ACCION International
A nonprofit leader in microfinance that works in Latin America, Africa and the United States. Its programs and partner organizations focus on creating permanent solutions to poverty and achieving commercial sustainability.
Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP)
CGAP is a consortium of public and private development agencies that seeks to expand access to financial services for the poor in developing countries. It performs several activities to strengthen microfinance institutions such as to stimulate the development of cost effective solutions in information technology for the microfinance sector through offering technical assistance and training in the adoption of innovations.
East Africa Small Enterprise Fund
The $100 million fund is a newly-minted partnership of the Shell Foundation and the Africa-based GroFin Capital to address the lack of capital and business skills for small African businesses.
Global Partnerships
A nonprofit organization that supports grassroots economic development projects in Central America with an emphasis on microcredit. They have implemented formal strategic collaborations with other organizations such as NGOs and foundations, helping them to become financially self-sustainable.
Grameen Foundation USA
A nonprofit that supports partner organizations to implement sustainable, innovative, and effective microfinance initiatives, using the Grameen Bank model. It provides financing, technical assistance, and technology consulting to its partners.
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
A member of the World Bank Group, that promotes sustainable private sector investments in developing countries. The IFC has invested in several microfinance institutions and provided technical assistance. One of their long-term objectives is to help these institutions become commercially viable.
Microfinance Center for Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States
Its mission is to promote the development of a strong and sustainable microfinance sector in the region. It offers training programs and consulting services in operational and strategic management. Also one of their research projects focuses on sustainable expansion strategies in the microfinance sector.
The Microfinance Network
Association of microfinance institutions that seeks to apply commercial strategies to the establishment of sustainable financial institutions. It has information about its twenty nine members.
Microcredit Submit Campaign
A collective effort of several microfinance organizations to launch a global campaign to reach 100 million of the poorest families by 2005. They have commissioned several papers on sustainability and innovation issues in Microfinance.
One Acre Fund
Founded in 2006 by a recent graduate of the Kellogg School of Management, the One Acre Fund is pioneering a tiny investment package that will enable African farm families to grow their own way out of hunger, permanently. Based in Kenya, the organization has already won the Yale Social Business Plan Competition and the Stanford Social Business Plan Competition, as well as a two-year Echoing Green Fellowship for founder Andrew Youn to work full-time getting One Acre Fund off the ground.
SEEP Network
An organization of North American donors supporting microfinance and small business in the developing world. Of particular interest are their efforts to promote "lateral learning" among microfinance practitioners through their Practitioner Learning Program. Their "Links" page offers a particularly diverse and well-organized array of microfinance resources.
More Information On Microlending:
Alternative Financing
Planet Finance
Eldis Microfinance Gateway
Enterprise Development
Journal of Microfinance
Imp-Act Project
Micro-credit Ratings International Ltd (M-CRIL)
The Global Development Research Center – The virtual library of Microcredit
The Microfinance Gateway
The Microfinance Information Exchange
This is a list of organizations working or promoting partnerships, and commercial sustainability in the microlending sector in emerging markets. This is a work in progress and WDI does not guarantee the services offered by these institutions. If you would like to contribute an organization name to this list contact Porter McConnell.