NFCYM Partnering with Parents Project Receives a Historic Gift

The National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM) is pleased to announce that it has received a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to strengthen family-focused ministry in Catholic dioceses across the United States. 

The five-year grant will enable NFCYM to implement the Partnering with Parents Initiative, which will train church leaders to work more effectively with parents and caregivers in the faith formation of their children. NFCYM’s goal is to implement this program within 75% of the Catholic dioceses in the United States and to train 1,500 local ministry leaders in strategic planning for family-focused ministry. 

“I am very grateful to the Lilly Endowment Foundation for awarding NFCYM the largest grant the organization has ever received. We believe that partnering with parents and equipping the families of young people as they witness Jesus Christ in their daily lives is an integral component of a minister’s formation,” said Christina Lamas, Executive Director of NFCYM.  

A field survey conducted by NFCYM in 2020 revealed that 68% of ministry leaders desire formation around engaging parents and families.  

The two overarching goals of the Partnering with Parents Initiative are:  

• Inspiring, equipping, and empowering parents to form their children’s faith in partnership with church leaders and ministers.  
• Inspiring, equipping, and empowering church leaders and ministers to partner with parents and caregivers in forming the faith of children.  

The awarded funds will be used toward:   

• Leadership, including program coordinators and contract staff  
• The launching of a parallel program in the Spanish language aimed at the needs of Hispanic and Latino communities   
• Branding and marketing  
• Implementation of a Bishops Strategy  
• Resource and platform development  
• Providing presentations, process facilitation, and coaching services for congregations  
• An evaluative process  
• The creation of an NFCYM Magazine with dedicated Partnering with Parents content 

For the next two months, NFCYM will focus on planning and research into family ministry in the Hispanic and Latino contexts.   

” As a parent, it is inspiring to see the Church focus this effort and energy into partnering with families to help them flourish. I am hopeful that my children will be seeing the continued fruits of this project as they grow. Being awarded this grant will allow for great research, development, implementation, and evaluation to help us achieve this project’s goals.” said Tara Stenger, Family Ministry Coordinator and parent in the Archdiocese of Detroit. 

Chris Leach, Mark Mann, and the Focus Area 4 Steering Committee will begin creating a detailed project outline and identifying the correct players to see the larger Partnering with Parents Initiative through to this grant’s completion in December 2027. 

Please keep this program in your prayers. We still have a grant application pending with the Lilly Endowment for the Accompaniment Project and expect to hear a response about that grant before the end of the calendar year. 

To view the official press release. Click Here > 

For media inquiries, please contact Natalie Ibarra, Communications Manager for NFCYM at [email protected].