reclaiming” exhibition. Programs feature panel discussions with contemporary queer witches, fashion designers inspired by the occult, and dance performances. The programs so far have been a smash success, garnering hundreds of attendees and filling NYHS’ galleries with a diverse and engaged audience.” [emphasis added]
The museum advertised and hosted an event in January of 2023, titled “Glamour Magick: Queer Fashion and Witchcraft“.
The event was held at the Salem Witch Trials exhibit, and featured practicing witches, occult-adjacent fashion and art designers, and Tarot reading by Kendrick Daye, “creator of the Black Queer Tarot deck”.
The event sign-up page states:
“Modern witchcraft practitioners and historical narratives alike have referred to “glamour” as a witch’s ability to harness beauty, power and sex. A glamour is a spell that can be “worn” by its weaver, a description that conjures new meaning to fashion and the ways in which our clothes are an extension of our energy. In that spirit, celebrate the closing weekend of The Salem Witch Trials: Reckoning and Reclaiming with a panel discussion that investigates the intersections of fashion, witchcraft, and queer subcultures from the American LGBTQ+ Museum and New-York Historical Center for Women’s History.”
Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality & Equality (WISE)
FCNY’s website states:
“WISE promotes interfaith dialogue and cross cultural understanding through arts programming. To promote women’s rights, it publishes research publications, convenes conferences and meetings to further women’s rights in an Islamic legal framework. WISE collaborates with stake holders including, male faith leaders, interfaith allies, govt. and secular institution to accomplish its mission.”
Unfortunately, WISE is openly pro-abortion, highlighting the topics of abortion and reproductive rights as “Issue Areas” on its website.
Wise’s section of the abortion page on their website states:
“Since women have the right to enhance their mind, body and spirit, they are allowed to seek abortions. According to the Qur’an and the Prophet, rape, incest and near-death are all cases in which is it permissible for a woman to have an abortion. Preventing a woman from reproductive health services threatens both her mental and physical health, which is against Islamic teachings.” [emphasis added]
Wise’s reproductive rights page on their website states:
“We affirm that it is the woman’s right to have access to reproductive health care including access to contraception, abortions and family planning education. Cultural traditions, poverty, illiteracy and limited reproductive rights education have led to increasing populations, high infant mortality rates, and even greater levels of poverty. If women are given the resources to take ownership of their bodies, they will be able to lift up their community out of poverty, as granted by the Qur’an.” [emphasis added]
In 2021 WISE published the “Universal Declaration of Muslim Women’s Rights” (AKA the 30 Rights of Muslim Women), a document that highlights, among other topics, the “right” to abortion and family planning:
“23. Family planning and abortion: To exercise her autonomy in planning the family in cooperation and consultation with her spouse, in terms of the use of contraception and the termination of a pregnancy with her mental and physical well-being taking priority. Q-23:12-14, H- Muslim Bk 16.164; H- al-Burkhari 7454, Bk 97.80”
A 2023 Goals page on the WISE Website highlights some of the things the organization achieved in the past year, including highlighting an interview article from northjersey.com titled “Are abortion bans like Sharia? Not even close, say Muslims“.
“When Roe vs Wade was center stage, few opponents of Muslims seized an opportunity to equate this reversal with Shariah, to which we responded swiftly. See our views in this NorthJersey.com article. Abortion bans aren’t Sharia, say NJ Muslims (northjersey.com). WISE joined the women’s convention of the Women’s March in Houston where 10,000 women strategized together for a better future.”
The article also features a quote from Daisy Khan, Wise Founder and Executive Director:
” ‘We cannot preach women’s rights to other countries when we are stepping back the rights [American] women have to control their own reproduction,’ said Khan, an Edgewater resident and founder of Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality, a New York-based nonprofit.”
Sisterhood Mobilized for AIDS/HIV Research and Treatment (SMART)
SMART is a project partner of FCNY. FCNY states of SMART:
“Sisterhood Mobilized for AIDS Research and Treatment (SMART) is a Harlem-based nonprofit agency where self-identified women and youth from underserved communities gain power and healing through education and self-advocacy. Its mission is to promote health equity by equipping participants with knowledge, tools, and resources. Based on participant needs and feedback, SMART has evolved to offer a holistic collection of intersecting programs that foster education, community building, and workforce development to effect positive change.”
Unfortunately, SMART promotes homosexual and transgender ideologies to young people as well as sexual education and distribution of condoms.
For example, SMART runs a virtual learning program called “SMART Youth“, that teaches topics such as sexual/reproductive health (including, but not limited to the use of condoms) and LGBTQI rights to youth ages 13-24.
SMART states about the program:
“SMART Youth is a peer-designed leadership program that utilizes nutrition education to promote comprehensive health for youth ages 13-24 of all genders and orientations. Each eight-week session of SMART Youth includes hands-on training in cooking skills and healthy meal preparation. Youth then enjoy the meal while engaging in facilitated discussions about HIV/AIDS education, sexual and reproductive health, LGBTQI rights, and advocacy.” [emphasis added]
SMART runs a similar program for “self-identified women” called SMART University. Class recordings of pro-LGBT topics such as “Trans 101” and “Stigma & Cultural Competency” can be found on SMART’s YouTube channel.
SMART also runs SMART Health, an “in-person outreach initiative designed to maintain a consistent presence in the community and provide PPE and up-to-date health information.” This includes the distribution of condoms. The website states:
“The SMART Health kits contain our SMART palm cards, a resource card highlighting emergency service numbers, and personal health items such as masks, condoms, tissues, band aids, lip balm, and hand sanitizer.” [emphasis added]
New Pride Agenda
FCNY states of its partnered program New Pride Agenda:
“The NEW Pride Agenda (NPA) advocates across the State of New York for LBGTQIA rights awareness, particularly for the most vulnerable members of the queer community. Working with a diverse network of communities and elected officials, NPA serves to educate members of the LGBTQIA community and allies, as well as the general public, about our legal protections and rights.”
NPA runs a program called “We Got You Covered” that assists in providing “Gender affirming care (Hormones, Surgery, etc.)”
Conclusion
These four organizations are a very small sample of the multitude of grossly immoral and anti-Catholic organizations receiving financial support from FCNY. There is no excuse whatever for funding FCNY. Even a cursory glance of its website shows that one of its primary purposes is the funding of perverse and gravely evil programs. Every time the CCHD is caught providing funds to organizations as thoroughly committed to the work of the devil as FCNY, their common response is to ignore it in public and tell the bishops that the information in our reports is untrue while reminding them that these organizations have been thoroughly vetted. If this is true, then only one of two conclusions can be drawn from such a claim: Either the CCHD is 1) completely incompetent and incapable of vetting anything, or is 2) totally complicit and gleefully funding organizations that hate the Church, hate God, and hate souls. It is time for the US Bishops to shut down the CCHD for good. There is no excuse for funding professional agitators and the enemies of Christ as the CCHD has done for well over half a century.
Can we please abolish the CCHD