Catholic sisters are committed leaders and advocates for the communities they serve. With more than 700,000 members worldwide, their vibrant sisterhood brings dignity and hope to children, young adults and families around the world, particularly those in marginalized communities suffering from injustice, conflict and disadvantage.
Whether providing education and health services in war-torn regions of Nigeria or supporting individuals experiencing displacement in Mexico, Catholic sisters promote peace, advocate for justice and care for those in need. The sisters’ global network is present in 100 countries around the world and includes 250,000 Catholic schools, 50,000 social service organizations, 20,000 healthcare facilities, and 16,000 senior and elderly care facilities.
Our vision is to support a thriving global Catholic sisterhood by advancing sisters’ education, leadership, and care. We invest in networks of sisters that work together to alleviate suffering, allowing those experiencing disadvantaged circumstances to achieve self-sufficiency. During the next five-year phase of our Catholic Sisters initiative, our vision is that:
Support Catholic sisters’ education, formation and lifelong well-being
Strengthen the sisterhood’s global network.
Leverage sisters’ unique expertise in identifying the needs and challenges of marginalized communities and in crafting effective solutions.
Forge partnerships and cross-organizational collaborations that benefit from the Catholic sisters’ experience in addressing the spiritual, mental, and health needs of those suffering injustice.
Bring sisters to the decision-making table where they can offer their insight and voice to conversations addressing resource allocation and urgent global challenges.
The Catholic Sisters initiative seeks to ensure that communities around the world benefit from the sisters’ uniquely healing and human-centered approach. By carrying forward their centuries-long legacy of humanitarianism, we sustain the sisters’ invaluable work assisting people in need. In doing so, the initiative fosters hope and human dignity while promoting peace, equity, and justice around the world.
We have set ambitious five-year goals for supporting sisters, organizations led by sisters, and the communities they serve:
The Catholic Sisters initiative operates worldwide, with a deep focus on ministries serving highly marginalized communities and those experiencing disadvantage. Our work over the past several years has created a strong foundation for the next phase, building on existing grantee partnerships and sisters’ high‑impact community work.
From 2021-2025, the initiative contributed to the following results across more than 30 countries:
Throughout his life, Conrad N. Hilton drew inspiration from the Catholic sisters’ profound commitment to alleviate human suffering. The Hilton Foundation’s commitment to support the sisters continues with this philanthropic legacy.
“Give aid to the Sisters, who devote their love and life’s work for the good of mankind, for they appeal especially to me as deserving help from the Foundation.”
– Conrad N. Hilton
