Top 10 Christian Charities Making the Biggest Impact

Catholic Relief Services was founded by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1943 to assist European refugees following World War II, and has since grown into one of the largest international humanitarian organizations in the world, operating in over 100 countries with an annual budget exceeding $1 billion. CRS specializes in emergency relief, agricultural development, health, education, and microfinance, and is particularly noted for its work in the aftermath of earthquakes, floods, and famines. Its commitment to serving all people regardless of religion, race, or nationality reflects the universality of Catholic social teaching.

Franklin Graham built Samaritan's Purse into one of the world's most effective evangelical relief organizations, responding to disasters, wars, and public health crises on every continent with teams that deploy within hours of a crisis. The organization's Operation Christmas Child project has packed over 220 million gift-filled shoeboxes for children in poverty since 1993. Samaritan's Purse is particularly known for its medical response capacity — deploying field hospitals into conflict zones and epidemic areas including Sierra Leone during the Ebola crisis and New York City at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Founded by Everett Swanson in 1952 after he witnessed the suffering of Korean War orphans, Compassion International has developed the most rigorously evaluated child development model in the Christian humanitarian sector, releasing children from poverty through holistic child development programs in 29 countries. Independent academic studies by economists at MIT and elsewhere have confirmed that Compassion's sponsorship model produces measurable, lasting improvements in income, education, and health outcomes for sponsored children into adulthood. The organization serves over two million children and maintains among the highest charity watchdog ratings of any faith-based organization.

Gary Haugen founded International Justice Mission in 1997 after his work with the United Nations documenting the Rwanda genocide, creating a nonprofit law firm dedicated to protecting people in poverty from violence, slavery, and sexual abuse. IJM works directly with local law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts to rescue victims of trafficking, bonded labor, and police brutality, then provides aftercare and pursues criminal prosecutions. Studies in the Philippines and Bolivia have shown IJM's integrated justice system transformation model reduces slavery prevalence by over 80 percent in targeted areas.

William Booth founded The Salvation Army in London's East End in 1865 as a direct-action ministry to the destitute, and it has grown into one of the largest social service organizations in the world, operating in 131 countries with annual service to over 23 million people in the United States alone. Its distinctive military structure, red kettles at Christmas, and disaster response capacity make it one of the most recognized charities on earth. The Salvation Army was present at virtually every major disaster of the twentieth century, from the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Founded by Larry Ward in 1971 with an urgent response to the Bangladesh famine, Food for the Hungry works in over 20 countries implementing long-term community development programs alongside emergency food relief. The organization explicitly anchors its development philosophy in the biblical concept of shalom — comprehensive wholeness encompassing spiritual, physical, relational, and economic dimensions of flourishing. Its church partnership model activates local congregations as agents of transformation rather than creating dependency on outside intervention.

Tearfund was founded in the United Kingdom in 1968 as the relief arm of the Evangelical Alliance, and has since grown into one of Britain's most respected international development organizations, working with over 1,000 local church partners in 50 countries. Its distinctive model of routing aid through local churches rather than external NGO structures has been widely recognized as more sustainable and culturally appropriate than traditional humanitarian delivery. Tearfund's advocacy work on climate change and global inequality has made it a significant voice in international policy circles.

Caritas Internationalis is the confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development, and social service organizations operating worldwide — making it one of the largest humanitarian networks in the world, with a presence in nearly every country on earth. Its constituent members include CAFOD in the UK, Caritas Germany, and Catholic Charities USA, and together they reach over 150 million people annually. The confederation operates at the intersection of the Catholic Church's global institutional presence and the world's most marginalized communities.

Founded by Marie Martin in Nigeria in 1937, the Medical Missionaries of Mary were the first Catholic congregation specifically dedicated to healthcare in mission territories, establishing hospitals and training programs across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. The congregation pioneered community health worker programs and culturally appropriate maternal health services decades before these approaches were adopted by mainstream global health institutions. Their model of training local health workers to serve their own communities has been replicated by governments and NGOs worldwide.

Catholic Relief Services was founded by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1943 to assist European refugees following World War II, and has since grown into one of the largest international humanitarian organizations in the world, operating in over 100 countries with an annual budget exceeding $1 billion. CRS specializes in emergency relief, agricultural development, health, education, and microfinance, and is particularly noted for its work in the aftermath of earthquakes, floods, and famines. Its commitment to serving all people regardless of religion, race, or nationality reflects the universality of Catholic social teaching.

Franklin Graham built Samaritan's Purse into one of the world's most effective evangelical relief organizations, responding to disasters, wars, and public health crises on every continent with teams that deploy within hours of a crisis. The organization's Operation Christmas Child project has packed over 220 million gift-filled shoeboxes for children in poverty since 1993. Samaritan's Purse is particularly known for its medical response capacity — deploying field hospitals into conflict zones and epidemic areas including Sierra Leone during the Ebola crisis and New York City at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Founded by Everett Swanson in 1952 after he witnessed the suffering of Korean War orphans, Compassion International has developed the most rigorously evaluated child development model in the Christian humanitarian sector, releasing children from poverty through holistic child development programs in 29 countries. Independent academic studies by economists at MIT and elsewhere have confirmed that Compassion's sponsorship model produces measurable, lasting improvements in income, education, and health outcomes for sponsored children into adulthood. The organization serves over two million children and maintains among the highest charity watchdog ratings of any faith-based organization.

Gary Haugen founded International Justice Mission in 1997 after his work with the United Nations documenting the Rwanda genocide, creating a nonprofit law firm dedicated to protecting people in poverty from violence, slavery, and sexual abuse. IJM works directly with local law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts to rescue victims of trafficking, bonded labor, and police brutality, then provides aftercare and pursues criminal prosecutions. Studies in the Philippines and Bolivia have shown IJM's integrated justice system transformation model reduces slavery prevalence by over 80 percent in targeted areas.

William Booth founded The Salvation Army in London's East End in 1865 as a direct-action ministry to the destitute, and it has grown into one of the largest social service organizations in the world, operating in 131 countries with annual service to over 23 million people in the United States alone. Its distinctive military structure, red kettles at Christmas, and disaster response capacity make it one of the most recognized charities on earth. The Salvation Army was present at virtually every major disaster of the twentieth century, from the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Founded by Larry Ward in 1971 with an urgent response to the Bangladesh famine, Food for the Hungry works in over 20 countries implementing long-term community development programs alongside emergency food relief. The organization explicitly anchors its development philosophy in the biblical concept of shalom — comprehensive wholeness encompassing spiritual, physical, relational, and economic dimensions of flourishing. Its church partnership model activates local congregations as agents of transformation rather than creating dependency on outside intervention.

Tearfund was founded in the United Kingdom in 1968 as the relief arm of the Evangelical Alliance, and has since grown into one of Britain's most respected international development organizations, working with over 1,000 local church partners in 50 countries. Its distinctive model of routing aid through local churches rather than external NGO structures has been widely recognized as more sustainable and culturally appropriate than traditional humanitarian delivery. Tearfund's advocacy work on climate change and global inequality has made it a significant voice in international policy circles.

Caritas Internationalis is the confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development, and social service organizations operating worldwide — making it one of the largest humanitarian networks in the world, with a presence in nearly every country on earth. Its constituent members include CAFOD in the UK, Caritas Germany, and Catholic Charities USA, and together they reach over 150 million people annually. The confederation operates at the intersection of the Catholic Church's global institutional presence and the world's most marginalized communities.

Founded by Marie Martin in Nigeria in 1937, the Medical Missionaries of Mary were the first Catholic congregation specifically dedicated to healthcare in mission territories, establishing hospitals and training programs across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. The congregation pioneered community health worker programs and culturally appropriate maternal health services decades before these approaches were adopted by mainstream global health institutions. Their model of training local health workers to serve their own communities has been replicated by governments and NGOs worldwide.