SCIAF was set up in 1965 by Monsignor John Rooney and teacher John McKee with funds of £8,000. Efforts that had begun at a parish level were quickly endorsed by the
Bishops' Conference of Scotland. In 1980, the organisation raised a record £212,000 for the third world. When the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami occurred, SCIAF were quick in announcing a £25,000 donation to partner agencies. In 2007, the
Scottish Government announced £250,000 would be given to SCIAF to help assist people affected by the
war in Darfur. A response to
a drought in the Horn and east of Africa, an emergency appeal raised £1.1million. In 2013, SCIAF launched an emergency appeal to help people in the Philippines who were affected by
Typhoon Haiyan. In 2015, as SCIAF marked their fiftieth anniversary, their international work included supporting almost 100 projects that provided emergency aid and assistance across at least fifteen countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The following year, in conjunction with Caritas Indonesia it responded with aid after the
Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami. SCIAF has helped vulnerable young people in Uganda. , outwith Scotland SCIAF are active in eight countries: Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, South Sudan, Zambia, Cambodia and Colombia. Following the start of the
Russian invasion of Ukraine, SCIAF provided support to Ukraine through the
Caritas International network. In 2022, SCIAF provided €0.6 million for
Caritas Ukraine, a Ukrainian Catholic not-for-profit and humanitarian relief organisation. ==Fundraising activities==