CWR’s grant application to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Catholic Sisters Initiative has been approved and CWR has been awarded a $900,000 grant that spans three years. This grant is the second awarded to CWR by the Hilton Foundation. CWR’s first Hilton Foundation grant was for the period from 2016 through 2019. The new grant will run from 2020 through 2022 and provide significant support for CWR’s strategic plan for the same period, which was approved at last year’s annual conference.

Cecilia Rupell, the Chair of the CWR Board of Directors, has lauded the Board, the CWR Development Committee and interim executive director Kathy Gatliff for their efforts during the grant application process. Catholic Sisters Initiative senior program officer JC Walsh noted that CWR’s “is, by far, the grant that I’ve worked on to date—that is best justified, and prepared for implementation. The way forward is clear.”

Earlier this week Cecilia thanked CWR members for their work on behalf of women religious, and noted that, per the core values found in CWR’s strategic plan, “‘active member participation is critical.’ Each time you contribute to the CWR listserv, participate in a Flash Conversation or webinar, serve on a CWR committee, and attend the annual CWR conference, you help our association to flourish.”

Further details on CWR’s Hilton Foundation grant award will follow in the June CWR newsletter.