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Rome — <\/span>Pope Leo XIV on Saturday encouraged some of the wealthiest American Catholics to keep supporting his charitable work, in an audience that confirmed how the election of the first American-born pope has energized American Catholics And their donation.<\/a><\/p>\n The Chicago-born Leo met at the Apostolic Palace at the end of his annual pilgrimage to Rome with members of The Papal Foundation, a major funder of papal development projects in the developing world. <\/p>\n In his remarks, Leo thanked the foundation’s managers for their generosity, which he said has allowed “countless people to experience God’s goodness and kindness in a concrete way in their communities.”<\/p>\n He particularly mentioned priests and nuns from poor countries who are able to study at the Pontifical Universities of Rome to pursue advanced degrees because of scholarships funded by the Foundation’s grants, which have totaled more than $270 million over the past four decades.<\/p>\n While the Papal Foundation’s contributions to the Vatican remained strong during Pope Francis’ 12-year papal tenure, other donations to the Holy See declined during the global financial crisis, COVID-19 and other stresses. Some American Catholics too There was resentment over donating to the Holy See.<\/a> This followed years of incredible stories of mismanagement, corruption and scandal, as well as Francis’s known criticism of American-style capitalism.<\/p>\n Leo’s election appears to have reinvigorated the American church, especially the donor class. On Saturday the Papal Foundation announced that its members have approved more than $15 million in grants for 2026, a record in the foundation’s 38-year history.<\/p>\n The foundation also announced that 25 new families had joined since Leo’s election, the strongest sign yet that the election of an American, English-speaking pope \u2014 and a math major with an eye on the Vatican’s balance sheet \u2014 is good news for fund-raising for the church.<\/p>\n “The growth we are seeing is incredibly encouraging, as it reflects a shared commitment to serve, to give, and to bring the church’s mission to life in meaningful ways around the world,” David Savage, executive director of the foundation, said in a statement.<\/p>\n The foundation was created in 1988 by the late Cardinal John Kroll of Philadelphia as a way to directly fund papal charitable initiatives for wealthy American Catholics.<\/p>\n Becoming a steward requires a gift of $1 million to a fund that helps support papal projects such as the construction of orphanages or monasteries. For example, for 2026, some of the approved projects include building or renovating a safe school for marginalized tribal children in India and vocational technical training for vulnerable women in the Philippines.<\/p>\n The Foundation currently has all American cardinals as its members, and is governed by a board of trustees composed of Catholic laymen and bishops.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n