Chalice International

Chalice is a Canadian, Catholic child sponsorship organization dedicated to supporting vulnerable children in developing countries to complete their education.

Currently, Chalice operates 52 sites throughout Bolivia, Chile, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Kenya, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Tanzania, Ukraine, and Zambia.[1]

Each Chalice sponsor site is under local direction. Chalice works with religious and lay partner organizations. Through close liaison and regular communication with their partners, sponsored children and their families are helped with nutrition, education, and medical care. Elders and adults with special needs receive the care and dignity each deserves through the provision of health care, improved nutrition, and other necessities.

Through community projects, the partners oversee the building or expansion of schools, clinics, hospitals, orphanages, homes, and other construction projects. Human development projects can include- but are not limited to- skills training, other types of training to better equip parents to gain meaningful employment; or training for parents to start their own small businesses and provide better care for their families.

Donations made to Chalice’s Urgent Needs funds provide emergency surgeries and medical treatment for children and adults.

Chalice’s founder, Father Patrick ‘Pat’ Cosgrove, is a diocesan priest of the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth. He has been serving since his ordination in 1985.

In 1992 a friend from the US visited and invited Fr. Pat to become involved with the American Catholic sponsorship organization Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA). Fr. Pat accepted their invitation to join the board of directors of CFCA Canada.

In 1996, Fr. Pat's operations became an autonomous child sponsorship charity, called Christian Child Care International. In 2007, it was renamed to Chalice Canada. Chalice moved to its permanent national headquarters in Bedford, Nova Scotia, in the winter of 2016.

Chalice International began operations in the United States in July 2017.[2] Chalice Inc. is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

In May 2021, Chalice was constituted as a Private Association of the Faithful by Archbishop Brian Dunn of the Diocese of Halifax-Yarmouth.[3]

Chalice operates on a Family Funding sponsorship model that is unique in Canada. Chalice sponsorship pairs one child with one sponsor. Each child’s parent or guardian joins a community group, opens a bank account, and receives financial literacy training to manage their child's funds, prioritizing education fees. Each month, parents meet in ‘family circles’ of about 20 with a Chalice field worker. At these meetings, they account for their spending, create group savings, engage in microloans, and form small businesses. These meetings are also opportunities for Chalice staff to conduct educational sessions in topics related to parenting, health and hygiene, nutrition, and other subjects that are relevant to their groups.[4]

For each dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and administration/management, Chalice commits more than 90 percent of its spending in support of programs.[5]

Chalice is in control of distributing funds. The distribution of funds is mandated by Canada Revenue Agency regulations. They are audited by an external auditor and internal auditor. All the funds that are sent to the sites are audited on a quarterly basis.

Chalice Canada is a registered charity in Canada under the Income Tax Act. Their CRA Registration Number is 13759 1012 RR0001.[6]

• Charity Intelligence 2022 Top Rated Charities[7]
• Charity Intelligence 2021 Top Rated Charities: #3 International Aid[8]
• Maclean's Canada's Best Charities 2020: #5 [9]
• MoneySense Canada’s top-rated charities 2020[10]
• The Globe and Mail 2018 Top 100 Nonprofit Organizations[11]
• MoneySense Canada's Top Rated Charities 2017 - #5 International Aid & Development[12]
• MoneySense Top Charities in Canada 2018 - #4 International Aid[13]