8 Million in Federal Charity Fraud, Abortion Funding through the CCHD by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

The Lepanto Institute has uncovered millions of dollars funneled by the Catholic Bishops of the U.S. to abortion groups, in what may amount to the serious federal crime of charity fraud.

Through research conducted over the last several years, Lepanto has exposed what amounts to nearly $8 million, over just the last 5 years, in grants from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) going to groups that support or promote, sometimes very explicitly, abortion, contraception, euthanasia, homosexuality, and LGBT ideology, contrary to the Church’s moral teaching and contrary to the Bishops’ own express assurances to the Catholic laity on their own website and in their annual fundraising for these grants. The grants are given through the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), which expressly denies that such groups are eligible for or actually receive such funding.

Despite such statements, research into the groups that receive CCHD grants reveals a pattern of abortion funding coupled with public denial that this is taking place. This now averages close to $1.5 million annually, across all State lines. In addition to the scandal of Catholic money going from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference to abortion groups, such funding also violates federal law, as it constitutes charity fraud and misappropriation of funds over $1 million across State lines.

The Lepanto Institute has documented that between 2020 and 2025, a total of $7,402,640 has been given to such groups in the form of CCHD grants by the USCCB.

Through such funding, the hard work of many pro-lifers, both within the Church and outside, is being undone and undermined by the millions of dollars the Bishops are giving annually to abortion groups. Some of these groups are so explicitly pro-abortion that they are comparable to Planned Parenthood, even offering referrals for abortion if not performing them themselves.

Here are the basics of the situation:

• The USCCB states explicitly that the CCHD does not fund any groups that support or promote abortion, same sex marriage, or other things contrary to Catholic morals. From the USCCB website, FAQ’s regarding the CCHD:

Does CCHD fund organizations that advocate abortion or same-sex marriage?

No. The Catholic Campaign for Human Development fully upholds our Church’s teaching on the sanctity of human life from conception through natural death. The Campaign funds organizations that empower the poor and help them organize themselves to break the cycle of poverty. All grant applicants complete a thorough application process and funds are provided only to organizations with objectives and actions that are fully in accord with the moral and social teaching of the Catholic Church. The local CCHD diocesan director and national grants staff evaluate every proposal. Every organization recommended for funding requires endorsement by the local bishop and national subcommittee of bishops.  The funding criteria, including the fact that organizations must be in conformity with the moral guidelines of the Catholic Church, are specified from the earliest stages of the application process. Organizations are monitored through regular reporting and on-site visits. Funding is discontinued if organizations deviate from their initial objective into areas inconsistent with the moral teaching of the Catholic Church.

https://www.usccb.org/committees/catholic-campaign-human-development/cchd-frequently-asked-questions

• Many grantees of the CCHD whose funds come from the USCCB fundraising campaigns explicitly support or promote abortion and same sex marriage, as Lepanto has exposed, as well as other things contrary to Catholic morals, such as contraception, LGBT ideology, and euthanasia. Lepanto publishes its reports on CCHD grantees only citing publicly available data from the grantees’ own websites and social media pages.

https://www.lepantoin.org/wp/cchd/

• Over the last 5 years, the grants given to groups that support abortion and other things contrary to Catholic morals amounts to $7,402,640, approaching an average of $1.5 million annually.
• The list of CCHD grantees with the grant amounts and the year given is publicly available by the USCCB.

https://www.usccb.org/committees/catholic-campaign-human-development/cchd-funded-groups

• USCCB fundraising for the CCHD crosses all state lines, raising charity fraud to the level of a potential federal crime.
• The statute of limitations for federal charity fraud is 5 years.
• Lepanto’s 2025 end-of-year report highlighting worst offenders among CCHD grantees was sent to every sitting Catholic Bishop in the U.S., and Lepanto’s reports have been public for more than a decade, so the Bishops cannot claim ignorance.

Given the gravity of the scandal and crime committed by the Bishop’s Conference in having fraudulently funneled annually 1.5 million dollars from the Catholic faithful to abortion groups, amounting to $8 million in just the last five years, the Lepanto Institute is calling upon Congress and the Federal Government for a full investigation. The Catholic laity, who contribute substantially to the work of the pro-life movement, who are assured by their Bishops year-in and year-out that the CCHD does not approve grants to abortion groups, deserve a full account of why their money has gone, in the millions, to the very groups that support the destruction of innocent life in the womb. It is time the Bishops understand their fraudulent misappropriation of such money to support abortion is not only gravely sinful, but a federal crime for which they are legally accountable.