Criteria for Grant Awards from Porto Charities, Inc.

Instructions

Please submit the Grant Application and all required documentation to Larry Rzepka, PCI Executive Director, at lrzepka@portocharities.org by January 31, 2023. The process is competitive, and awards are given for a one-year period. All applications must be signed by the Principal and Pastor for parish schools or Principal and Head of School for high schools.

After your application has been received, you will be contacted to schedule your
February presentation which will be in-person or virtual at the option of Porto Charities. All decisions will be made by the Board of Directors of Porto Charities and will be final.

Grant Eligibility Criteria

• The Catholic school is located within the geographic boundaries of the Diocese of Arlington and its activities are consistent with our mission;
• The school’s desire to enroll students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities;
• A detailed description on how the funds will be used to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities;
• The school’s experience in providing services to students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities;
• The number of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities currently being served by the program and growth potential;
• The impact that the Porto Charities’ grant will have on the program’s ability to successfully execute its proposal;
• The school’s commitment to hiring a credentialed special educator with experience in educating students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities or the Diocesan School Office’s validation of the existence of appropriate educational support for the student(s);
• The school/parish can demonstrate their commitment to engage parents whose child(ren) directly benefit(s) from services funded by Porto grants to support, communicate, and encourage other parents to participate in fundraising activities, special events and educational seminars supporting students with intellectual or developmental disabilities and help identify individuals to serve as a Porto Ambassador to your school and their parishes;
• The school will distribute at least one general communication provided by the Porto Office to all parishioners and/or school families to help educate the community on the mission and role of Porto Charities, as well as the benefits of inclusive education, and will provide the opportunity for a representative of Porto to speak annually to its parishioners and/or school community.

It is PCI’s belief that ALL of God’s children deserve the opportunity to reach their full potential
through inclusive education and meaningful work commensurate with their capabilities.