Pope Leo XIV encourages wealthy U.S. Catholics to keep donating after Papal Foundation approves most grants in its history

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday encouraged some of the wealthiest U.S. Catholics to keep on giving to support his charitable works, in an audience that confirmed how the election of the first U.S.-born pope has invigorated American Catholics and their donations. The Chicago-born Leo met with members of The Papal Foundation, a major funder of papal development projects in the developing world, in the Apostolic Palace at the end of their annual pilgrimage to Rome. In his remarks, Leo thanked the foundation stewards for their generosity, which he said had allowed “countless people to experience in a concrete fashion the goodness and kindness of God in their own communities.” He noted in particular the priests and nuns from poor countries who are able to study at Rome’s pontifical universities to earn advanced degrees thanks to scholarships funded by foundation’s grants, which combined over the past four decades have totaled more than $270 million. While The Papal Foundation contributions to the Vatican remained strong during Pope Francis’ 12-year pontificate, other donations to the Holy See tanked during the global financial crisis, COVID-19 and other strains. Some U.S. Catholics also soured on donating to the Holy See following years of unrelenting stories of mismanagement, corruption and scandal, as well as Francis’ known criticism of American-style capitalism. The election of Leo seems to have reinvigorated the U.S. church, especially the donor class. On Saturday The Papal Foundation announced that its members had approved more than $15 million in grants for 2026, a record in the foundation’s 38-year history. The foundation also announced that 25 new families had joined it in the year since Leo’s election, in the strongest sign yet that the election of an American, English-speaking pope — and a math major with an eye to the Vatican’s balance sheet — has been good news for church fundraising. “The growth we’re seeing is incredibly encouraging, as it reflects a s