Church World Service

Name

Church World Service

Legal name

Church World Service, Inc.

Website

https://cwsglobal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food Services (624210), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG), Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

Keywords

• Refugee resettlement
• Humanitarian assistance
• Disaster response
• Food security programs
• Asylum services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Contracts: CWS receives federal grants and contracts from the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement to operate the U.S. Refugee Resettlement and Placement Program, the Unaccompanied Children Program, and National Capacity Building & Assistance Projects. This is the largest single revenue source, comprising the majority of operating funds.
2. Institutional Foundation Grants: Major institutional funders include the Eli Lilly & Company Foundation, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Airbnb.org, United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ (UCC), and others. These grants fund specific programmatic initiatives such as school supply backpacks for unaccompanied children.
3. Individual Donations and Sustaining Partners: CWS raises funds from individual donors through its website donation portal, sustaining partner monthly giving program, CROP Hunger Walk events, Best Gift Catalog, and legacy/planned giving. Donors can give via credit card, qualified charitable distributions, gifts of stock, and donor advised funds.
4. Member Communions Contributions: CWS is a cooperative effort of 37 (formerly more) member communions representing millions of persons. Covenant Members (16 current denominations) and Historic Member Communions contribute financial and programmatic support to CWS's global operations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels14 records

Core offering

Church World Service (CWS) is a faith-based, ecumenical humanitarian nonprofit that delivers refugee resettlement, asylum and border services, immigration legal aid, disaster response and recovery, hunger and poverty programs, water/sanitation/hygiene (WASH) initiatives, and child protection services. It operates 28 U.S. refugee and immigration offices across 17 states, runs the Resettlement Support Center Africa in Kenya, and runs global humanitarian programs in approximately 17 countries. Services are delivered at no cost to beneficiaries and funded by U.S. government grants, foundation grants, individual donations, and contributions from 37 member communions.

Product overview

Church World Service operates as a humanitarian organization offering a portfolio of interconnected service programs rather than a single product. The core offerings include Refugee Resettlement (through 28 U.S. offices), Migration/Asylum Services (including legal aid and border services), Hunger & Poverty programs (food security, WASH, livelihoods), Disaster Response (with pre-positioned kits and recovery support), and Children's Services (unaccompanied child services). Programs are delivered through regional offices in Africa, Asia, Europe/Middle East, Latin America/Caribbean, and the United States, with support functions including Legal Services, Housing Assistance, and Civic Engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• U.S. Refugee Resettlement U.S.-based refugee resettlement program helping refugees rebuild their lives in the United States through 28 offices across 17 states, providing case management, housing, employment, and integration support.
• Asylum and Border Services Shelter, support, and navigation assistance for asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border, including respite shelters and case management.
• Legal Services Low-cost immigration legal services including citizenship, green cards, DACA, asylum protection, and family reunification assistance.
• Children's Services (Unaccompanied Children) Services for unaccompanied immigrant children including home study, post-release services, legal representation, and family reunification support.
• Disaster Response and Recovery Emergency disaster relief including pre-positioned supplies (Emergency Cleanup Buckets, Hygiene Kits, Blankets), cash assistance, and long-term recovery programs.
• Hunger and Poverty Programs Community-driven programs addressing hunger and poverty through food security, nutrition, sustainable agriculture, livelihoods, and economic empowerment initiatives.
• Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Programs providing clean water access, sanitation facilities, and hygiene education to communities in need.
• Housing for Newcomers Housing assistance connecting refugees and newcomers with safe, affordable housing through partnerships with landlords and property managers.
• Child Protection Child protection services including safe spaces for refugee children, education support, psychosocial assistance, and family strengthening programs.
• Resettlement Support Center Africa (RSC Africa) Guides U.S.-bound refugees from sub-Saharan Africa through the resettlement process including health checks, security clearances, cultural orientation, and English language programming.
• Civic Engagement Voter engagement programs helping new Americans with naturalization, voter registration, education, and mobilization.

Quantifiable outcome

• 123,763 individuals received humanitarian emergency support in 2025
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ACT AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCWS is a founding member of ACT Alliance, a coalition of more than 130 churches and church-based humanitarian organizations operating in approximately 125 countries with 30,000 staff and volunteers and a combined operating budget of nearly $1.5 billion annually. Alliance members work collaboratively on emergency food aid, shelter, water, and long-term poverty reduction programs while retaining individual identities.
• Tent Partnership for RefugeescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCWS is a Preferred Implementing Partner with the Tent Partnership for Refugees. Tent's preferred implementing partners are organizations best placed to work with businesses across multiple geographies to help implement refugee integration projects. CWS connects employer partners with refugee job seekers through this relationship.
• Belgrade Centre for Human RightsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal partner in Serbia providing support to asylum seekers and refugees. Adamou, featured in the 2025 Annual Report, was supported by CWS and this local partner to find safety and temporary housing in Serbia.
• Diaconia (Moldova)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal partner in Moldova that operates an education center for Ukrainian refugee children. CWS supports this partner through the Refugee Hub focusing on education and psychosocial support.
• Healthy City (Moldova)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCWS local partner in Moldova serving Ukrainian refugees and Moldovan gender-based violence survivors with medical and psychosocial support. Provides vocational training classes in partnership with Tekwill academy.
• Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims - Memoria (Moldova)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCWS local partner in Moldova serving Ukrainian refugees and Moldovan gender-based violence survivors with life-saving medical and psychosocial support. Named 'A Ray of Light' in CWS reporting.
• Covenant Members (16 denominations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2024, CWS transitioned to a Covenant Membership model. Current Covenant Members include: African Methodist Episcopal Church, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Alliance of Baptists, American Baptist Churches USA, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Church of the Brethren, Community of Christ, The Episcopal Church, ELCA, International Council of Community Churches, Moravian Church in America, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends, Presbyterian Church (USA), Reformed Church in America, United Church of Christ, and United Methodist Committee on Relief/GBGM. These represent over 9 million people and work together with CWS on practical engagement of faith communities.
• Historic Member Communions (22 additional denominations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdditional historic member communions include: Armenian Church of America, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Coptic Orthodox Church in North America, Ecumenical Catholic Communion, Friends United Meeting, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Hungarian Reformed Church in America, Korean Presbyterian Church in America, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Mar Thoma Church, National Baptist Convention of America, National Baptist Convention USA Inc., National Missionary Baptist Convention of America, Orthodox Church in America, Polish National Catholic Church of America, Progressive National Baptist Convention, Serbian Orthodox Church, Swedenborgian Church, Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch, Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America, The United Methodist Church.
• ADRA InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCWS Board member Sonya Funna Evelyn is Vice President for Sustainable Development at ADRA International. ADRA is a global nonprofit reaching over 20 million individuals annually with poverty reduction programs through 120+ offices worldwide.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• HIAS: Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society is a direct peer as one of the nine U.S. refugee resettlement agencies, providing reception and placement, legal services, and resettlement support for refugees and asylum seekers. CWS and HIAS are co-plaintiffs in Pacito v. Trump, underscoring their direct operational overlap in the same federal funding stream.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC): The IRC is a direct peer operating U.S. refugee resettlement offices alongside global emergency response programs, with a similar mission footprint to CWS including refugee reception, asylum support, and disaster response. It is one of the largest U.S.-based humanitarian agencies and competes for the same DOS and ORR funding.
• USCCB Migration and Refugee Services: The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Migration and Refugee Services is a direct peer, operating one of the largest U.S. refugee resettlement networks alongside CWS. Both agencies receive federal Reception and Placement and Matching Grant funding and serve similar refugee populations through a comparable diocesan/parochial structure.
• Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS): LIRS is a direct peer as one of the nine U.S. refugee resettlement agencies and a faith-based organization with a similar Lutheran heritage to some CWS member communions (ELCA). It provides resettlement, unaccompanied children services, and advocacy, competing for overlapping federal contracts.
• World Relief: World Relief is a direct peer as an evangelical Christian humanitarian organization operating U.S. refugee resettlement offices and international programs. It is one of the nine official U.S. refugee resettlement agencies and competes for the same federal contracts, donor pools, and beneficiary populations as CWS.
• Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC): ECDC is a direct peer as one of the nine U.S. refugee resettlement agencies, with particular strength in African refugee resettlement. It competes with CWS for the same federal Reception and Placement contracts and serves overlapping beneficiary communities.
• Episcopal Migration Ministries: Episcopal Migration Ministries is a smaller direct peer operating U.S. refugee resettlement through Episcopal diocesan networks. The Episcopal Church is a CWS Covenant Member, creating both collaboration and competition dynamics for the same federal refugee admissions contracts.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Relief Services (CRS): CRS is a broad incumbent faith-based humanitarian agency and fellow InterAction member with global emergency response, food security, and WASH programs that overlap with CWS's international portfolio. While CRS does not run U.S. resettlement, it competes for the same institutional foundation and individual donor dollars in the faith-based humanitarian space.
• Mercy Corps: Mercy Corps is a broad incumbent global humanitarian organization with overlapping programs in food security, disaster response, and refugee support across multiple of the same geographies CWS operates in. It competes for institutional foundation funding and government grants in the international development space.

Others

• InterAction: InterAction is the U.S. international NGO sector convener of which CWS is a member. While not a competitor, InterAction sets sector standards, coordinates collective advocacy on refugee and foreign aid policy, and provides the convening infrastructure through which CWS engages the broader U.S. NGO ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cws_global
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cwsglobal
• Facebookfacebook.com/churchworldservice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/church-world-service
• Instagraminstagram.com/cws_global

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Church World Service