Launched with a $15 million grant, the Catholic Sisters’ Elder Care Fund will support a global approach to address the needs of aging Catholic sisters

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation announced the creation of The Anna Trust, a new nonprofit organization in Rome that supports a healthy, dignified aging process for Catholic sisters worldwide. A $15 million grant will establish the trust, with an emphasis on aging sisters living in underserved communities.

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Sister Consolata Matilda Mwewa and Sister Rose Nyondo at the elderly care facility in Kasisi, Lusaka, Zambia. (Photo: Business Wire)

The announcement comes as the Hilton Foundation’s board of directors visits the Vatican during the start of the Holy Year of Jubilee. The board also met with Pope Francis to commend him for his support of Catholic sisters’ ministry and leadership. Pope Francis’ commitment to the most vulnerable and concern for the elderly were motivating forces to create The Anna Trust: Catholic Sisters’ Elder Care Fund.

In May 2024, the Hilton Foundation collaborated with the International Union of Superiors General — an organization of women Superiors General in the Catholic Church — to create The Anna Trust. This grant will make the goals of the trust a reality, with increased capacity to build infrastructure, make sub-grants, conduct workshops, and engage in research and evaluation of the effort.

“My grandfather, Conrad N. Hilton, had profound respect and admiration for the Catholic sisters, who work tirelessly to transform the lives of children, youth and families living in disadvantaged conditions,” said Linda Hilton, chair of the board of directors at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. “The Hilton Foundation's Catholic Sisters initiative enthusiastically continues his legacy by supporting strong and sustainable congregations, effective services and collaboration among Catholic sisters worldwide. We have also taken to heart Pope Francis’ encouragement to honor the wisdom of elderly people. The Hilton Foundation is proud to announce the launch of The Anna Trust, which is dedicated to the goal of sisters aging with dignity after a lifetime of service to others.”

Other funding partners in The Anna Trust include the Hilton Fund for Sisters and the Presentation Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Anna Trust will support solutions for aging Catholic sisters

Around the world, Catholic sisters are aging, with most congregations lacking financial, mental and physical preparedness to support elderly members. Research supported by the Hilton Foundation shows that in the United States, where 80% of sisters are over 70 years old, the vast majority of congregations are not prepared to care for their aging sisters. In Asia, Latin America and Africa, the Foundation supported the creation of three research centers and six elder care networks. The lessons from these grants highlight the urgency of significantly increasing support to care for the holistic needs of elderly sisters across the globe.

The Hilton Foundation is the largest financial supporter of the Catholic sisters’ work globally. Since its inception in 1944, the Foundation has approved over $614 million in grants through its Catholic Sisters initiative to more than 300 organizations in 30 countries. A primary focus is on programs that support sisters and their congregations to ensure sisters age with dignity and have a high-quality life after a lifetime of service.

“Sisters spend their whole lives faithfully serving others. As sisters enter their twilight years, they should be cared for with the utmost dignity and compassion,” said Sister Jane Wakahiu, associate vice president, program operations and head of the Catholic Sisters initiative at the Hilton Foundation. “The Anna Trust has been a labor of love and my vision for the last decade. I am filled with joy that this entity has finally come into fruition.”

“Creation of The Anna Trust plants a global exclamation point on the importance of guaranteeing dignity as sisters age,” said Sister Patricia Murray, executive secretary of the International Union of Superiors General and chair of the board of The Anna Trust. “It also underscores the broader commitment of the Church and of consecrated life to the elderly in an aging world.”

Recognizing the depth of the challenges and the lack of a coordinated funding response, the Hilton Foundation laid the groundwork for the development of a collaborative grantmaking entity. In its first five years, The Anna Trust will:

• Develop and implement a robust operational framework that supports its mission;
• Fund 100 grants that support 10,000 sisters, with an emphasis on underserved geographies;
• Educate 5,000 sisters in training modules that address the needs of congregations in elder care;
• Launch a longitudinal study to document the impact of grantmaking on sisters’ mental health, physical health and spirituality; and
• Raise an additional $15 million in co-funding to support an endowment and operational costs.

The Anna Trust will be led by Executive Director Susan Raymond, Ph.D., who has led nonprofits and foundations globally and is widely published on the health system and finance issues associated with global demographic aging.

“We have taken the first steps on a long road,” Raymond said. “The Anna Trust is focused on solutions that will ensure dignity for elderly sisters who have given their lives to the poor. It is our sacred trust to give back to them our very best efforts to protect their futures and the future of all elderly persons.”

About the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

International hotelier Conrad N. Hilton established the grantmaking foundation that bears his name in 1944 to help people living in poverty and experiencing disadvantage worldwide. Today, the work continues, concentrating on efforts to ensure healthy early childhood development and sustainable livelihoods for youth and refugee populations, support young people transitioning out of foster care, improve access to housing and support services for people experiencing homelessness, identify solutions to safe water access, and lift the work of Catholic sisters. Additionally, following selection by an independent, international jury, the Foundation annually awards the $2.5 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to an organization doing extraordinary work to reduce human suffering. The Foundation is one of the world’s largest, with approximately $7 billion in assets. It has awarded grants to date totaling more than $3.2 billion worldwide, and $290 million in 2023. Please visit www.hiltonfoundation.org for more information.

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