Tithe Grantees

 
Holy Trinity Awarded a Record $631,000 to Community Organizations in 2026.

For the full list of 2026 recipients, please click here.

Each year, the Tithe Committee, a subgroup of the Social Justice Committee, led Social Justice Pastoral Associate, Ashley Klick, meets to arrive at a slate of organizations that they recommend receive grants from Holy Trinity. Tithe recipients include recipients of a Large Grant, a Small Grant, Sister Parishes, and Jesuit educational institutions.

The Large Grant: Every Fall, the Social Justice Committee identifies an annual topic for the Large Grant, a grant of $50,000-$100,000, intended to make a particular impact in an area of pressing need. The committee considers the priorities of Jesuit apostolic preferences and that of our parish to arrive at a consensus on the Large Grant focus for the year. In the Fall and early Winter, the tithe committee identifies and reaches out to organizations working in the identified area and places the request for grant proposals on relevant sites. By March, the tithe committee has read and evaluated all the grant applications and decided on the finalists, who then submit a more detailed application and answer targeted questions. Next, the tithe committee interviews all finalists and completes their recommendations for recipients of the grant and the amount to be allocated.

This year, the topic selected was health care, including medical, dental, and prescription drugs for low-income individuals. The committee allocated $95,000 to The National Center for Children and Families to fund a mobile dental van providing dental care to low-income primarily African-American residents. Thanks to this grant, over 160 people will receive dental care, impacting their health and overall well-being. Arlington Free Clinic received $75,000 to provide health care for low-income, Medicaid ineligible adult residents of Arlington County, with Holy Trinity’s grant funding medical care for 270 individuals.

Small Grants: the largest portion of the tithe goes to Small Grants, which range from $5000 to $20,000. This year, 93 organizations applied for a Small Grant and 30 received an award, with $366,00 awarded. In March and April, the tithe committee reads, evaluates, and discerns which organizations to recommend for funding. The committee considers community need, the potential impact of Holy Trinity’s funds, the strength of the organization, and Holy Trinity’s ties to the organization. Recipient organizations work in areas including Returning Citizens, Housing, Immigration, Youth, Housing, Sexual Violence and Human Trafficking, Food Insecurity, and the Environment.

The tithe also supports our Sister Parishes in El Salvador, Haiti, and Bethlehem and several Jesuit schools who educate low-income students in the D.C. area.

In May, the tithe committee’s recommendations are presented to the Social Justice Committee and to Father Gillespie for his review and approval. The funds are distributed in June.
It is through the generosity of parishioners and the support of our pastor that this year Holy Trinity was able to support transitional housing for pregnant and parenting teens, a literacy program aimed at low-income elementary school students, a day center for homeless women, services for immigrant survivors of violence including human trafficking, reentry programming for the formerly incarcerated so they can pursue their educational and career goals, and a mentoring program for foster and at-risk youth, among many other worthy programs. So, thank you for supporting Holy Trinity. Hopefully, you can see what an impact your contributions are having in our community to help those most at need.