Caritas
Caritas Internationalis is the Catholic Church's global humanitarian confederation, coordinating 162 national member organisations across 200+ countries to deliver emergency relief, development programmes, and advocacy for people affected by poverty, conflict, displacement, and climate change.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1951
- HeadquartersRome, Italy
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Caritas does
Caritas Internationalis is the official humanitarian and development confederation of the Catholic Church, founded in 1951 and coordinated by a General Secretariat in Vatican City. The confederation unites 162 autonomous national member organisations operating across more than 200 countries and territories, organised through seven regional bodies (Africa, Asia, Europa, Latin America & Caribbean, Middle East & North Africa, North America, and Oceania) and a base of 3,000+ diocesan Caritas organisations. Its core activities span emergency response and disaster relief, long-term development and recovery, advocacy and peacebuilding, climate adaptation, refugee and migrant support, food security, water and sanitation, healthcare, and protection services. Beneficiaries include people affected by poverty, conflict, climate impacts, and displacement, reached regardless of religion or background.
The confederation operates as a federated network rather than a central service-delivery entity. Offerings include pooled funding mechanisms (Global Action Fund, Emergency Response Fund), governance frameworks (Caritas Internationalis Management Standards — CIMS), advocacy campaigns (Turn Debt into Hope, Saints & Samaritans), and shared digital infrastructure for member collaboration and training (Coatnet, Baobab, e-Learning platform). Supporting knowledge products cover climate, women's leadership, partnerships, and 70-year institutional history. Funding flows from individual donations, member contributions, and institutional partners including UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP, UNOCHA, and IOM, with over 95% of funds directed to mission activities. The General Secretariat holds UN ECOSOC consultative status and is a founding member of the Sphere humanitarian standards, anchoring Caritas within the global humanitarian policy architecture.
The underlying "technology" is intentionally modest: a WordPress-based multilingual web presence, Cloudflare-protected cookies, Stripe payment processing through the Raisely donation platform, and standard social media channels. Caritas's defensible advantage derives from institutional embedding in the Catholic Church rather than proprietary software. Pricing is non-applicable — support is provided free of charge to beneficiaries based on humanitarian principles, financed by donations. Marketing emphasises field stories, statements, advocacy campaigns, and presence at UN forums, with fundraising conducted globally through the donate.caritas.org platform.
Caritas firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Caritas
- Legal name
- Caritas Internationalis General Secretariat
- Website
- https://caritas.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1951
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Caritas Internationalis is the Catholic Church's global humanitarian confederation, coordinating 162 national member organisations across 200+ countries to deliver emergency relief, development programmes, and advocacy for people affected by poverty, conflict, displacement, and climate change.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Caritas industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Humanitarian Aid and International Development
- NAICS
- Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Health Services (8000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD), Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH), Disaster Recovery, Reconstruction & Resilience Programs (BPAGAAAK), Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF)
Keywords
Where Caritas is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rome
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
Caritas business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Contributions: Caritas Internationalis General Secretariat is funded by contributions from member organisations and private donations. The confederation raises funds through emergency appeals, general donations, and institutional partnerships. Over 95% of all funds raised are spent on Caritas' mission. Restricted funds support specific emergency appeals while unrestricted funds support programs where they are most needed.
- Institutional Funding and Partnerships: Caritas members receive funding from institutional donors and partners including UN agencies (UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP, UNOCHA, IOM). Many national members are operational partners with these agencies, receiving grants for humanitarian and development programs.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels12 records
Caritas product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Caritas is a global Catholic humanitarian and development confederation providing emergency relief, long-term development assistance, and advocacy for justice, peace, and climate action through 162 national member organisations in more than 200 countries. Its direct deliverables include emergency response coordination, the Global Action Fund and Emergency Response Fund, the Caritas Internationalis Management Standards (CIMS), and global advocacy campaigns such as Turn Debt into Hope and Saints and Samaritans.
Product overview
Caritas is a global confederation of 162 Catholic humanitarian and development organisations operating in over 200 countries and territories. The confederation is structured at parish, diocesan, national, and regional levels (seven regions: Africa, Asia, Europa, Latin America & Caribbean, Middle East & North Africa, North America, and Oceania), coordinated by a General Secretariat in Vatican City. The organisation's core offerings include humanitarian emergency response via the Emergency Response Fund and Global Action Fund, long-term development programs, advocacy campaigns (Turn Debt into Hope, Saints & Samaritans), and capacity-building through the Caritas Internationalis Management Standards (CIMS). Supporting infrastructure includes e-Learning and community platforms (Coatnet, Baobab), while knowledge products include publications on climate, partnerships, and women's leadership.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Global Action Fund A pooled donation fund that supports Caritas programs where resources are most needed, enabling coordinated humanitarian response across the 162-member confederation.
- Emergency Response Fund A dedicated fund for emergency appeals providing immediate relief funding for natural disasters and humanitarian crises worldwide, coordinated through Caritas member organisations.
- Turn Debt into Hope Campaign A global advocacy campaign calling for fair debt relief for nations, enabling communities to reclaim resources for schools, healthcare, and climate preparedness, aligned with Pope Francis's legacy.
- Saints and Samaritans Campaign A storytelling initiative showcasing Caritas staff and volunteers as 'everyday saints' whose extraordinary compassion transforms lives across global communities.
- Caritas Internationalis Management Standards (CIMS) A statutory framework for all 162 Caritas members covering laws and ethical codes, governance and organisation, programme and finance accountability, stakeholder involvement, and resource management.
- e-Learning Platform Online learning platform offering multi-language courses such as Introduction to Safeguarding for staff and member-organisation training across the confederation.
- Coatnet Platform Networking and collaboration platform referenced for use among Caritas member organisations to coordinate activities and share knowledge.
- Baobab Platform Community platform for Caritas member organisations to share resources, knowledge, and collaborate on humanitarian and development activities.
Quantifiable outcome
- Nearly half a billion people reached each year through the global network
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Caritas
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Caritas technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Caritas partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Geneva Graduate InstituteminorPartnership with Geneva Graduate Institute for joint report 'Assessing the Impact of Sanctions on Humanitarian Work' launched at UN Human Rights Council.
- ACT AlliancecoreJoint advocacy work with ACT Alliance on humanitarian and development issues.
- World Council of Churches (WCC)coreEcumenical partnership for joint advocacy, including interfaith calls for peace in Sudan.
- United Nations ECOSOCcoreCaritas holds consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), providing a place in key UN processes and global policy discussions.
- Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR)coreActive member of SCHR, participating in leading humanitarian networks and policy platforms.
- International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA)coreActive member of ICVA, participating in humanitarian coordination and policy work.
- Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)coreParticipates in IASC reference groups, contributing to inter-agency humanitarian coordination.
- Sphere StandardscoreFounding member of Sphere, contributing to shape standards of humanitarian principles and technical guidance worldwide.
- Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) AlliancecoreMember of CHS Alliance, committed to humanitarian accountability standards.
- UNICEFcoreMany national and diocesan Caritas members are operational partners with UNICEF, working on child-focused humanitarian and development programs.
- UNHCRcoreNational Caritas members operate as operational partners with UNHCR for refugee protection and assistance.
- World Food Programme (WFP)coreNational Caritas members partner with WFP on food security and nutrition programs.
- UNOCHAcoreCaritas members work in partnership with UNOCHA for humanitarian coordination and emergency response.
- International Organization for Migration (IOM)corePartnership with IOM on migration management and support for migrants and displaced persons.
- International Catholic Centre of GenevacoreActive member of the International Catholic Centre of Geneva for faith-based humanitarian engagement.
- World Evangelical Alliance (WEA)minorPartnership with WEA for joint advocacy at UN Human Rights Council.
- Caritas PhilippinescoreCaritas Philippines President Bishop Gerry Alminaza represents Caritas in advocacy for environmental justice, including the Verde Island Passage oil spill accountability.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Caritas competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cordaid: Netherlands-based Caritas Internationalis member organisation. Direct peer operating in humanitarian response, health, and economic justice with comparable Catholic identity and institutional partnerships.
- Catholic Relief Services (CRS): US-based member of the Caritas Internationalis confederation operating global humanitarian and development programs. Directly comparable as a sister national Caritas organisation with similar mission, programs, donor base, and institutional partners.
- Trócaire: Ireland's overseas development agency and Caritas Internationalis member. Direct peer with comparable Catholic identity, humanitarian and development programming, and donor-base overlap.
- Oxfam International: Global confederation of NGOs working on poverty, humanitarian response, and advocacy. Comparable as a federated model serving similar beneficiary populations with overlapping programs in disaster response, food security, and inequality advocacy.
- Save the Children International: Global NGO focused on children's rights, humanitarian response, and development. Comparable operating model in emergencies, institutional UN partnerships, advocacy campaigns, and donor-funded programming across similar geographies.
- CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development): England and Wales member of the Caritas Internationalis confederation. Direct national-organisation peer with the same mission, programs, donor-base overlap, and confederation governance.
- ACT Alliance: Coalition of 150+ faith-based organisations working in humanitarian, development, and advocacy. Comparable as a faith-based ecumenical network with overlapping priorities, joint advocacy campaigns, and similar beneficiary focus.
- World Vision International: Christian faith-based humanitarian and development organisation operating in nearly 100 countries. Comparable as a faith-rooted INGO with similar community-based programming, child-focused interventions, and disaster response capabilities.
Others
- UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency): UN agency mandated to lead refugee response globally. Comparable as a key institutional partner and counterpart in serving displaced persons, but operates under a UN intergovernmental mandate rather than as an NGO confederation.
Broad incumbents
- International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): The world's largest humanitarian network with 191 national societies. Comparable to Caritas as a global federated humanitarian organisation with national-society model, broad disaster response and development mandate, and similar institutional UN partnerships.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights2 records
Customer concentration
Caritas social profiles
Digital presenceCaritas compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance13 records
Caritas financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Caritas leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Caritas subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries7 records
Caritas funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Caritas M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Caritas
What does Caritas do?
Caritas is a global Catholic humanitarian and development confederation providing emergency relief, long-term development assistance, and advocacy for justice, peace, and climate action through 162 national member organisations in more than 200 countries. Its direct deliverables include emergency response coordination, the Global Action Fund and Emergency Response Fund, the Caritas Internationalis Management Standards (CIMS), and global advocacy campaigns such as Turn Debt into Hope and Saints and Samaritans.
Is Caritas a public or private company?
Caritas is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Caritas founded?
Caritas was founded in 1951. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Caritas based?
Caritas is headquartered in Rome, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does Caritas make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Contributions are the primary driver. The others are institutional Funding and Partnerships.
Who are Caritas's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cordaid, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Trócaire, Oxfam International, Save the Children International, CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development), ACT Alliance and World Vision International. UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) is listed as an others. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Caritas have an API?
No public API is recorded for Caritas.
What industry is Caritas in?
Caritas's product category is Humanitarian Aid and International Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADAEAK, Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming, with a secondary code of HLAJAKAD, International & Local Implementing NGOs. Its NAICS code is 6242 and its SIC code is 8300.