Ron Provinge needed a $500 medical test to learn if he was eligible for a kidney transplant — $500 he didn't have. His wife, Joanna, had heard about Modest Needs, a nonprofit organization that offers one-time grants to people with emergency expenses — such as medical bills.

Joanna applied. Ron thought their chances were "slim to none."

"Any time you try and go do something like that, when you are working, a lot of people think, 'You're working, you should be able to afford what you need.' But (not) when it comes to medical bills," he said.

Modest Needs assists working families, many of whom earn too much to qualify for government assistance but not enough to shield them from financial struggles. The goal is to keep people from slipping into poverty — people at risk of missing a house payment or losing their job because they can't afford to fix their car and drive to work.

The maximum grant is $1,000.

Headquartered in New York, Modest Needs was founded by former professor Keith Taylor because, as he says, we've all needed help but we also have the need to help others.

While working his way through college as a projectionist in a movie theater, Taylor's car broke down and he had to use rent money to repair it. Days away from being evicted, he mentioned it to his boss, whom Taylor described as a "grouchy" man. The next day his boss handed him a check for $290, which Taylor calls "290 life-changing dollars."

Taylor launched Modest Needs in 2002 with a $350 monthly commitment out of his own salary. His goal was to help at least one person a month, but thanks to donations from regular people and backing from some high-profile foundations, he has accomplished much more. In March, the nonprofit reached $1 million in donations.

The Internet is the backbone of this organization; the application and donation process is interactive. Applications can be sorted by state, viewed online, and donors score the requests on a scale of 0-9, indicating which need should be funded.

"That's a better concept than most (nonprofits). If the person donated the money, they should get a say-so in where it goes," Ron said.

The organization verifies the request and also posts whether the applicant or family has received state or federal aid in the past 30 days.

"Only donors can score the application," Taylor said. "You can't help allocate money that is not partially yours. The scoring system (is) so people at any level can tell us which applications are most important and we can follow their guidance."

Joanna Provinge had to provide proof of income, proof of rent, medical bills and an explanation of why they needed the money. Because Ron, a truck driver, was uninsured, the hospital required partial payment up front — $500 of $4,000. His kidney medications ate up all their extra cash.

"I didn't try to sugarcoat it," she said. "I just told it like it was."

The Provinges' request was approved, and the organization sent the money directly to the hospital. Modest Needs always sends money to the creditor to ensure the money is used as intended.

Of those who qualify for assistance from the nonprofit, 68 percent are funded, which is up from 7 percent in 2004. The nonprofit is designed to help average people understand that they can be philanthropists, Taylor said.

"It just goes to show people are hungry to do this kind of work," Taylor said. "People with $5 or $5,000 can make a tangible difference."