Home | The Community Marriage Initiatives Fund

The purpose of the Catholic Marriage Initiatives Fund is to dramatically increase the availability of and participation in high quality Catholic Marriage Ministries throughout the United States. We do this by empowering U.S. dioceses and parishes to implement high quality Marriage Ministries that are balanced between Vision, Skills, and Support, across all the ages and stages of the marital life-cycle. In this way, we are assisting and empowering the local Church to operationalize the Gospel by teaching people how to love.

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Current Grant Opportunity - Due January 1, 2024

In June of 2021, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved the release of a document entitled Called to the Joy of Love: National Pastoral Framework for Marriage and Family Life Ministry - which provides a framework for dioceses and parishes to follow when developing and implementing critically important Marriage and Family Life Ministries.

Between 2023 and 2023, the CMI awarded a total of $710,000 in grants to 15 dioceses/archdioceses to assist them in implementing new and expanded marriage and family ministries. The CMI Fund has recently set aside an additional $500,000 to be awarded in 2024 and 2025 for grants ranging in size between $10,000 and $50,000 to up to ten (arch)dioceses who are serious about implementing new and/or enhanced marriage ministry programs which are in alignment with the aforementioned Pastoral Framework and the goals and objectives of the CMI Fund.

Total funding available from the CMI Fund to these dioceses will be $500,000.
The size of each of the grants to the dioceses will range from a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $50,000.
These grants to the dioceses will be on a matching basis - in which the CMI Fund will provide a dollar for dollar match to funds provided by - or raised by - the respective dioceses.
All the money - the amount provided by the CMI Fund and the amount provided by each of the dioceses - must be utilized by the respective dioceses specifically to implement key elements of this National Pastoral Framework.
Each interested diocese will submit an application to the CMI Fund in which they describe their proposed project including how they would utilize the funds, what they would hope to accomplish with their project, and how they think their project would accomplish this.

To download a copy of the Pastoral Framework, please click the Download Framework button:

To download a copy of the Request For Proposal for this grant opportunity, please click the Download RFP

button:

During the November 2021 USCCB General Assembly, Archbishop Cordelione gave a 10-minute talk about the Pastoral Framework that included a description of this grant opportunity. To download and read his remarks, please click the Download Remarks button:

Application Due Dates

We expect to award up to ten grants in 2024 and 2025, across three rounds of grants. The Due Dates for each of these rounds are:

Application Response to

Due Date Applications

January 1, 2024 February 1, 2024

July 1, 2024 August 1, 2024

January 1, 2025 February 1, 2025

Key Dates in the Process:

Thursday, October 21, 2021 - The CMI Fund and NACFLM, in cooperation with the USCCB, co-sponsored a webinar to explain this grant opportunity in more detail and to answer any questions. To view a recording of this webinar, please visit NACFLM.org
Thursday, October 28, 2021 - The CMI Fund and NACFLM co-sponsored a grant-writing training webinar - specifically tailored for this grant opportunity but useful for anyone interested in learning how to write successful grant applications. To view a recording of this webinar, please visit NACFLM.org. To download a copy of the handout from that webinar, please click the "Download Webinar Handout" button:
Wednesday, February 23, 2022 at 2pm ET - NACFLM hosted an Informational Webinar about the 2nd round grant opportunity and the first round of grant recipients.
Friday, January 1, 2024 - Applications for next round of applications are due.
February 1, 2024 - Responses to the next round of applications will be provided.

Forms for the Application:

To download the Excel version of the Blank Timeline referenced in Item 3D of the RFP, please click the "Download Timeline" button:
To download the Excel version of the Diocesan Needs Assessment (DNA) you will need to complete and submit as part of the grant application, click on Download Assessment:
To download the Diocesan-Eparchial Inventory for Marriage and Family Life Ministry which will you need to complete and submit portions of, please click on "Download Diocesan Inventory:
To view a recording of the 2019 NACFLM keynote entitled "Marriage Ministries - the Best Way to Operationalize the Gospel" - which is part of the application process, click "View NACFLM keynote":

Before watching that recording, please download the handout that goes along with it because you will need it in order to perform a couple exercises that are part of the presentation. To download that handout, please click the "DOWNLOAD Keynote Handout":