The Melbourne Catholic Archbishop’s Charitable Fund supports Catholic community agencies and community service organisations that provide essential charitable works to promote the welfare of others and effect positive change by overcoming disadvantage, inequality and exclusion.
The Fund responds to the needs of the homeless, the frail aged, children living in poverty, those with disabilities, people with mental illness, migrants and refugees and individuals and families experiencing trauma and loss. With Melbourne’s population in excess of 4,000,000 and growing, community needs are increasingly complex and extensive. The Fund encourages and supports our Catholic charities that are called upon to provide services to the individuals and families experiencing such circumstances throughout the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
It is my privilege to take up the appointment of Patron for the Melbourne Catholic Archbishop’s Charitable fund as it continues to deliver financial support to the valuable good works of our exceptional Catholic Charities. My sincere gratitude extends to the Melbourne Catholic community for their compassion and ongoing generosity; providing the opportunity for the Fund to achieve its mission of being instrumental in making a real difference to the disadvantaged individuals and families in the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. I am inspired and committed to share God’s love, bring hope, and continue the legacy of making a positive difference in our community. Thank you for your prayers and support.
† Peter A Comensoli
Archbishop of Melbourne
Our mission
The Melbourne Catholic Archbishop’s Charitable Fund exists to provide financial support to faith-based organisations committed to working for the common good.
Our vision
To continue supporting Catholic Community Agencies and Community Service Organisations that provide essential charitable works to promote the welfare of others and effect positive change by overcoming disadvantage, inequality and exclusion.
Our purpose
The core purpose of the Fund is to generate funds and to distribute grants to registered charities in the geographic boundaries of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne with a commitment to Catholic tradition and social justice, to support and sustain their charitable works.
What we do
Thanks to the spirit of generosity and commitment from our Catholic community, the Fund continues to distribute grants annually to registered charities with a commitment to Catholic tradition and social justice, to support and sustain their charitable works.
What we support
The Fund will provide support prioritised towards program, operational or capital costs. It will consider funding capacity-building activities of organisations that will be able to demonstrate how their intended use of the granted funds will have a positive impact on their work to help overcome disadvantage, inequality and exclusion for people in the geographic boundaries of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne.
The priorities for the Fund’s grantmaking include:
Program
- Research and development grants
- Supporting community groups in capacity-building activities
- Seed funding to establish a new project or funding to allow a project to continue
Operational
- Core costs for equipment, administration or salaries
- Paying for specific expertise required in a particular field
- Providing professional development for staff
- Introduction of capacity-building technologies
Capital
- Grants to support the purchase of equipment
- Renovation or refurbishment of existing buildings
Generally, the Fund will not grant funding to:
- interstate, national or international projects that do not directly benefit people in the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne
- Individuals requesting support for professional learning, academic research or study to obtain a degree or diploma, or to attend conferences
- Retrospective grants to cover an organisation’s spending incurred before the grant term
- Recurrent costs or general operating expenses that do not directly benefit beneficiaries
- General fundraising appeals or commercial sponsorships.
The next round of applications open in September 2025.
Contact us
St Patrick’s Centre
486 Albert Street, East Melbourne VIC 3002
Phone: (03) 9926 5686
Email: archbishopsfund@cam.org.au