General Information:
Mary’s Pence is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit that raises the funds we award each year. We do not have an endowment. In each cycle, we award approximately 10 grants, ranging from $5,000 to $7,500. An organization may receive a Mary’s Pence grant up to three times.
We wish to honor our history and our roots by prioritizing proposals most closely aligned with our mission, our values, and our current capacity. Mary’s Pence is committed to funding a range of issues that affect women (cis women, trans women, and nonbinary people). This means that there are times when worthy organizations are not funded. We are grateful for every effort that seeks to uphold the dignity and flourishing of women, and we remain committed to collaborating, encouraging, and accompanying whenever possible, even when we cannot provide direct funding.
Both secular and faith-based organizations are eligible for grants. We will consider organizations that align with our values and history.
- The organization’s work must be rooted in strong social justice values – human dignity, the common good, the right to economic security and dignified work, care for the earth, participation, subsidiarity (decisions are made at the most local possible and involve those most impacted), and nonviolence.
- The organization’s work must not discriminate against marginalized populations, including the LGBTQIA+ community.
- The organization’s funded work cannot include proselytizing to convert people or bring people into their faith.
Recently, we have been experiencing an increase in the number of requests we receive. This has made our grants highly competitive. Less than 1% of organizations who submit an inquiry will receive a grant.
Eligibility Requirements:
Mary’s Pence grants support grassroots social justice organizations and small nonprofits that:
- Are located in the United States and whose work takes place in the United States.
- Have an annual budget of $250,000 or less.
- Are women-led —with a board and key staff that are predominately women (cis women, trans women, non-binary people).
- Are women-focused – centered on the issues women face or on gender justice issues and primarily benefitting women (cis women, trans women, and nonbinary people).
- Seek to address a need that emerges from and is identified by the impacted community, and that is led by members of that community.
- Work to enact long-term, sustainable change to systems and structures, rather than on meeting the immediate needs of individuals. Click here to view examples of how we view long-term sustainable change.
- Focus on social justice actions — human dignity, the common good, the right to economic security and dignified work, care for the earth, participation, subsidiarity (decisions are made at the most local level possible and involve those most impacted) and nonviolence.
We Do Not Fund:
- Businesses or LLCs.
- Organizations with large government grants or service contracts.
- Capital expenses.
- Direct service organizations or projects that do not have a strong systems and/or structures change component.
If you have questions about your ability to qualify based on specific parts of your work, please contact us or attend one of our Information Sessions. Interested in applying? Click here to learn more about our application process.
Envía un correo a [email protected] para solicitar información en español.
Our Commitment to Diversity
We are committed to inclusion and equity and strive to ensure that our grantee funding reflects the diversity of the communities with which we partner with regard to color, income, physical ability, geography, age, and gender identity. We are committed to removing barriers that are faced by equity-seeking groups.
