The Church Is Ready. Help Her Move Forward.
Join Us in Building A Capital Stack for Catholic Stewardship
Across the United States, Catholic dioceses, parishes, schools, and religious orders are ready to act on Laudato Si. The greatest obstacle is funding.
Catholic Energies is mobilizing a blended finance vehicle that combines philanthropic, program-related, and commercial capital to advance energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Foundations, family offices, donor-advised fund holders, and individual philanthropists are joining us as Partners in Mission to help make this possible.
If our work aligns with your philanthropic priorities, the next step is a conversation.
PARTNERSHIP OPTIONS
Program-Related Investments (PRI)
Foundations can deploy below-market loans or equity from their grants budget into the Catholic Energies financing stack, recycling capital across projects while counting that commitment toward their 5% annual payout requirement. PRI capital comes from the same pool as charitable grants and is evaluated against mission criteria, not financial return.
Catalytic / Concessionary Capital
Grants, recoverable grants, and first-loss capital are the highest-leverage entry point in the Catholic Energies stack. This layer absorbs early project risk and unlocks commercial participation, and it is where additional capital has the most immediate impact on Catholic Energies’ ability to close its first fund.
Mission-Related Investments (MRI)
Foundations can invest endowment capital in energy projects at market rates, aligning their larger asset base with their mission without sacrificing financial performance. Unlike PRIs, MRIs are evaluated by investment staff against market-rate return criteria and do not count toward payout requirements.
Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Grants
DAF holders can recommend grants to Catholic Energies through their sponsoring organization, directing their charitable capital specifically toward clean energy projects serving Catholic organizations. Catholic Energies provides grant recipients with project-level impact documentation suitable for fund reporting.
Direct Philanthropic Gifts
As a not-for-profit program of Catholic Climate Covenant, a 501(c)(3), Catholic Energies can receive gifts directly. Donors wishing to support decarbonization and energy efficiency exclusively and/or for specific geographies or Catholic institutions can earmark funds for that purpose.
Legacy / Planned Gifts
Donors committed to the long-term transition of the Church toward energy stewardship can provide lasting support through bequests, charitable remainder trusts, appreciated asset transfers, or beneficiary designations. Catholic Energies works with donors and their advisors to structure gifts aligned with personal estate goals.
START THE CONVERSATION
Want to hear more about becoming a Partner in Mission? Complete the form and our team will be in touch.