Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Catholic Charities provides social services and administers various governmental and social programs. Designed to meet the challenge of the ever-changing community by utilizing spiritual, human and financial resources, our programs enable those we serve to experience dignity and respect.
- Income
- $99.1 million
- Spending
- $95.7 million
- Spent on programs
- 97%
- Reserves
- -0.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 91%
- Employees
- 364
- Volunteers
- 4,500
- Highest pay
- $244,150, ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 50 out of 100. Higher than 27% of charities in its peer group (human services, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
5 of 20It owes 53% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 3% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 23% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1597% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 35% of charities in its peer group (human services, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2516 of 16 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (4)
- $83.0 million spent. Open Arms:Refugee ServicesThe Refugee Resettlement Program provides wrap-around case management services, including reception and placement, cultural orientation, cash assistance, health education, employment services, and social services. The services are for newly arrived refugees, asylees, Cuban, Haitian, and Ukrainian parolees, foreign-born victims of human trafficking, and special immigrant visa holders from Afghanistan and Iraq. Programs include Reception & Placement (until February 2025), San Diego Newcomers Project, Home Studies and Post Release Services (formerly Safe Passages), Afghan Support and Investment Program, Afghan Newcomer Support Program (startedApril 2025), Housing Assistance for Ukrainians, PC-IR, and Catholic Charities Migrant Respite Shelters. From July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025, the refugee resettlement program provided shelter and wrap-around services to 21,811 families and 39,509 clients in San Diego and Imperial County, 137 households with a total of 411 clients for Reception and Placement services, and 797 clients for the San Diego Newcomers Project. The Afghan Support and Investment Program provides clients across California with rental assistance services for up to 12 months. ASIP 2.0 launched in July of 2024 with improved processes and capacity to better assist our clients. Since then, ASIP 2.0 has provided rental assistance services to 1,845 households and 9212 individuals. The program expanded at the request of CDSS, and is now enrolling more than 400 new households per month. Since starting in April 2024, Housing Assistance for Ukrainians has provided rental assistance for 180 households and421 clients in Californias non-impacted counties for up to 6 months. PC-IR provided rental assistance for 25 ORR-eligible families who did not qualify for ASIP or HAU. In total, the Refugee Resettlement Program provided services to 24,770 families and 50,350 individuals.Immigration ServicesThe Immigrant Services Program delivers pro-bono or low-cost, high-quality immigration services to eligible immigrants, asylees, and refugees, helping them obtain and maintain legal status and access immigration benefits regardless of background. Services include assistance with U.S. citizenship applications for lawful permanent residents, family visa petitions, derivative citizenship, consular processing, adjustment of status, work authorization, special immigrant juvenile petitions, and cases involving domestic violence. Additionally, Immigrant Services provides Know Your Rights (KYR) presentations in person, virtually, and bilingually, with over 35 presentations conducted since February 2025 for church communities, CCDSD departments, Refugee Services clients, San Diego County offices, educational institutions, and the Mexican Consulate. To further support the community, Naturalization workshops began in June 2025 at the CCDSD & IV El Centro office inthe Imperial Valley, offering guidance on the naturalization process and eligibility; to date, more than 100 applicants have been assisted in applying for or determining their eligibility for U.S. citizenship.
- $6.3 million spent. Homeless Services:Womens Homeless Services provides a continuum of services for women experiencing homelessness in San Diego County. These programs are grouped together under the name of Rachels Programs, and consist of Rachels Womens Center, a drop-in day center for women who are unhoused; Rachels Night Shelter, a 35-bed night shelter; and Rachels Promise, a 40-bed 24/7 interim shelter for women. Rachels Promise relocated in May 2025 and increased its capacity from 40 to 50 beds. Rachels Womens Center provides behavioral health recovery support for women living with substance use disorders and mental health conditions; many of whom are also dealing with complex medical conditions. In addition to onsite services, Rachels Womens Center also includes a mobile outreach component and employment assistance through a sub-contract with NAMI San Diego. All the Rachels Programs provide services in a safety focused, trauma-informed manner, and offer case management and care coordination to support women in achieving stability and ultimately obtaining housing.The Rachels Programs served a combined total of 860 unique women during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Most of these 860 women were served by more than one program in the continuum. Individual program totals are as follows: Rachels Women Center served 745 unique women, Rachels Night Shelter served 175 unique women, and Rachels Promise served 227 unique women. This department also includes two independent living homes, Casa Maria and House of Rachel, providing a total of 8 women with permanent housing in a shared setting.Mens Homeless Services operates La Posada de Guadalupe in North Coastal San Diego County. This facility provides 50 beds of interim shelter and case management for men experiencing homelessness, and offers 50 additional beds for farm workers. Between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, La Posada served 188 unique men who are unhoused and 11 farmworkers. Residents are offered housing-focused case management and care coordination with the goal of achieving stability and obtaining housing.Catholic Charities also operates a Day Center for people who are unhoused in Imperial County. This program is located in El Centro, and includes a mobile outreach component, and served 2,162 unique people who are unhoused throughout Imperial County since it opened in February 2023. In addition to offering meals and a place where participants can meet their basic needs, this program offers case management to support participants in obtaining income, benefits, employment, and housing. The Day Center includes a Rapid Rehousing component, providing people who are unhoused with housing navigation, help locating units and rental assistance to end their homelessness. This rapid rehousing component served a total of 97 people during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025.Catholic Charities 9th & F Street Apartments, L.P. (the Partnership), also known as The Leah Residence, provides 23 units of permanent supportive housing for people who are homeless and living with at least one special need. One unit is set aside for the on-site property manager in this 24-unit facility. A Service Coordinatorprovides an average of 200 supportive service contacts per month for residents. Between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025, this program served 32 unique individuals.Rachels Rapid Rehousing. This program ceased providing services on June 30, 2025, when all funds were spent. People who were receiving services either transitioned to other services or were able to maintain their housing without assistance. This contract ended on October 31, 2025, and will not be renewed.
- $3.3 million spent. Family, Youth, Children and Community Services:Our CalFresh Healthy Living Program (formerly SNAP-Ed) promotes healthy, active lifestyles for individuals and families in San Diego and Imperial Counties. The program helps participants make healthy food choices within a limited budget and encourages physically active lifestyles consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.We provide evidence-based nutrition and physical activity education to low-income individuals and collaborate with sister agencies, local organizations, and community leaders to expand services and strengthen community health initiatives. In FY20242025, we provided direct nutrition education to 1,536 individuals, and reached an additional 51,325 individuals through indirect education.CalFresh Food (SNAP) is an entitlement program that provides monthly benefits to help low-income households purchase the food they need to maintain adequate nutrition. Benefits may be used for any food or food product intended for human consumption. Our CalFresh Food team supports the community by assisting with applications, conducting outreach, and advocating for individuals who may qualify for this vital self-sufficiency program. In FY20242025, we supported the submission of 171 applications.Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego, in partnership with community organizations, established the Emergency Food Distribution Network+ (EFDN+) to ensure safe, efficient, and reliable food distribution. Through parish-based drive-thru pantries and home-delivered food packages, we provide essential nutrition to families in need. By working closely with local food banks, EFDN+ continues to reach households experiencing food insecurity. As of FY2025, EFDN+ has operated 21 distribution sites, assisting 13,714 households and 37,727 individuals. Over the course of the years, the program has distributed 599,025 pounds of food, equating to 499,188 meals.Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego also participates in the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP), a federally funded initiative launched in 1983 to help meet the needs of hungry and homeless populations nationwide. The program, which operates in phases based on funding availability, supports food assistance and shelter programs. As part of EFSP, we administer Hotel/Motel Vouchers and emergency food assistance. In FY20242025, we provided 63 nights of shelter to 6 individuals (4 adults and 2 children), funded by $8,820 in EFSP resources.Catholic Charities has provided counseling services to pregnant women since the early 1970s, and services to prospective adoptive parents since the 1980s. Catholic Charities became a state-licensed adoption agency in 1984, and over 450 infants have been placed for adoption through the program. Although Catholic Charities no longer recruits adoptive families or places children in adoptive homes, we honor our history by providing Post-Adoption Services to all adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive parents who have been involved in an adoption through our agency. Respectfor clients, and the values of mercy and justice, are continuously at the core of all practices of Catholic Charities Post Adoption Services. The Corporate Board of Catholic Charities, Diocese of San Diego, has passed a resolution to close the Catholic Charities Adoption Program and to surrender the Adoptions License in June 2023.Senior ServicesThe Senior Nutrition program helps to maintain the health and well-being of seniors through nutritious meals, the opportunity for socialization, and other needed services. The Senior Nutrition Program is in Imperial County, and provides a nutritious lunch for persons 60 years of age and older. The program offered meals at our congregate meal sites and provided home-delivered meals to those who are homebound. 10 congregate meal sites were open during FY2024-2025. We served 41,748 meals in the Congregate Program and 74,317 meals for the Home Delivered Meal Program, serving a total of 1,896 clients in our Congregate meal sites, and 506 clients in our Home Delivered program. Participated in major Senior Health Fair events in Imperial County.The Foster Grandparent Program seeks to create an enriching environment for retired older adults to remain active while making a positive impact on the needs of their communities. This program provides opportunities for seniors aged 55 and older, who are on a limited income, to volunteer and make a meaningful difference in their community through direct service for children with special and/or exceptional needs. During FY2024-2025, a total of 34 Foster Grandparents served 151 children.The Senior Companion Program focuses on providing assistance and companionship to older adults. This opportunity is for older adults aged 55 and over, who are on a limited income, to serve their communities by keeping seniors independent longer and providing respite to family caregivers. Senior Companions also report better physical and mental health and longevity as a result of serving their communities. During FY2024-2025, a total of 8 Senior Companions served 11 frail adults and their caregivers.The Community Residential Services Program aims to create a positive environment for low-income elderly and disabled residents by promoting independence, healthy lifestyles, and community involvement. The program provides access to health care services, social services, and spiritual and recreational activities. During FY2024-2025, it delivered 18,234 services across 5 buildings, serving 735 unduplicated residents and recording 11,383 duplicated resident contacts.
- $600,714 spent. Housing:Imperial Countys Continuum of Care - Catholic Charities operates the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) for the Imperial Valley Homeless Task Force, and under contract of the County of Imperial. HMIS tracks homeless persons, as data is collected from the agencies and providers that serve homeless persons, to determine gaps in services, and improve service delivery benefiting the Imperial Valley community.Catholic Charities offers Rapid Re-Housing Programs in both San Diego and Imperial Counties, providing rental assistance and security deposits, as well as landlord advocacy, assistance with finding affordable housing, and case management assistance to individuals who are homeless, with the goal of moving them into permanent housing.Catholic Charities 9th & F Street Apartments, L.P. (the Partnership) was formed as a limited partnership under the laws of the State of California on October 17, 2003, and amended on December 30, 2003, for the purpose of constructing and operating a rental housing project (the Project). The Project consists of 24 units. The Project is located in San Diego, California.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Worth knowing.
Not individually listed by the IRS as eligible, which is usual for local chapters covered by a parent organization's exemption. The master file records contributions to it as deductible.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since March 1946.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
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