An independent not-for-profit corporation founded in 1994 with initial funding from the Conventual Franciscan Province of Our Lady of Consolation, the Franciscan Foundation supports the charitable, religious, and educational activities of the worldwide Franciscan movement. Its assets, including various designated funds, have grown to the point where it has disbursed an average of more than $300,000 over each of the past five years.

Over its first several years of existence, the Foundation’s main funding focus had been on support of senior religious, education, social ministries, and the formation of new Franciscans, especially in younger provinces in developing regions around the world.

Now the Foundation has taken on the additional role of fostering relationships between Franciscans in older, more established provinces and service areas, and those Sisters and Friars in the developing world. The interchange of experience and expertise with enthusiasm and growing numbers is leading to new energy within the Franciscan family. The intercultural exchange mirrors the growing acknowledgement of the universality of the Catholic Church and its ability to embrace the new challenges of the Third Millennium.

The Sisters and Friars in these developing areas will be the leaders of the Franciscan family in the very near future. By funding their formation and ministries, and passing on hard-earned wisdom and experience, the Foundation is ensuring that the human and financial resources will be in place to carry on the work of the past eight centuries.