On September 21, 2006, in San Fernando Cathedral, Archbishop José Gomez signed an Episcopal Decree establishing the Catholic Community Foundation (CCF) as an autonomous pious foundation. It began with four endowments and $835,000.

The growth was gradual at first. Four years in, on June 30, 2010, CCF held $3.9 million in total assets. Today it manages approximately $180 million on behalf of parishes, schools, and ministries across the 19 counties of South Central Texas.

The idea behind it was simple, and it has not changed: the gifts entrusted to the Church deserve to be cared for as carefully as they were given. A family that leaves a bequest to their parish, a school that builds a scholarship fund one donation at a time, a ministry setting aside reserves for the years ahead — each needs somewhere to place those funds where they will be safeguarded, invested prudently, and kept faithful to the beliefs that prompted the gift in the first place.

That is CCF’s mission: to facilitate, receive, manage, safeguard, and grow investments, supporting organizations and donors aligned with the tenets of our Catholic faith.

“When my predecessor established the Foundation twenty years ago, it was an act of foresight. Our parishes and schools needed a place to entrust what had been given to them — managed prudently, and always in keeping with what we believe. The generosity of the faithful in this local Church has always humbled me. People give from what they have, often quietly, and they trust that the Church will use it well. Two decades later, that trust is bearing fruit across all 19 counties we serve.”

— Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, MSpS

Serving Parishes of Every Size

Today CCF stewards 176 accounts for roughly 100 organizations and families — endowments, donor advised funds, and investment accounts. What may surprise people is how modest most of them are. The majority hold less than $500,000.

That is by design. A parish endowment that begins at $25,000 receives the same investment discipline, the same oversight, and the same care as one many times its size. Small funds, faithfully tended, become significant over a generation. Twenty years is long enough to have watched that happen.

Investing in a Way the Church Can Stand Behind

Every dollar CCF manages is invested in accordance with the Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Those guidelines shape what CCF will and will not own, screening out companies whose work runs against what Catholics believe.

Account holders choose from four investment strategies, ranging from a conservative option designed to preserve principal for near-term needs — a building campaign, a reserve fund — to strategies built for long-term endowment growth. A pastor planning a roof replacement in eighteen months and a school building a permanent scholarship fund are not solving the same problem, and they should not be invested the same way.

Independent, and Accountable

CCF is a separately incorporated 501(c)(3) with its own Board of Directors, supported by an Investment Committee and an independent financial advisor. It serves the Archdiocese and works closely with it, but it is independently governed — a structure meant to give donors confidence that their intentions will be honored exactly as expressed, and that the funds are held apart and managed transparently.

“The Foundation was built to outlast all of us. What matters now is that the governance, the discipline, and the fidelity to Catholic investment principles are strong enough that the next generation of trustees inherits something better than we found. Twenty years of doing that carefully is why pastors and agency heads keep calling.”

— Eric Opiela, Chair, CCF Board of Directors

The Next Twenty Years

“Twenty years in, the work is still the same work. Someone gives what they have, often quietly, and trusts the Church to use it well. Our job is to make sure that trust is well placed — this year, and in fifty years, when none of us are here to be asked about it.”

— Alison Cochrane, CEO and President, Catholic Community Foundation

Twenty years on, CCF continues to welcome new partners. Parishes, schools, and ministries considering a Catholic endowment fund or investment account, and individuals exploring a donor advised fund or a gift of appreciated securities, are invited to start a conversation.

Ready to put your resources to work in alignment with your faith?

Learn more about CCF’s Catholic giving programs — including endowment funds, donor advised funds, and investment accounts — at ccftx.org, or contact us directly:

Phone: (210) 732-2157

Email: ccfinfo@ccftx.org

Website: ccftx.org