MARYS PENCE

Such a thoughtful organization, putting funding towards women-led initiatives at the local level.

I am a grant writer for a small non-profit. Mary's Pence is the best organization I have worked with as far as the support and guidance they offer as well as the community I have built with Mary's Pence staff as well as members of other Mary's Pence grantee organizations.

Mary's Pence continues to impress me as an organization. They provide flexible funding for U.S. grantees that is responsive and transparent. Their work in Central America and Mexico is helping organizations thrive and individual women thrive as well. Hats off to Mary's Pence for investing in women, trusting women and making the world a better place with their work.

Mary’s Pence cares a lot for communities. They provide opportunities for upcoming non-profits to learn how to qualify for the many grants available to those who want to be change-makers. People invest in Mary’s Pence and Mary’s Pence invest in women who are changing communities for the better.

I am very impressed with Mary's Pence's commitment to women and trust-based philanthropy. Their grant process is truly centered on maximizing support for organizations led by women, for women and are designed to change systems to promote social justice. They do this with great efficiency and commitment. I am very impressed with Mary's Pence!

I am so impressed by the thoughtfulness of this organization. They fuel important work in a mutualistic way. They are the best!

I co-founded a new organization, the Alyssa Rodriguez Center for Gender Justice, dedicated to building gender justice movements across prison walls. We work with trans people and cis women in prison to amplify, support, and resource their advocacy, and we build dialogue and connections among people working for gender justice inside and outside prisons. As a brand new organization, it was tricky to find funders who believed in us enough to support our work. Mary's Pence was one of our first funders. Their support--and especially that first grant--made it possible for us to get going and start to attract other funders. And beyond the financial support, they organized a retreat that allowed us to build with other grantees, think deeply about communications strategy, and take a step back to think about the work we're doing. We love Mary's Pence!

I've just learned about Mary's Pence in the last few months, and I'm impressed! It sees the the power of women working together, and it understands the importance of early funding if women's dreams are to become reality. The relationships Mary's Pence builds with its grantees were much in evidence at the event I attended. Those relationships enlarge the organization's impact, and warrant support.

I am so amazed at the work that Mary's Pence does for women-led non-profits and organizations. It is so wonderful to see a nonprofit work so hard to ensure that woman can follow their dreams even if they feel as if they don't have the resources to get off the ground. What a wonderful way to pay it forward and create a world where those barriers are minimized for minorities.

I'm newly familiar with Mary's Pence, and I'm incredibly impressed by the impact this small organization has had on the lives of so many women around the globe. Their unwavering commitment to empowering and supporting women, especially those often overlooked, is truly inspiring. They achieve so much significant change with limited resources, providing women with the tools and support to overcome adversity, build community and pursue their dreams. Mary's Pence embodies the spirit of community, compassion, and empowerment.

Mary’s Pence works to empower women with grants and community lending pools. This support lifts women out of poverty along with their families and communities. They work with organizations in the Americas to promote social justice and change with continued support, education and encouragement. The stories from the grantees and Espera, lift my spirit and give me hope that unjust systems will be changed. I am a compañera with Mary’s Pence because empowering women will change the world for the better.

Please consider supporting Mary’s Pence

Having worked in the non-profit sector for 45 years, I came to Mary's Pence three years ago as a volunteer through the Ignatian Volunteer Corps. What a gratifying three years it has been. I have had the honor and privilege to work with a staff of extremely competent and dedicated women who wholeheartedly embrace the mission of Mary's Pence to support women's organizations in the US and Central America. That support encompasses communication to the public about the initiatives of the organization, raising funds to promote the mission and programs, and, most importantly, accompanying women in a holistic manner on the journey to economic and social well-being. I can proudly say that I am a witness to the phenomenal work of Mary's Pence and can assure anyone that their financial support of Mary's Pence directly impacts the lives of women in the US and countries of Central America. After 35 years of service, Mary's Pence remains strongly committed to furthering social justice in this world. I feel most fortunate to have contributed in a small way to their work.

Mary's Pence has been incredibly supportive of our work as a small growing project. They've provided us with seed money to launch our first campaign to help women with chronic pain. We've benefited immensely from their support and mentorship!

For years I have been a monthly donor to Mary's Pence, pleased not only that worthy grantees are being supported by this group that seeks social justice, but also that the money donated is invested in socially responsible funds. This isn't charity -- it's a commitment to justice. I'm confident that the monthly donations are used wisely to fund organizations I would never have learned of on my own. When appropriate, grantees receive collaborative support beyond funds, such as aid in business acumen, personal development opportunities, or community-building. Mary's Pence listens, respects, and honors its grantees.

I attended the 2023 Grantee Workshop where Mary's Pence U.S. -based grantee organizations gathered for introductory level sessions and exercises on nonprofit administration, marketing, programing, and strategic planning, and also got to create marketing material with help from a professional videographer to share the story of their purpose, vision, and impact. All the organizations are small and locally focused on advocacy and services to women and girls from different types of populations and communities. Mary's Pence provided practical training to support their amazing work to serve important members of their communities who are often overlooked or underestimated.

In October 2022 I was able to attend one of Mary's Pence's events in El Salvador. The event, called - Encuentro was 5 days of workshops and group discussions. These sessions empowered the women to learn about themselves and from one another. They attended sessions focused on creating business strategies, where they were encouraged to use their voices and challenge the limitations imposed on them by circumstances and the prevalent machismo culture. Many of these women endure high levels of political violence, domestic violence, gang violence, and poverty. Consequently, the Encuentro also provided sessions to equip them with tools to handle stress, grief, and trauma. They actively engaged in group sessions, sharing their stories, fears, scars, and, most importantly, their resilience. Other workshops focused on building their self-confidence, which was truly remarkable to witness. It was an inspiring transformation to observe these women disembark from the arrival buses on the first day, timid and looking down, only to see them leave on the final day with radiant confidence in their eyes and smiles on their faces. By the end of the Encuentro, they were equipped with resources not only to improve their economic situations but also to become leaders in their communities and challenge the social injustices they faced.

I have been a supporter of Marys Pence for over 20 years. I first met them when they visited a grant site where I was working in Mexico. I am most impressed at how the lives of so many women and children have been changed by the micro loan program. Marys Pence will always be in my prayers.

I have been a donor with Mary's Pence since 2014 and I just absolutely love the mission and work of this organization. Mary's Pence does their work with intentionality and care and is so unique in the ways they work with women across the Americas. They center the women affected by injustice and marginalization and support leadership at the most grassroots level. What I also really love about Mary's Pence is that they have been proactive in implementing decolonization in the way they do their work, especially in how they support the organizations they provide funding to. If you want to fund real and lasting change for women and their communities, a donation to Mary's Pence is a great investment!

I have been a supporter of Mary's Pence for many years and am currently serving on the Board. As a donor, I loved not having to worry about what my donation was being used for. It was clear that it was empowering women and changing lives--changing communities!

As a Board member I am truly in awe of the multifaceted ways that staff (both in US and Mexico/Central America) work together to develop programs and accompany women in their efforts to develop themselves and their communities. This organization gives the most impact for my monthly donation. Seriously, I can see my donation as ~ $100,000 is given annually to grantees!

I have been a Mary’s Pence donor and volunteer for many years. Mary’s Pence is a faith-based nonprofit that honors my values: self-sufficiency, training, collaboration, investment, coaching, empowerment of and for women and nonbinary people of diverse race, religion and class seeking social justice and betterment for themselves and their families. I have watched with admiration how Mary’s Pence has grown the number of grantees and the ESPERA fund and received awards and honors from their grantees and peers. Mary’s Pence is a Minnesota treasure doing U.S. and international work “Funding Women. Changing Lives.”

It is an honor to serve as a current Board Member of Mary's Pence. As a former Grantee, I applaud the mission of Mary's Pence in centering the voices of women and "envisioning a world where empowered women and their communities flourish in solidarity and justice." Mary's Pence is committed to "walking the walk" by providing resources to grantees who serve those who are the most marginalized. I appreciate how this group of women "thinks outside the box" in order to build the Beloved Community.

I had the privilege of serving as a board member for Mary's Pence for 6 years. I can attest that the work this organization does is vital, prophetic, feminist, and cutting edge. It works from the grassroots and sees the investment of financial resources to women-led organizations not just as a need but a ministry. I have been moved by the stories of women and their organizations who are empowered by the resources - and many layers of support - that Mary's Pence provides. They are a stellar nonprofit.

As a former board member for six years, I learned how creative—and effective—Mary’s Pence is in addressing the unmet needs of women in Mexico, Central America and here in the US. This organization provides women with financial resources, training in using those resources wisely and a voice in shaping their own future and that of their community. I continue to support Mary’s Pence financially as a compañera, and encourage others to do so as well.

I began supporting Mary's Pence almost from its inception and for the past several years have made a regular monthly gift. Why? Because they fit every definition I have of love, mercy and justice for women in the Americas. I also know that my donations are not spent on fancy offices, high salaries, and unnecessary administrative perks. From my perspective Mary's Pence is thoughtfully run and managed . And I am inspired to continue donating because Mary's Pence supports their grantees in holistic ways, caring for their emotion and mental well-being as well as their financial security. It feels like grantees are friends and that makes a world of difference. I must say that I (and my husband) have never had a second thought or a moment's hesitation about being supporters of Mary's Pence!

Hi. If there were 10 stars, I would click on that! I've been supporting Mary's Pence for quite some time. I'm not a mega-donor, mind you, but I can connect my modest donation to projects and grants that Mary's Pence oversees. Projects like the Espera fund which helps women start their own businesses, e.g., I feel like my monthly donation helps a woman buy a chicken to start an egg business. It's very personal for me as a donor. And the grants provided to smaller women's organizations are important too because those organizations KNOW what is needed in their community and how it should be structured. I know my donation is used wisely and benefits woman in ways that go beyond the day to day or what I can imagine. Mary's Pence is a grace-filled organization.

Empowering women in the U.S., as well as other countries, is vital to local and world improvement. Women are the prime life givers and nourishers in a society. Given the opportunity to develop small businesses, the women contribute to their families not only monetarily, but by their example of responsibility, leadership, and creativity. They grow in confidence and self esteem. Thus, they set the example of what CAN BE done in a responsible and just manner for the good of all.

I visit Central America regularly. Thus, I see these women in action, pregnant, breast feeding, nurturing,
and working´to make a better place for all.

Sister Pat Rogucki, SFCC

I've been a long time supporter of Mary's Pence. In addition to support for community changing groups in the US, it was heartening to watch Mary's Pence develop and then create ESPERA Funds, yet another way to leverage resources allowing women to improve their lives in Central America, Mexico and Haiti. ESPERA Funds recently celebrated its 10th anniversary! Dozens of community lending pools fostering hundreds of loans that make a sustainable improvement in people's lives.
With my Mary's Pence donations I've seen how my resources go further than anything I could arrange on my own.
As a Mary's Pence Legacy Member I will help shape the continuation of sustainable social change and improve people's lives well beyond my life time.
I can't imagine a better way to make a difference.

I have been a donor-investor in the work of Mary's Pence since their founding. I deeply admire their work with women's grassroots initiatives, working to support and promote the empowerment of women struggling to improve themselves, their families, and their communities. This is an organization of great merit, worth supporting!