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Do you know the story of how Mary's Pence came to be?

Mary's Pence arose out of a lack of funding for women. The idea for was born in 1987 at a prayer meeting in Chicago, after two women religious were denied a grant from the diocese to fund their active and successful prison ministry, while a priest received a substantial amount to start a new program.  The women lamented, "What we need is a Mary's Pence," a play on Peter's Pence, the Pope's annual church collection for the poor.

Mary's Pence founder, Maureen Gallagher, later prayed out her frustration, imagining all the bishops and cardinals who refused to help women in ministry meeting God.  Each one was asked by God "Why did you do nothing to help women minister?" and then they were banished.  Maureen found herself before God, who asked, "What did you do to help women minister?"  Maureen said, "I'm a woman, I couldn't do anything."  God asked again, "What did you do?"  Maureen then knew Mary's Pence needed to be formed and that she would be the one to do it.

She gathered a founding board and started a fund to give women access to money for seeding or growing projects, especially with economically disadvantaged women and children. Named for Mary of Nazareth, Mary of Bethany, and Mary of Magdala, Mary's Pence seeks to embody the example of ministry practiced by the women at the foot of the cross, who dared to remain when the other disciples had fled.  Like them, Mary's Pence provides accompaniment and resourceful support to the poor, the imprisoned and the oppressed.

Twenty-seven years later, women still often find ourselves having to compete for increasingly scarce funding in a marketplace that is weighted against us. Women come up against the prevailing perception that women benefit more from programming directed at men, or the poor benefit from what trickles down from the rich, or that programs directed by women are lightweight, second rate, and less urgent. Especially in the institutional Catholic Church, women are often the ones raising or donating the funds, but sometimes have little say in how money is allocated.

Mary's Pence was born out of injustice in funding, so now we fund justice! In February, Mary's Pence starts our next grant cycle. We are always looking for new and innovative projects to fund that work towards women's economic justice and empowerment. We look for projects that are led by women, that are benefiting women, and that foster systemic change. This might be by:

• Educating the community and shaping public perception
• Developing skills and leadership in women
• Creating advocacy on a social justice issue
• Strengthening women's communities and organizations
• Amplifying women's voices on issues of importance
• Improving women's economic security

Mary's Pence works internationally through our ESPERA Program, but right now, we are focusing on new grantees within the United States. We work with small organizations (a budget of under 150,00 dollars) that might have a hard time securing funding. Mary's Pence is a place where women are given priority in resource distribution as they work on projects of empowerment among economically disadvantaged women and children in the Americas. We hope that this initial support will help open the door. This is not charity, it is justice. It is women supporting women, providing the funding for social change.

Think about the communities that you are involved in, or pass the word on to women's organizations in need of funding, and apply for a Mary's Pence grant today!