Grameen Foundation- In Depth

Grameen Foundation- Empowering People. Changing Lives. Innovating for the World's Poor.

History-
The Grameen Foundation is a separate foundation from the Grameen Bank. However, the foundation works closely with the bank, and was founded to help speed the impact that microloans can have. It is a baby organization of the bank, and has its roots in the Bank. The bank was founded in 1976 Professor Muhammad Yunus (the founder of Kiva) with $27 from his pocket. He still serves on the board of directors, but the foundation/bank are both entirely owned by the clients.

What Grameen Foundation Does-
The Grameen Foundation is unlike the bank in that it does not actually handle the money. The Grameen Foundation supports microloan institutes (MFI's) in the form of funding, technical assistance, training and new technology. The Foundation helps harness new technology to make the microfinance industry more efficient. They connect MFI's with the capitol market, bringing in new financial resources to the institutes. A major role of the foundation is publicity, they spread the word about the huge amounts of good that can be done through microloans. And finally they promote "social business".

What is Social Business-
In his book, A World Without Poverty, Muhammad Yunus presents two business models which he labels social businesses. A social business is social-objective driven. The first model is created through building or supporting sustainable "non-loss" business enterprises where all of the profits are ploughed back into the company rather than being distributed to shareholders. The second model is profit driven. Instead of the money going back into the business, the business is owned and operated by the poor, who then reap 100% of the benefits.

Where Does Grameen Help-
The Grameen Foundation is making an impact in the following countries-
Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, China, East Timor, Indonesia, The Philippines, Mexico, Honduras, Haiti, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Yemen, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda.

For More Information on The Grameen Foundation visit the website below;
http://www.grameenfoundation.org/who_we_are/