Have You Heard of #GivingTuesday?

#GivingTuesday is a global giving movement that has been built by individuals, families, organizations, businesses and communities in countries around the world. Millions of people have come together to support and champion the causes they believe in and the communities in which they live.

We have two days for getting deals – Black Friday and Cyber Monday. On #GivingTuesday, we have a day for giving back. Together, people are creating a new ritual for our annual calendar. #GivingTuesday is the opening day of the giving season.

Anyone, anywhere can get involved! Here's how Porches for Progress could use your support. 

• Support a micro-grant by donating $100-$500

• Help us spread the word on social media (like our Facebook and Instagram pages, share our posts etc.)

• Help raise money to support a micro-grant on #GivingTuesday by creating a Facebook fundraiser 

• Get creative! 

  • Do you work for a business that we could collaborate with to raise funds?

  • Do you sell a product that you'd be willing to donate for us to raffle off?

  • Would you be interested in hosting a fundraising event for Porches for Progress? 

• Email us at info@porchesforprogress.org 

La Salle School has completed their project!

La Salle School was one of the first micro-grant applications we reviewed. The school teaches around 450 students, and they host many events for the community throughout the year. Each time they host an event they have to pay expensive rental fees for microphones and speakers. This expense was taking away from other things like school maintenance. 

They requested a micro-grant so that they could buy their own microphone and speaker for their community events. This in turn, will free up much-needed funds for other needs within the school for years to come. They showcased their new equipment at a school assembly this week and thanked Porches for Progress. See pictures below! 

Making use of the acquired equipment thanks to the contribution/micro-grant from Porches for Progress.

Children at the school assembly holding up the Nicaragua flag.

Project Updates

So many of the micro-grant projects from July are now completed, and we anticipate the rest will finish up in the next month or so. The deadline for applications for our second round of grants is October 15th, and we will be announcing the micro-grant recipients in early November. We are thrilled to announce that we have already started receiving applications for our next round! 

See below for a few updates
from recently completed projects!

The holidays will be here before you know it, and we wanted to let you know about an upcoming fundraising campaign. We will be participating in #GivingTuesday on November 27th, 2018. More information to come, but in the meantime you can learn about #GivingTuesday here.

See What's Happening

Remember those 24 micro-grants that YOU helped make possible by supporting Porches for Progress? Well, they are underway and already making a positive impact in Nueva Guinea, Nicaragua. We are excited to highlight some of the progress!

We can't say it enough...the community has amazing ideas for improving their own community. Porches for Progress is the spark that helps their ideas become a reality, and we are amazed at ALL of the projects. 

Thank you for following along this journey with Porches for Progress. We couldn't do it without our supporters, like you! 

Iglesia Capilla el Calvario (Calvary Chapel Church)

Church leaders used their micro-grant to purchase books, craft supplies, and chairs for the children.

They started a new Sunday school, which over 100 children now attend every week!

Rigoberto Cabeza School (Escuela Rigoberto Cabeza)

The school used their micro-grant to repair the roof of the school, paint, and replace 10 desks.

The repaired roof will keep the students and teachers dry from the frequent rains.

Policia Nacional Softball Team

This softball team used their micro-grant to purchase new jerseys...don't they look great?!

Playing with pride, building team spirit, and building their community!

We will be updating you on more projects in upcoming emails, Facebook, and Instagram! 

Micro-Grant Recipient Announcement!

Have you heard?

We received 24 micro-grant applications and we're ready to announce the recipients!

We couldn't be happier to have received 24 micro-grant applications. The ideas from the community are so inspiring to us, and applicants really went through a lot of effort to get their ideas in motion. That's why we are ecstatic to announce that we will be funding each and every micro-grant. Yes, that's right! All 24 micro-grants will be funded!!!

We feel that especially in the midst of the recent civil unrest and unimaginable challenges in Nicaragua, these micro-grant projects are a really great opportunity to spark some positivity. After all, that is one of our values as an organization. We hope that by funding all 24 of these amazing ideas, the people of Nueva Guinea and Nicaragua will continue to embrace their ability to create positive change from within. 

We would also like to announce that we have two new team members who will be helping us out in Nueva Guinea. Their names are Jose and Norwing, and they have been vital to helping us spread the word about Porches for Progress. We are so excited to work with these local community champions moving forward! 

Stay tuned!

On Monday, July 1st Porches for Progress is hosting a celebration in Nueva Guinea to notify and honor the recipients! After that, we will be sharing as many projects as we can so that you can be in the know. 

• Get ready for project details coming soon!

• Project progress will be sent through email updates, on our Facebook, and Instagram

• Spread the word!

We are always in need of funding for micro-grants! If you feel led to donate, please click here. 

May the world inspire you and be inspired by you!

Copyright © 2018 Porches for Progress, All rights reserved.
 

Community Engagement

We can't believe it's already March. It seems just like yesterday we were all over Texas celebrating our official launch. Now we are hard at work, switching our focus to community engagement. "What does that mean?" you may ask. This means that we are now spreading the work about Porches for Progress in Nueva Guinea, Nicaragua. We are sharing our mission, explaining how the application process is going to work, and getting people excited to apply for micro-grants. So far, we have met much excitement from the community. We will keep you posted throughout the process. In the meantime, please make sure you check out our Facebook page and Instagram account for the most current updates. Thanks for following along with us! 

Porches for Progress Launch Parties!

We (all) did it! We just held our official launch parties and fundraisers in not one but THREE cities last weekend. And we can’t thank you enough for your support.

At back-to-back events in Austin, Dallas, and Houston, attendees met the three co-founders, learned more about Porches for Progress, and helped us celebrate our launch! Everyone got to enjoy a short presentation, light refreshments, and an inspiring time. It was an amazing experience to get to meet other people who want to change the world too. Thanks for all your interest, donations, and encouragement.

Couldn’t make it to the event? Don’t worry! We’ll host more in the future. In the meantime, you can always contact us if you have any questions.

You’re Invited: Porches for Progress Launch Party!

It’s almost here! We absolutely cannot wait until our official launch parties and fundraisers, happening across three cities this upcoming weekend.

And we would be honored to have you attend to show your support, learn more about the nonprofit and help us celebrate! Join us for a short presentation, light refreshments and an inspiring time. Invite your friends, and we hope to see you soon!

Event Details

Austin, TX

Friday, December 8 | 7 - 9pm

Jennifer’s Gardens

1101 W 31st St

RSVP on Facebook

Dallas, TX

Saturday, December 9 | 3 - 5pm

SPACES

1919 McKinney Ave

RSVP on Facebook

Houston, TX

Sunday, December 10 | 3 - 5pm

Batanga Houston

908 Congress Ave

RSVP on Facebook

Board Retreat: Nicaragua

We decided a few months back that we needed to get together for a solid week to work out all of the details of Porches for Progress. We debated meeting in several places--Austin, Houston, the beach. It dawned on us that there was really no better place to have our first board retreat than where it all started--Nicaragua. We spent one day at a wellness lodge near a mountain top lagoon, and then drove the beautifully scenic drive to Nueva Guinea. We met neighbors, made new friends, visited health clinics, went on walks around the town, and so much more. We worked daily on creating the infrastructure for Porches for Progress, and left feeling passionate and thrilled about the future. We see big things ahead! Here is a photo from the last day of our trip on the porch where the idea for Porches for Progress was born.