Overview of the Pay-Less Markets Community Foundation, Inc.

Mission & Vision

The Pay-Less Markets Community Foundation, Inc., aims to RAISE THE BAR and build our communities’ capacity to be effective and efficient in the delivery of valuable services on Guam and the Pacific Region. The Foundation is dedicated to helping improve the quality of life of our people.

Officially incorporated on May 2, 2006, the purposes of the Foundation are as follows:

• Provide training, grant writing support, technical assistance and administrative support services to local not-for-profit agencies, community networks and other grassroots organizations that focus on the delivery of services that primarily benefit the people of Guam and the Pacific Region. For the first eight months in 2006, Pay-Less has:
  • - Provided technical assistance and support to 12 organizations and 2 coalitions, which included drafting documents for incorporation as non-profit organizations, holding meetings with service providers to facilitate collaboration and coordination of program services, and raising awareness through presentations of potential grant opportunities.
  • - Provided support to those facilitating the Guam Hospital Development Forum in seeking strategies to increase accessibility and availability of services to address health and health care issues affecting our people.
  • - Conducted a Grant Writing Workshop to 80 participants representing 40 different government agencies, community-based and faith-based organizations, and grassroots organizations on Guam, including a representative from Saipan.
• Serve as a grant making entity to other not-for-profit organizations in furtherance of the Foundation’s purposes.
  • - In conjunction with the Grant Writing Workshop held in August and the donation from In Productions of Hawaii, the Foundation released its 2006 Mini-Grant Request for Proposals to encourage Workshop participants to apply the tools learned at the Workshop.
• Seek, pursue and solicit other funding sources through grants, philanthropic contributions, corporate sponsorships, community donations, and in-kind contributions in furtherance of the Corporation’s purpose.
  • - Identified potential funding opportunities to agencies to enhance and/or expand the programs and services provided.
  • - Assisted community-based agencies in submitting proposals to the local and federal government funding agencies as well as to private foundations; one successfully funded at $110,000; one approved for funding; and three still pending action by the funding agency.

The four areas of interest to the Community Foundation are:

• Health
• Education
• Social Services
• Environment