Type 501(c)(3) Location Washington, D.C., USA Founder Alex Counts | Focus Poverty CEO Alex Counts (1997–) Founded 1997 | |
Area served Asia, Africa, the Americas, Middle East Method Social Enterprise, Microfinance, Technology Key people Steven Hollingworth – President & CEO
Robert Eichfeld – Chair
Muhammad Yunus - Founding Board Member Headquarters Washington, D.C., United States Similar Freedom from Hunger, ACCION International, Microcredit Summit Campaign, FINCA International, Women's World Banking Profiles | ||
Grameen Foundation, founded as Grameen Foundation USA, is a global 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Washington DC that works to help poor families increase their income, build their financial security, and protect their health using innovative technology based approaches. Its CEO is Steven Hollingworth. Grameen Foundation's mission is, "To enable the poor, especially the poorest, to create a world without poverty."
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It is separate from organizations called "Grameen Foundation" in different countries, such as Grameen Foundation Australia.
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History
Grameen Foundation was founded in 1997 to facilitate the expansion of banks modeled after the Grameen Bank beyond the borders of Bangladesh and increase the access of poor people to microfinance by millions worldwide. Alex Counts, the founder, started Grameen Foundation with a $6,000 grant from Muhammad Yunus, the founder and managing director of Grameen Bank. Professor Yunus sat on the Board of Directors for 12 years and is now a director emeritus. Immediate past chair of the board is Paul Maritz, formerly CEO of VMWare and formerly a senior executive at Microsoft. The current chair is Robert Eichfeld, a retired executive at Citibank.
Counts stepped down as President and CEO in 2015 and was replaced by Steven Hollingworth, a long time international NGO executive with experience at CARE and Freedom from Hunger.
On October 25, 2016, Grameen Foundation announced its integration with Freedom from Hunger.
Programs
Grameen Foundation helps the world’s poorest people reach their full potential, connecting their determination and skills with the resources they need. It provides access to essential financial services and information on agriculture and health, assistance that can have wide-scale impact by addressing the specific needs of poor households and communities. It also develop tools to improve the effectiveness of poverty-focused organizations.
Grameen Foundation has programs in financial services, health, agriculture, and tools for anti-poverty organizations.
Grameen Foundation works in the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, as well as in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Trivia
Voted into the top 25 of world changing ideas in 2007 Members Project by American Express cardholders.