USCCB & Catholic Charities Network - Federal Funding Investigation
USCCB & Catholic Charities Network - Federal Funding Investigation
OPUS INVESTIGATION REPORT
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) & Catholic Charities Network
Federal Funding Analysis & PBRF-LE Assessment
Investigation ID: OPUS-2026-0115-USCCB
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL - INTERNAL USE ONLY
Date: January 15, 2026
Investigator: OPUS (Autonomous Intelligence System)
Requested By: Andy (Founder, Project Milk Carton)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This investigation provides a comprehensive analysis of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the Catholic Charities network's federal funding, organizational structure, and financial relationships. The Catholic network represents one of the largest recipients of federal child welfare and refugee assistance funding in the United States.
KEY FINDINGS
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| USCCB Direct Federal Funding (TAGGS) | $852.1 Million |
| Catholic Charities Network (TAGGS) | $1.68 Billion |
| Catholic Bishop/Diocese Entities (TAGGS) | $971.2 Million |
| Catholic Guardian Services (TAGGS) | $337.8 Million |
| TOTAL CATHOLIC NETWORK (TAGGS) | $3.46 Billion |
| Catholic Charities Schedule I Grants Received | $197.2 Million |
| Catholic UAC Program Funding (All Years) | $1.14 Billion |
RISK ASSESSMENT
- USCCB PBRF-LE Score: 41/100 (MEDIUM RISK)
- Catholic Charities USA PBRF-LE Score: 41/100 (MEDIUM RISK)
- Status: Active federal investigations by House Homeland Security Committee
- Current Status: Federal contracts terminated/ending in 2025
1. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
1.1 USCCB - Migration and Refugee Services (MRS)
Organization: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Location: Washington, DC
Domain: usccb.org (Registered: April 13, 1996)
Executive Director (MRS): William (Bill) Canny (since 2015)
USCCB/MRS operates as the national coordinating body for Catholic refugee resettlement in the U.S. For nearly 50 years, it has partnered with the federal government to resettle refugees, serve unaccompanied children, and support trafficking victims.
1.2 Catholic Charities Network
The Catholic Charities network comprises hundreds of independent diocesan organizations across all 50 states. Key national entities include:
| Entity | Location | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic Charities USA | Alexandria, VA | National coordinating body |
| USCCB Migration and Refugee Services | Washington, DC | Federal contract administrator |
| Catholic Guardian Services | New York, NY | Child welfare services |
| Catholic Charities of California | Multiple cities | State coordinating body |
1.3 Top Catholic Charities by IRS Form 990 Revenue
| Organization | City, State | Max Revenue | Officer Comp |
|---|---|---|---|
| CC Neighborhood Services | Brooklyn, NY | $116.0M | $2.02M |
| CC Diocese of Rochester | Rochester, NY | $102.2M | $1.02M |
| CC Diocese of Syracuse | Syracuse, NY | $79.9M | $347K |
| CC Community Services NY | New York, NY | $72.8M | $502K |
| CC Diocese of Trenton | Trenton, NJ | $57.9M | $683K |
2. FEDERAL FUNDING ANALYSIS
2.1 USCCB Direct Federal Funding (TAGGS Database)
Total USCCB Federal Funding: $852,142,295 (619 awards)
Funding by Program:
| Program (ALN) | Description | Total Funding | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 93676 | Unaccompanied Children Program | $386.7M | 459 |
| 93567 | Refugee VOLAG Programs | $195.8M | 43 |
| 93576 | Refugee Discretionary Grants | $152.7M | 36 |
| 93566 | Refugee State/Replacement Designee | $117.0M | 81 |
USCCB Funding by Fiscal Year:
| Year | Total Funding | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $62.8M | 44 |
| 2024 | $163.5M | 89 |
| 2023 | $204.8M | 135 |
| 2022 | $168.2M | 123 |
| 2021 | $69.4M | 53 |
| 2020 | $66.3M | 44 |
| 2019 | $61.8M | 70 |
| 2018 | $44.5M | 47 |
| 2017 | $10.7M | 14 |
2.2 Catholic Charities Network UAC Funding
Total Catholic Network UAC Funding (2017-2025): $1.14 Billion
| Year | UAC Funding |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $92.8M |
| 2024 | $180.8M |
| 2023 | $210.2M |
| 2022 | $143.5M |
| 2021 | $130.1M |
| 2020 | $143.0M |
| 2019 | $115.6M |
| 2018 | $87.2M |
| 2017 | $34.5M |
2.3 Catholic Charities Fort Worth - Texas Refugee Coordinator
CRITICAL ENTITY: Catholic Charities Diocese of Fort Worth serves as the Replacement Designee for the State of Texas for refugee resettlement (since 2021).
Total Fort Worth Catholic Charities Funding: $754.6 Million
Largest Single Awards:
| Year | Award Amount | Program |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $84.4M | 93566 - Refugee State Admin |
| 2024 | $78.9M | 93566 - Refugee State Admin |
| 2023 | $77.5M | 93566 - Refugee State Admin |
2025 Developments:
- Sued federal government over $36M in paused funds (March 2025)
- Won court order, received $47M in previously frozen funds
- Announced ending federal role as Texas refugee coordinator effective Oct. 1, 2025
- 750+ partner agency staff laid off during funding freeze
2.4 Top Catholic Charities by Federal Funding
| Organization | State | Total Funding |
|---|---|---|
| CC Diocese of Fort Worth Endowment | TX | $496.8M |
| CC Fort Worth (alt name) | TX | $444.1M |
| CC Louisville | KY | $215.1M |
| Catholic Guardian Services | NY | $337.8M |
| CC Southern Nevada | NV | $110.8M |
| CC Archdiocese Galveston-Houston | TX | $106.0M |
| CC Archdiocese of Miami | FL | $98.9M |
3. UAC PROGRAM SUBAWARD DISTRIBUTION
3.1 Catholic UAC Subawards by State
| State | # Orgs | Total Subawards | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| TX | 8 | $14.5M | 178 |
| VA | 5 | $13.9M | 196 |
| CA | 6 | $5.6M | 91 |
| NY | 2 | $4.4M | 109 |
| PA | 1 | $4.1M | 51 |
| WA | 1 | $3.3M | 49 |
| NJ | 3 | $2.6M | 83 |
3.2 Top Catholic UAC Subaward Recipients
| Organization | City, State | Total Subawards |
|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth Catholic Charities | Richmond, VA | $8.2M |
| Catholic Charities of Dallas | Dallas, TX | $8.1M |
| CC Archdiocese of Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA | $4.1M |
| Commonwealth Catholic Charities | Henrico, VA | $3.8M |
| Catholic Community Services WA | Seattle, WA | $3.3M |
| CC of Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | $3.1M |
| CC Archdiocese Galveston-Houston | Houston, TX | $2.7M |
4. INTER-ORGANIZATIONAL FUNDING FLOWS
4.1 Major Grantors to Catholic Charities (Schedule I)
Total Schedule I Grants TO Catholic Charities: $197.2 Million (1,488 grants)
| Grantor | Total to CC | Notable Recipient |
|---|---|---|
| International Rescue Committee | $36.2M | Multiple Texas CC orgs |
| Catholic Charities Foundation | $7.4M | CC Northeast Kansas |
| J Jerome Reddy Foundation | $4.9M | CC Diocese Brooklyn |
| AgeGuide Northeastern Illinois | $5.7M | CC Chicago |
| United Way San Antonio | $3.0M | CC San Antonio |
| Catholic Charities of California | $14.2M | Various CA CC orgs |
4.2 IRC-to-Catholic Charities Grants (Refugee Programs)
| Recipient | Total from IRC |
|---|---|
| CC Archdiocese San Antonio | $19.2M |
| CC Archdiocese Newark | $7.7M |
| CC Northeast Kansas | $3.1M |
| CC Southwest Kansas | $2.8M |
| CC Texas Panhandle | $2.2M |
| CC Central Texas | $1.1M |
4.3 Catholic Network Internal Flows
Catholic entities transfer significant funds between related organizations:
| Source | Recipient | Total Flow |
|---|---|---|
| CC Foundation | CC Northeast Kansas | $7.4M |
| Roman Catholic Communications | Diocese of San Jose | $6.7M |
| Roman Catholic Communications | Diocese of Oakland | $6.7M |
| CC California | Northern Valley Catholic Social Services | $3.6M |
| CC Neighborhood Services | CC Progress of Peoples Development | $2.9M |
5. CURRENT INVESTIGATIONS & CONTROVERSIES
5.1 House Homeland Security Investigation (2025)
The U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security launched an investigation into 200+ NGOs including:
- Catholic Charities USA
- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Investigation Focus:
- Whether taxpayer dollars were used to facilitate illegal activity
- Government funding received since January 2021
- Assistance provided to illegal immigrants and unaccompanied children
5.2 Texas Attorney General Investigation (2024)
Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley faced investigation by Texas AG Ken Paxton:
- Allegations of possible criminal violations
- Claims of smuggling persons and harboring aliens
- Catholic Charities contested allegations as unsubstantiated
5.3 Federal Contract Terminations (2025)
State Department Actions:
- Two Feb. 26, 2025 "notice of termination" letters
- Canceled ~$27M in refugee resettlement grants
- Fort Worth funding paused for "program integrity review"
USCCB Response:
- Will not renew cooperative agreements with federal government
- Phasing out federally-funded migration and refugee programs
- Withdrew $15M from long-term investments to cover losses
- Reorganization and cutbacks implemented
6. PBRF-LE RISK ANALYSIS
6.1 USCCB Risk Assessment
| Metric | Score |
|---|---|
| Final Risk Score | 41/100 |
| Risk Tier | MEDIUM |
| Cluster Members | 18 entities |
| Rule Hits | 1 (RF025) |
6.2 Catholic Charities USA Risk Assessment
| Metric | Score |
|---|---|
| Final Risk Score | 41/100 |
| Risk Tier | MEDIUM |
| Cluster Members | 14 entities |
| Rule Hits | 1 (RF025) |
6.3 Risk Factors Identified
Structural Concerns:
- Massive federal funding dependency (95%+ of MRS budget)
- Complex multi-layered organizational structure
- Funds flow through multiple intermediary entities
- Limited public transparency on fund allocation
Operational Concerns:
- Active federal investigation
- State-level investigations (Texas)
- Rapid growth in UAC funding (2017: $34M → 2023: $210M)
- Partner agency layoffs during funding disputes
7. OSINT FINDINGS
7.1 Domain Intelligence
usccb.org:
- Registered: April 13, 1996
- Registrar: Network Solutions, LLC
- Expiry: April 14, 2035
- DNS: Cogent Communications
- Status: clientTransferProhibited
catholiccharitiesusa.org:
- Registered: April 13, 1996
- Registrar: GoDaddy.com, LLC
- Expiry: April 14, 2028
- DNS: Cloudflare
- Status: Locked (multiple protections)
7.2 Social Media Presence
Maigret Search (catholiccharitiesusa):
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catholiccharitiesusa (CONFIRMED)
- Multiple Fandom wiki user pages (likely false positives)
- mercadolivre profile (likely false positive)
7.3 Political Activity (FEC)
Limited direct political activity found. Related Catholic PACs:
- CatholicVote.org PAC
- Catholics for the Future, Inc.
- The Catholic Association
FEC contributions from Catholic Charities employees primarily from individual donors (therapists, social workers, attorneys) with modest contribution levels.
8. FINANCIAL SUMMARY
8.1 Total Federal Funding by Entity Type
┌─────────────────────────────────┬───────────────────┐
│ Entity Category │ Total TAGGS │
├─────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┤
│ Catholic Charities Network │ $1,683,113,280 │
│ Catholic Bishop/Diocese │ $971,233,976 │
│ USCCB (Direct) │ $852,142,295 │
│ Catholic Guardian Services │ $337,797,738 │
│ Catholic Social Services │ $27,917,724 │
├─────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┤
│ TOTAL CATHOLIC NETWORK │ $3,464,210,217 │
└─────────────────────────────────┴───────────────────┘
8.2 Program Funding Distribution (USCCB)
┌─────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────┬─────────┐
│ Program │ Total Funding │ % Total │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────┼─────────┤
│ Unaccompanied Children (93676) │ $386.7M │ 45.4% │
│ Refugee VOLAG Programs (93567) │ $195.8M │ 23.0% │
│ Refugee Discretionary (93576) │ $152.7M │ 17.9% │
│ Refugee State Admin (93566) │ $117.0M │ 13.7% │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────┼─────────┤
│ TOTAL │ $852.1M │ 100% │
└─────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────┴─────────┘
9. RECOMMENDATIONS
9.1 For Congressional Investigators
-
Request detailed UAC placement data from USCCB/MRS including:
- Number of children placed per affiliate
- Sponsor vetting procedures
- Post-placement follow-up outcomes -
Audit Fort Worth Catholic Charities as largest single recipient:
- $754.6M in federal funding
- Sole Texas refugee coordinator
- Recent "program integrity review" flagged -
Examine USCCB-to-affiliate fund flows:
- How is $100M+ annual funding distributed?
- What percentage goes to administrative costs?
- Are affiliate organizations properly vetted?
9.2 For Watchdog Organizations
-
Track the transition period (through Oct. 2025):
- Which organizations will assume Texas refugee coordination?
- What happens to pending cases?
- Are funds being properly wound down? -
Monitor Schedule I reporting:
- Cross-reference affiliate grants with federal awards
- Identify potential duplicate or overlapping funding
9.3 For Further Investigation
- Executive compensation analysis - USCCB Form 990 not in database; recommend direct IRS request
- Catholic Charities of Los Angeles - Multiple UAC subawards, active in border region
- Commonwealth Catholic Charities (VA) - Highest UAC subaward recipient, dual locations
SOURCES
Databases Queried
- [TAGGS] HHS TAGGS Grant Awards Database - 3,400+ records matched
- [IRS_BMF] IRS Business Master File - Catholic entities queried
- [FORM_990] IRS Form 990 Financial Data - 26 organizations matched
- [SCHEDULE_I] Form 990 Schedule I Grants - 1,488 grants to Catholic Charities
- [UAC_SUBAWARDS] Program 93676 Subaward Database - 47 Catholic entities
- [FEC] Federal Election Commission Contributions - 30+ contributors matched
OSINT Tools Used
- [KALI:whois] Domain registration lookup - usccb.org, catholiccharitiesusa.org
- [KALI:maigret] Social media presence search - catholiccharitiesusa username
- [KALI:sherlock] Username enumeration - usccb username
- [KALI:theHarvester] Email/subdomain discovery - usccb.org
Web Sources
- [URL] https://www.usccb.org/committees/migration/federal-government-grants-support-usccb-mrs-programs-and-services - USCCB Federal Grants Page
- [URL] https://fortworthreport.org/2025/06/02/catholic-charities-fort-worth-ends-federally-funded-role-leading-texas-refugee-resettlement/ - Fort Worth Report (June 2025)
- [URL] https://www.keranews.org/news/2025-03-03/catholic-charities-fort-worth-sues-federal-government-to-unlock-36m-in-paused-refugee-funds - KERA News (March 2025)
- [URL] https://catholicvote.org/usccb-catholic-charities-usa-under-federal-investigation-regarding-immigration-assistance/ - CatholicVote Investigation Report
- [URL] https://myrgv.com/publications/the-monitor/2024/07/17/texas-ags-office-accuses-catholic-charities-rgv-of-possible-criminal-violations/ - Texas AG Investigation (July 2024)
- [URL] https://www.ncregister.com/cna/state-department-cancels-u-s-bishops-contracts-for-refugee-settlement - Contract Cancellations (Feb 2025)
- [URL] https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2025/04/07/usccb-trump-refugee-resettlement-250334/ - America Magazine (April 2025)
Report Generated: January 15, 2026
OPUS Version: Claude Opus 4.5
Project Milk Carton - Autonomous Intelligence System
This report is for informational purposes only. All data is derived from publicly available sources including federal grant databases, IRS filings, and open source intelligence. This report does not constitute legal advice or make allegations of wrongdoing. Findings should be independently verified.
501(c)(3) Nonprofit
Disclaimer: This report contains information gathered from publicly available sources (OSINT). All findings should be independently verified. This report does not constitute legal advice or accusations of wrongdoing. Project Milk Carton is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to child welfare transparency.
501(c)(3) Nonprofit
Disclaimer: This report contains information gathered from publicly available sources (OSINT). All findings should be independently verified. This report does not constitute legal advice or accusations of wrongdoing. Project Milk Carton is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to child welfare transparency.