NFCYM Multimillion Dollar Micro-Grants To Impact Catholic Church Nationwide

Will launch the largest mobilization of Catholic parishes in the United States
to engage high school-aged teens in acts of service to their communities

WASHINGTON, DC, DC, UNITED STATES, October 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM) announced its first round of grantees of The Drexel Project, an initiative that will award over $3,600,000 in micro-grants to ministries and parishes across the United States over the next three years. The Drexel Project was made possible by a $5 million grant awarded to NFCYM by Lilly Endowment Inc. through its National Youth and Young Adult Initiative on Faith and Service.

It will launch the largest mobilization of Catholic parishes, ministries, and high school students in the United States and equip teens to respond to the needs of their communities. Inspired by the service of St. Katharine Drexel, whose life was a powerful example of faith in action, The Drexel Project will impact 1,000 parishes, over 1,500 ministry leaders, 10,000 young people and over 20 youth-serving organizations over the next three years.

“The organizations selected as part of The Drexel Project are wonderful and impactful ministries,” said Christina Lamas, Executive Director of NFCYM. ”By bringing young people and adults together to dream, serve and build projects designed for their own communities we’re creating space for a new generation of leaders to shape the Church in ways we have not yet imagined.”

Grants awarded by NFCYM this year will equip young people in acts of faith-filled service that they have devised on their own through intergenerational mentorship programs and activities that will extend beyond 2027. Most of the projects will focus on underserved communities and parishes. They will often have a component that embraces the Hispanic Catholic community with resources that are built from the ground up with that audience in mind as well as via translations from English.

“The big vision of The Drexel Project is youth as protagonists in regards to service and in order to accomplish that they have to have a voice,” said Chris Bartlett, President of Ablaze Ministries. “Right now in the Catholic Church, it’s estimated that 85% of parishes either have no youth ministry outside of sacramental prep or they’re volunteer run. The materials and impact created by The Drexel Project will help close that gap.”

Grants range from $10,000 to $125,000 and will be monitored for progress by NFCYM throughout the coming year. There will be an archive of video, stories and testimonials that will be generated and distributed throughout NFCYM’s social media channels and blogs. This in and of itself will be an invaluable resource for an even greater amount of ministries and organizations to benefit from this unique undertaking.

The full list of recipients are Ablaze Ministries (TX), Catholic Mission Trips (TX), Catholic Volunteer Network (TX), Corazon Puro (NY/NJ), NET Ministries YDisciple (MN), National Religious Vocations Conference (IL), Goodfaith (NJ), ProjectYM (TN), Salesians Society (CA), Diocese of Birmingham (AL), Diocese of Monterey (CA), Diocese of Syracuse (NY), Archdiocese of Philadelphia (PA), St. Lawrence Catholic Church (Lexington, KY), Our Lady of The Angels Catholic Church (Phoenix, AZ), St. Paul’s Catholic Church (San Antonio, TX), St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Church (Los Angeles, CA) St. Katherine Drexel Catholic Church (Boston, MA)

The second round of The Drexel Project grant applications will open in mid January and information will be available at https://nfcym.org/programs/the-drexel-project/

Stephen Connolly
Honor & Gold
+1 917-440-5694
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