Good Shepherd Catholic Church recently awarded 12 Northern Virginia nonprofits with Shepherd's Gate grants totaling $37,000.

The grants are awarded annually to nonprofits who go through an application process stating the intent of the program they aim to fund through the grant. The church's annual International Festival is a major fundraiser for the Shepherd's Gate grant program.

Katie Esser, the church's Director of Social Justice, said that the funds raised for the grants were on target with their goal last year. This year's goal is $38,000. 

The average amount awarded per grant was $3,000, though nonprofits can apply for up to $5,000, Esser said. 

The following nonprofits were awarded grants: 

• Bethany House of Northern Virginia (www.bhnv.org) - to provide intensive counseling to women and children recovering from domestic abuse.

• Catholic Charities' St. Martin de Porres Senior Center (www.ccda.net) - to support a nutritional breakfast program for vulnerable senior citizens with economic and social needs.

• Catholics for Housing (www.catholicsforhousing.org) - to provide financial assistance to individuals and families moving from inadequate housing or homeless situations into permanent housing.

• Good Shepherd Housing & Family Services (www.goodhousing.org) - to support their workforce enablement (job skills training) project.

• John XXIII Educational Center (j23center.weebly.com/) - to provide economically disadvantaged students in Racine, WI with educational support.

• Langley Residential Services (www.langleyresidential.org/) - to provide emergency financial assistance to people with intellectual disabilities.

• OAR of Arlington (www.oaronline.org/)- to reduce recidivism by helping former offenders re-enter society.

• OAR of Fairfax (www.oarfairfax.org) - to provide basic supplies meeting immediate needs of recently released inmates in transition.

• Our Daily Bread (www.our-daily-bread.org) - to provide farmers' market vouchers to their low-income clients.

• Progreso Literacy and Citizenship Center (progreso-hispano.org) - to expand computer and technology instruction to immigrant clients.

• So Others Might Eat (SOME) (www.some.org/) - to expand advocacy skills training for homeless clients.

• Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) (www.scanva.org) - to provide educational parent support programs to Spanish-speaking parents.

• St. Joseph's Mission Fund (sjmissionfund.net) - to finance facility repairs to key areas of the orphanage based in Southern India.