Portage Community

What Portage Community does

Portage Community is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in spring 2019 and headquartered at 2679 Darlington Road, Suite 2, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. It operates two core scholarship and support programs. The Local Program serves nursing students enrolled in the Associate Degree in Nursing at the Community College of Beaver County, providing need-based scholarships, weekly one-on-one mentoring by volunteer medical professionals, professional development sessions, study strategies, and NCLEX preparation. The International Program funds selected Dominican medical students through full tuition and living expenses at Universidad Iberoamericana in Santo Domingo, with approximately one student selected annually and supported through medical school tenure, paired with mentorship and professional development. A secondary initiative, "Bridging the Gap," partners with PCs for People to supply income-eligible students with refurbished laptops and internet access.

Beyond scholarships, Portage Community constructed the Partner of Hope medical clinic near Higuey, Dominican Republic, completed in 2022 in partnership with Hope for Hispaniola; the facility currently runs free pop-up services in general care, pediatrics, women's health, and dentistry while awaiting official licensure from the Dominican Ministry of Public Health. Operations are led by President and founder Steve Michalik, Vice President Mandy Dodd, Board Member Chris Ream, Operations Director Liz Ours, Local Program Coordinator Laura DePietro, and Partner of Hope Clinic Director Dr. Mabel Dasneyri Núñez.

The business model is donation-funded rather than revenue-generating. All programs are delivered at no cost to students and are sustained by charitable contributions from individuals and organizations through the organization's Network for Good donation portal, supplemented by volunteer mentor time. The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven: recruitment flows through anchor institution partnerships (CCBC and UNIBE) and cohorts align to academic calendars with cohort kickoff events, professional development sessions, and student orientation touchpoints.

Name

Portage Community

Legal name

Portage Community

Website

https://portagecommunity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Portage Community is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2019 and based in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, that provides scholarships, mentoring, and professional development to nursing students at the Community College of Beaver County and medical students at Universidad Iberoamericana in the Dominican Republic.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Healthcare Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Need-Based Grants & Bursaries (EDAIAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM), Volunteerism, Service-Learning & Community Service (EDALAHAG)

Keywords

• Healthcare education
• Scholarship programs
• Nursing student support
• Medical student scholarships
• Nonprofit education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Portage Community operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization relying on donations from individuals and organizations to fund scholarships, mentoring programs, professional development, and operational costs. The organization accepts financial support through its Network for Good donation portal.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Portage Community provides need-based scholarships, one-on-one mentoring, professional development sessions, and academic support (including NCLEX test preparation) to nursing students at the Community College of Beaver County in western Pennsylvania. Through its International Program, it funds full medical school tuition and living expenses for selected students attending Universidad Iberoamericana in the Dominican Republic. Programs are delivered at no cost to students and supported by a network of volunteer mentors and partner institutions.

Product overview

Portage Community is a nonprofit educational support organization offering two core programs: the Local Program serving nursing students at Community College of Beaver County with scholarships, mentorship, professional development, and academic support; and the International Program providing full medical school scholarships and living expenses for students in the Dominican Republic. The organization also operates Bridging the Gap (technology access through PCs for People partnership) and the Partner of Hope medical clinic in the Dominican Republic. Programs are delivered through volunteer mentors, professional development sessions, and academic support services rather than a traditional software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Local Program Provides scholarships, one-on-one mentoring with volunteer medical professionals, professional development sessions, and academic support (including NCLEX preparation) to nursing students pursuing an Associate Degree in Nursing at the Community College of Beaver County. Students are matched with mentors who connect at least weekly throughout the academic year.
• International Program Provides full medical school scholarships covering tuition and living expenses to selected medical students attending Universidad Iberoamericana in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Includes mentorship and professional development, with funding committed for the duration of each student's medical school tenure. Approximately one student is selected annually.
• Bridging the Gap Technology access initiative delivered in partnership with PCs for People, providing income-eligible students with affordable refurbished laptops, internet solutions, and tech accessories through a custom webpage to eliminate technology barriers to education.
• Partner of Hope Medical Clinic Medical clinic near Higuey, Dominican Republic offering free services including general care, pediatrics, women's health services, and dentistry through a pop-up clinic model while awaiting official medical licensing from the Dominican Republic's Ministry of Public Health.

Quantifiable outcome

• Dozens of nurses and medical professionals served since 2019
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hope for HispaniolacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Hope for Hispaniola helped construct the Partner of Hope medical clinic facility over a three-year period near Higuey. This clinic, completed in 2022, provides free medical services to Dominican residents while the organization awaits official medical licensing from the Ministry of Public Health.
• Community College of Beaver CountycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Portage Community partners with the Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) to serve nursing students pursuing their RN. Students must be accepted into CCBC's Associate Degree of Nursing program to participate in Portage Community's local program, which provides scholarships, mentorship, professional development, and academic support.
• Iberoamerican University (UNIBE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Portage Community partners with Universidad Iberoamericana in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic for its international program. The organization pays tuition and living expenses for selected medical students attending this university, with the goal of students returning to work in Dominican hospitals and clinics.
• PCs for PeopleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortage Community partners with PCs for People to provide affordable, high-quality technology to students who meet income guidelines. Students can shop for refurbished laptops, internet solutions, and tech accessories through a custom webpage, helping eliminate technology barriers to education.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Global Health Corps: Global Health Corps supports emerging health leaders through fellowships, scholarships, and mentorship in Africa and the US. Comparable in pairing financial support with leadership development for early-career healthcare professionals.
• International Medical Aid: International Medical Aid runs educational programs, scholarships, and medical mission work in the Dominican Republic and other underserved regions. It mirrors Portage's education-plus-care model for aspiring health professionals in low-resource settings.
• Hope for Hispaniola: Hope for Hispaniola is the partner that built and supports Portage Community's Partner of Hope medical clinic near Higuey, DR. It shares Portage's mission of combining healthcare access with education/development in the Dominican Republic and is its closest operational peer.
• Seed Global Health: Seed Global Health focuses on medical and nursing education in low-resource countries by training the next generation of healthcare professionals. Similar scope to Portage's international scholarship and mentoring program.
• Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba (MEDICC): MEDICC supports medical education for students from underserved communities and facilitates training of healthcare professionals for service in low-resource settings. Highly comparable niche to Portage's international scholarship mission.

Broad incumbents

• Partners In Health: Partners In Health runs integrated healthcare delivery and clinical training in impoverished communities worldwide. Overlaps with Portage's combination of medical education and direct patient care in the Dominican Republic context.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: RWJF is a major US philanthropy that funds nursing workforce development, scholarships, and pipeline programs. A much larger incumbent in the healthcare-student support space Portage operates in.
• Doctors Without Borders / MSF-USA: Doctors Without Borders provides medical care in crisis settings and supports training of local healthcare workers. Larger, broader incumbent focused on health workforce and access globally.
• Project HOPE: Project HOPE is a large, established global health nonprofit focused on health workforce training, humanitarian relief, and healthcare access worldwide. A broader incumbent operating in healthcare education and access across many countries.

Emerging players

• Engineering World Health: Engineering World Health trains students and professionals to improve healthcare delivery in resource-limited hospitals. Adjacent niche of education-plus-care for healthcare capacity building.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@portagecommunity
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100081657004373
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/portage-community
• Instagraminstagram.com/portagecommunity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Portage Community