Pope Leo XIV used a meeting with U.S.-based Papal Foundation stewards to press a message of continued giving, arguing that the foundation’s support helps translate church charity into on-the-ground aid. The pope met with foundation members in Rome at the end of their annual pilgrimage to the Vatican, according to the Associated Press, as the group highlighted momentum in its grantmaking since his election.
In his remarks, Leo thanked the foundation’s stewards for their generosity, which he said had allowed “countless people to experience in a concrete fashion the goodness and kindness of God in their own communities.” The pope said the foundation’s support also makes it possible for priests and nuns from poor countries to study at Rome’s pontifical universities and earn advanced degrees through scholarships financed by foundation grants.
Leo’s audience with the Papal Foundation took place in the Apostolic Palace, where the group met in Rome after its pilgrimage. AP reported that the meeting followed a backdrop of changing donor attitudes toward the Holy See, including weaker contributions during the global financial crisis and the COVID-19 era, along with some U.S. Catholics turning away amid what AP described as years of stories involving mismanagement, corruption and scandal during Pope Francis’ 12-year pontificate.
The pope’s message also landed alongside fundraising figures released by the foundation on Saturday. The Papal Foundation said its members approved more than $15 million in grants for 2026, described as a record in the organization’s 38-year history. The foundation also said 25 new families joined it in the year since Leo’s election, calling that increase one of the strongest signs yet that the election of an American, English-speaking pope has benefited church fundraising.
David Savage, the foundation’s executive director, attributed the foundation’s growth to the shared mission of service and giving, saying in a statement that “The growth we’re seeing is incredibly encouraging, as it reflects a shared commitment to serve, to give, and to bring the church’s mission to life in meaningful ways across the globe.” The foundation said the group now includes as members all the U.S. cardinals and is governed by a board of trustees made up of Catholic laypeople and bishops.
The Papal Foundation was created by the late Cardinal John Krol of Philadelphia in 1988, AP reported, as a vehicle for wealthy U.S. Catholics to directly fund charitable initiatives of the pope. To become a steward, AP said, a donor is required to make a $1 million gift to a fund that supports papal projects, including efforts such as constructing or renovating a safe school for marginalized tribal children in India and funding professional technical training for vulnerable women in the Philippines in 2026.
The outreach from Leo XIV comes amid a broader fundraising comparison the foundation and AP referenced, noting that contributions to the Vatican remained strong during Francis’ pontificate but that other donations fell during later strains. Against that history, the foundation’s reported expansion under Leo sets the context for the pope’s call for continued support from wealthy Catholics in the United States.