Global Solidarity Fund

“Documentation of meetings held by committees of governing body: the organization does not have any committees with authority to act on behalf of the governing body, therefore, line 8b is not applicable and has been checked "no" in accordance with the instructions.”

“The organization relies upon internal and external resources having a variety of expertise, including tax, finance, accounting, treasury, legal, human resources, and corporate compliance, for advice, information and assistance in order to prepare a complete and accurate return. Upon completion, the form 990 is reviewed by the organization's treasurer, who consults with tax advisors as needed. The completed copy of form 990 is provided and reviewed by all board members at the december meeting.”

“The organization regularly and consistently monitors and enforces compliance with the conflict of interest policy. Any potential conflict of interest which could result in a direct or indirect financial or personal benefit to a director, officer or staff member must be disclosed in good faith or known to the board of directors or committee authorizing a contract or other transaction. In connection with all actions taken by the board of directors or a committee of the board with respect to any contract or transaction between the organization and one or more of its directors or officers, or between the organization and any other corporation, firm, association, or other entity in which one or more of the directors or officers of the organization are directors or officers or have a financial interest, each interested director or officer of the organization: (i) will disclose to the board of directors or committee the material facts as to the director's or officer's interest in the contract or transaction or as to any common directorships, offices, or financial interest, and (ii) may participate in the information-gathering stage of the board of directors or committee's discussion but will retire from the room in which the board of directors or committee is meeting and will not participate in the final deliberation or vote on the contract or transaction. The affirmative vote of a majority of the disinterested directors serving on the board or the committee, even though they may be less than a quorum, will be required to authorize the contract or transaction. Interested directors may be counted in determining the presence of a quorum at a meeting of the board of directors or committee that authorizes the contract or transaction. In determining whether to approve the contract or transaction, disinterested directors will take into account the restrictions regarding excess benefit transactions under section 4958 of the internal revenue code of 1986, as amended. The minutes of the meeting of the board of directors or committee thereof will reflect (i) that the conflict of interest was disclosed, (ii) that the interested director, officer or staff member was not present during the final discussion or vote of the board of directors or committee thereof and (iii) that the interested individual abstained from voting. All questions as to whether a conflict of interest exists will be resolved by a vote of the board of directors in which the interested individual may not vote. A conflict of interest disclosure statement will be furnished annually to the board by each director, officer and staff member. The disclosure statements will be reviewed annually by the board of directors or by a committee thereof. In addition, each director, officer and staff member must report promptly to the organization any potential conflict of interest as and when it arises.”

“A comp study was done by Sullivan Cotter in 2020 for the Executive Director salary to determine net equivalency pay in US Dollars. The comp study affirmed that the salary was reasonable and well within expected ranges, so no adjustments were made. The Executive Director is an independent consultant and responsible for her own payroll taxes, pension and health benefits as outlined for the EU. In order to provide the resources to pay the required taxes and stay within the appropriate net equivalency pay in US Dollars, the salary was increased to include the additional taxes and fees. The Executive Directors net equivalency pay in US dollars for 2020 was $168,886.”

“Required documents available to the public the organization will provide any documents open to public inspection upon request.”

“THE GSF IS COMMITTED TO ENSURING A DATA-DRIVEN AND DATA-SUPPORTED IMPLEMENTATION, AS WELL AS A STRATEGIC APPROACH GUIDED BY FILLING EXISTING GAPS AND MAXIMIZING RESULTS OF EXISTING NETWORKS CREATING NEW ENTITIES. In 2020, the Global Solidarity Fund set the course for the organization, based on an agreed vision of a world where everyone has access to social and economic opportunity and a healthy life, and where essential human dignity is fully respected. The GSF organization's first stream of work is to connect Catholic networks with partners to drive systemic change for the most vulnerable, starting with migrants, especially women and children. At the local level in Ethiopia, GSF worked with 7 congregations to create the first inter-congregational project with an integrated approach that combines economic empowerment and job creation, health and education for the poorest and most vulnerable, with a special focus on women and families. An MoU was signed between the GSF and the consortium of congregation to kick start implementation of its activities for job creation for the vulnerable communities. The GSF organization's second stream of work is to focus its efforts on creating partnerships and opportunities that further empower Catholic Sisters' leadership to shape development efforts for those in need. To improve the recognition of women religious' work during COVID-19, the GSF organization worked with the UISG (International Union of Superiors General), representing Catholic sisters from around the world, via the #YouAreMySister campaign, with support from the Edelman Worldwide communication agency. The UISG identified more than 40 Sisters, of whom 4 were chosen and film crews sent to Kenya, India, Cambodia and Brazil to interview those Sisters and show their actions within their community on the COVID-19 crisis. The GSF organization's third stream of work is to build alliances and tell the story of the Catholic Church's development contribution, including supporting its efforts to respond to COVID-19 and build a better world in its aftermath. The GSF has responded to the call to action with urgency, with its network drawing from its diverse strengths to support this leadership via the following actions: a. Donation to Pope Francis b. Grant to Ethiopia for PPE, hygiene support, info in different languages c. Research by congregations into the pandemic's effect on jobs for migrants A collaboration with the Vatican COVID-19 Commission was also launched, with the GSF catalyzed new cooperation with multilateral partners around equitable vaccine distribution. Strong partnership and collaboration between the Church and leading multi-stakeholder vaccine initiatives including Gavi, COVAX, and ACT-A developed.”

“(a) Description Consulting Services (b) Total Expenses $334,402 (c) Program Service Expenses $243,793 (d) Management and General Expenses $85,609 (e) Fundraising Expenses $5,000”