The Archbishop John F. Donoghue Fund for Life recently got a boost when it received $40,000 from Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory on behalf of the Atlanta Archdiocese.

The fund began in 2009 to build an endowment at the Catholic Foundation of North Georgia to provide grants for ministries and nonprofit organizations that promote a culture of life. It was renamed when Archbishop Donoghue passed away to honor his commitment to life issues.

The original board resolution that created the fund states: “Further Resolved, that the Fund is being established to promote a culture of life, consistent with Roman Catholic Church doctrine on the sanctity of human life, and more specifically, to provide grants to support programs aimed at fostering respect for human life at all stages of development, from conception to natural death.”

This gift reflected the passage of 40 years since the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalized abortion in 1973.

The fund is not yet large enough to provide grants, according to Nancy Coveny, the foundation’s executive director. All gifts become part of the principal and are invested to provide grants into perpetuity.

Anyone who would like to make a gift to the fund or to make one in honor of Archbishop Donoghue may send a check to the Catholic Foundation at The Catholic Foundation of North Georgia, 780 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 750, Atlanta, GA 30342.