Federal Grant Award Summary

Catholic Relief Services - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (CRS-USCCB) received a $5.0 million Project Grant from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (BPRM) under the Overseas Refugee Assistance Programs for Africa (CFDA 19.517) for the Strengthening Health Infrastructure for Ebola Defense (SHIELD) initiative. Awarded on June 17, 2026, with a completion date of October 16, 2026, the project will be implemented in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. This program supports humanitarian assistance to refugees and conflict-affected populations by strengthening health infrastructure and capacity to address Ebola virus disease threats, consistent with the Bureau's mandate to ensure vulnerable populations have access to life-sustaining resources that meet internationally accepted standards of care.

The SHIELD initiative aligns with the Overseas Refugee Assistance Programs for Africa's multisectoral approach to humanitarian response, which prioritizes healthcare services, protection, and capacity building in Sub-Saharan Africa. As an established humanitarian partner with extensive experience implementing large-scale international health and development programs, CRS-USCCB will leverage its technical expertise and ground-level implementation capacity to deliver health infrastructure strengthening activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a region with significant refugee and conflict-affected populations requiring critical health system support.