Mary's Pence
Mary's Pence is a Saint Paul-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that grants $5,000–$7,500 to U.S. women-led grassroots social justice organizations and runs the ESPERA program, partnering with 14 women's organizations across Central America and Mexico to operate community lending pools and holistic accompaniment for women.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersSaint Paul, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Mary's Pence does
Mary's Pence is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1987 and headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, that operates as a grantmaker and accompanier of women-led grassroots social justice initiatives across the Americas. The organization runs two core programs: Mary's Pence Grants, which awards approximately $5,000–$7,500 twice per year to U.S. women-led organizations with budgets under $250,000 (plus $750 capacity-building grants to existing grantees), and the ESPERA program, which partners with 14 women's organizations across El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Mexico to operate community lending pools, business-skills training, and emotional wellness support. Since 1987, Mary's Pence has distributed more than $1.75 million in grants and the ESPERA program has circulated more than $1 million in loans to 1,500+ women, with over $100,000 in interest reinvested into lending pools.
The organization has no proprietary technology platform; program operations run on a small internal staff (1-10 employees) including Executive Director Emily Monroe, Grants Program Manager Grace Gbolo, ESPERA Program Lead Mabel Martínez, regional accompaniment staff in El Salvador, and a bookkeeper. Digital infrastructure is limited to a DonorPerfect donation platform and a WordPress-based website (maryspence.org). Communications reach more than 3,000 supporters via newsletter, social media, and an annual calendar serving as fiscal-year annual report.
Revenue is entirely donation- and grant-based, with individual donors contributing approximately 87% of income and the balance coming from churches, women's religious communities, and foundations. The organization's unendowed model pushes nearly all fundraising directly into program deployment. Theorg is privately governed by a board of directors (chaired by Carol Fendt), with no parent company, no external investors, and a Candid Gold Transparency Seal (2025) as its principal third-party credential.
Mary's Pence firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mary's Pence
- Legal name
- Mary's Pence
- Website
- https://maryspence.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Mary's Pence is a Saint Paul-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that grants $5,000–$7,500 to U.S. women-led grassroots social justice organizations and runs the ESPERA program, partnering with 14 women's organizations across Central America and Mexico to operate community lending pools and holistic accompaniment for women.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mary's Pence industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit Grantmaking and Women's Empowerment Accompaniment
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)
Keywords
Where Mary's Pence is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Paul
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Mary's Pence business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Donations from individuals consistently account for nearly 87% of Mary’s Pence income. Individual donors of all amounts make a difference, with donors giving through online donation forms, mail, and recurring monthly donor programs. The organization also maintains a Legacy Circle for planned giving donors.
- Grants from Churches, Religious Communities, and Foundations: Mary's Pence sometimes receives grants and larger gifts from churches, women's religious communities, and foundations that align with their mission of women's empowerment.
- Planned/Legacy Giving: Donors can name Mary's Pence as a beneficiary of their will, retirement plans, or life insurance policy. Those who include Mary's Pence in their estate plans are honored in the Legacy Circle. Bequests can be specific amounts, percentages, or designate what remains after other bequests.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Semi-annual | Standard Grants (U.S.) - two cycles per year, approximately 10 grants per cycle |
| Other | Per grant cycle | Capacity Building Grants for existing U.S. grantees |
| Other | Ongoing/revolving | ESPERA Lending Pools (Central America and Mexico) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Mary's Pence product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mary's Pence is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds and accompanies women-led grassroots social justice organizations through two programs: Mary's Pence Grants (semi-annual seed and operating grants of $5,000–$7,500 plus $750 capacity-building grants to U.S. organizations with budgets under $250,000) and the ESPERA Program (a community-lending and accompaniment model serving 14 partner organizations across Central America and Mexico, delivering micro-loans, business-skills training, and emotional-wellness support). The organization is supported by individual donations, foundation and religious-community grants, and planned gifts.
Product overview
Mary's Pence operates as a nonprofit grant-making organization with two core programs: Mary's Pence Grants and the ESPERA Program. Mary's Pence Grants provides funding and capacity-building support to women-led grassroots social justice organizations across the United States. The ESPERA Program offers a holistic accompaniment approach for women in Central America and Mexico, combining community lending pools, business skills training, family farming initiatives, and emotional wellness support. Both programs are guided by the organization's mission to support women who have experienced injustice through long-term systems change.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mary's Pence Grants Semi-annual seed and operating grants of $5,000–$7,500 plus $750 capacity-building micro-grants for small, women-led grassroots social justice organizations in the United States and its territories with annual budgets under $250,000. Two cycles per year award approximately 10 grants each, supplemented by the 'Making Sense with Mary's Pence' networking series launched in 2021.
- ESPERA Program A holistic accompaniment program partnering with 14 women's organizations across El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Mexico to administer community-owned revolving lending pools, deliver business-skills training, support family-farming initiatives, and run emotional-wellness workshops. ESPERA has provided over $1,000,000 in loans, reaching 611 current women participants and more than 1,500 cumulative participants across 2,726 economic initiatives since inception.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $1,750,000 granted to women-led organizations since 1987
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Mary's Pence
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Mary's Pence technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Mary's Pence partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Intibucan Foundation for Development (FUNIDE)coreNew ESPERA partner in Honduras with programs focused on women's empowerment. One of two organizations welcomed to ESPERA in Honduras in 2024/2025.
- Center for the Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (CPTRT)coreNew ESPERA partner in Honduras providing programs for victims of torture. One of two organizations welcomed to ESPERA in Honduras in 2024/2025.
- Ixoc MayajcoreESPERA partner in Guatemala (Mayan language meaning 'Mayan Women'). Gathers groups from throughout Alta Verapaz department. Joined ESPERA only a few months before the trip, with women just finishing their first loan cycle successfully.
- ASCODREMCHIcoreESPERA partner in Guatemala in a remote area of Chichicastenango. Women are engaged in selling chickens, eggs, and huipil weaving. Women were finishing their first loan cycle and learning business skills.
- CESPPOcoreESPERA partner in El Salvador with Los Pinos cooperative. Has seen significant growth in women's participation since joining ESPERA in 2019. Women have utilized ESPERA funds for entrepreneurial initiatives in coffee cooperatives. Also experimenting with organic gardening.
- Grupo de Mujeres Lencas (GML)coreIndigenous Lenca women in Honduras who are small coffee producers. Newest ESPERA partner, organized since 2007. Received training on organic fertilizer production (bokashi, Bordeaux mixture) through Café Orgánico Marcala.
- ADISA (Asociación de Desarrollo Integral San Andrés)coreESPERA partner in Guatemala focused on indigenous women's rights. ADISA coordinates groups in Cobán, Chichicastenango, and Lake Atitlán areas. Hosts emotional wellness workshops for mothers of children with disabilities. Joined ESPERA as a new partner.
- Centro Arte Para la PazminorArts and peace center in Suchitoto, El Salvador that hosts ESPERA partner gatherings and events. The Centro Arte Para la Paz garden was used for the Encuentro de Mujeres market.
- CORDES (Feminist Collective)minorFeminist collective in Suchitoto, El Salvador that collaborated with Concertación de Mujeres on seed preservation and agricultural knowledge exchange projects.
- Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (El Salvador)minorGovernment ministry in El Salvador that collaborated with Concertación de Mujeres de Suchitoto on seed preservation projects, facilitating access to the National Center for Agricultural and Forestry Technology (CENTA) seed laboratory.
- National Center for Agricultural and Forestry Technology (CENTA)minorTechnical institution in El Salvador that collaborated with Concertación de Mujeres de Suchitoto through the Ministry of Agriculture to support seed preservation and heirloom variety identification.
- ACOMESTcoreESPERA partner in El Salvador. Member organizations attended International Women's Day march organized by Concertación. Focus on women's rights including public spaces free of violence, equal access to natural resources, reproductive rights, and economic participation.
- Café Orgánico MarcalaminorOrganization of ecological coffee farming experts that facilitated the 'Ecological Agriculture Workshop for Women Coffee Producers' for Grupo de Mujeres Lencas (GML).
- CARUCHIL CooperativeminorCooperative in Honduras that previously partnered with GML to strengthen economic initiatives and marketing of ground coffee to European markets. Previously provided organic fertilizer to GML. Due to financial difficulties, could no longer provide support, leading GML to seek ESPERA program assistance.
- Centro de Promoción y Salud Integral (CEPROSI)coreESPERA partner organization in Nicaragua working with 74 economic initiatives by women. CEPROSI manages ESPERA lending pools and provides technical support to women entrepreneurs. Mary’s Pence staff visits approximately 3 times per year to maintain close accompaniment.
- Concertación de Mujeres de SuchitotocoreLargest ESPERA partner with over 300 members in El Salvador. Works on reproductive/sexual health, economic solidarity, institutional strength, and women's rights. Has been an ESPERA partner since 2008 and organizes the largest women's gathering (Encuentro) in El Salvador.
- Asociación de Mujeres de Tonacatepeque (ACOMEST)coreESPERA partner in El Salvador. Member María Transito used an ESPERA loan to rebuild her bakery after surviving cancer. ACOMEST organizes training workshops and connects members to the ESPERA program.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Mary's Pence competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ms. Foundation for Women: Direct peer as a U.S.-based women's grantmaking foundation supporting grassroots women-led organizations. Both prioritize seed funding and capacity building for under-resourced women-led groups, with Ms. Foundation focusing more on policy and movement-building while Mary's Pence emphasizes accompaniment.
- Women's Funding Network: Direct peer as a network of women's foundations and funds. Mary's Pence is a member-style organization within this ecosystem; both serve as grantmakers supporting women-led organizations, with WF functioning as a connector and capacity builder for the broader field.
- MADRE: Direct peer as an international women's human rights organization partnering with grassroots women's groups in Latin America. Both fund women-led organizations focused on social justice, with MADRE emphasizing humanitarian aid and emergency response alongside grantmaking.
- Global Fund for Women: Direct peer as a global grantmaking foundation funding women's rights organizations across multiple regions. Both share a responsive grantmaking model targeting women-led grassroots groups, with Global Fund for Women operating at a significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights: Direct peer as a women's grantmaking fund providing rapid-response grants to women-led organizations globally. Both prioritize responsive, unrestricted grantmaking to women-led groups, with UAF focusing on rapid response and crisis while Mary's Pence emphasizes long-term accompaniment.
- Central America Women's Fund (CAWF): Direct peer operating a regional grantmaking model for women-led organizations in Central America. Both share a geographic focus on El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, with CAWF operating as a regional fund and Mary's Pence running its own ESPERA accompaniment program in overlapping territories.
Broad incumbents
- NoVo Foundation: Broad incumbent as a major private foundation funding girls and women globally. Both fund women's empowerment initiatives, but NoVo operates at vastly larger scale and broader geographic scope, functioning as a strategic funder that often partners with smaller organizations like Mary's Pence.
Regional players
- Women's Foundation of Minnesota: Regional peer based in Minnesota (Mary's Pence's home state) focused on women's economic security and social justice. Both fund women-led organizations with a similar mission, though WFMN operates at substantially larger scale within a single state.
Emerging players
- Equality Now: Emerging peer as an international women's rights organization that combines grantmaking with direct advocacy and litigation. Both fund women-led organizations globally, though Equality Now emphasizes legal advocacy while Mary's Pence centers accompaniment and economic empowerment.
Others
- Together for Girls: Adjacent peer as a global partnership working to end violence against women and girls. Both address systemic injustice affecting women, with TfG operating as a multi-sector coalition with significant institutional backing while Mary's Pence functions as a smaller direct grantmaker.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mary's Pence compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Mary's Pence financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mary's Pence leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Mary's Pence funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Mary's Pence M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Mary's Pence
What does Mary's Pence do?
Mary's Pence is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds and accompanies women-led grassroots social justice organizations through two programs: Mary's Pence Grants (semi-annual seed and operating grants of $5,000–$7,500 plus $750 capacity-building grants to U.S. organizations with budgets under $250,000) and the ESPERA Program (a community-lending and accompaniment model serving 14 partner organizations across Central America and Mexico, delivering micro-loans, business-skills training, and emotional-wellness support). The organization is supported by individual donations, foundation and religious-community grants, and planned gifts.
Is Mary's Pence a public or private company?
Mary's Pence is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Mary's Pence founded?
Mary's Pence was founded in 1987. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Mary's Pence based?
Mary's Pence is headquartered in Saint Paul, United States, in the North America region.
How does Mary's Pence make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are grants from Churches, Religious Communities, and Foundations and planned/Legacy Giving.
Who are Mary's Pence's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ms. Foundation for Women, Women's Funding Network, MADRE, Global Fund for Women, Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights and Central America Women's Fund (CAWF). NoVo Foundation is listed as a broad incumbent. Women's Foundation of Minnesota is listed as a regional player. Equality Now is listed as an emerging player. Together for Girls is listed as an others.
Does Mary's Pence have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mary's Pence.
What industry is Mary's Pence in?
Mary's Pence's product category is Nonprofit Grantmaking and Women's Empowerment Accompaniment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAN, Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAE, Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8300.