CCUSA announces nine finalists for Innovation Challenge

Social Enterprise and Workforce Development

May 11, 2020

Three recipients will be awarded $333,333

Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) announced that nine agencies, from across the ministry, are finalists in its Innovation Challenge competition. The CCUSA Innovation Challenge, introduced in September 2019, seeks to inspire member agencies to propose a fresh solution toward alleviating, reducing or eliminating poverty.

The agency proposals were required to address a specific area of poverty and must be achievable, measurable, replicable, sustainable and scalable. One agency from each group will receive an award of $333,333 to be used to capitalize its initiative. Read the original press release here.

The finalists are:

Small agencies (fewer than 60 employees):

Catholic Charities of Central Texas (ccctx.org)
Catholic Charities Diocese of Evansville (ccevansville.org)
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Omaha, Inc.(ccomaha.org)

Medium Agencies (between 60-170 employees)

Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego (ccdsd.org)
Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, Inc. (ccsomo.org)
Catholic Charities West Virginia, Inc. (catholiccharitieswv.org)

Large Agencies (more than 170 employees):

Catholic Charities Diocese of Cleveland (clevelandcatholiccharities.org)
Catholic Charities of Spokane (catholiccharitiesspokane.org)
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County (catholiccharitiesscc.org)

The top entry for each of the three groups will be selected via a process that includes a panel of judges and Catholic Charities agencies staff. The award recipients of the CCUSA Innovation Challenge will be announced in October 2020.

To learn more about the CCUSA Innovation Challenge and the finalist proposals, visit www.CCUSAInnovates.org.