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From Microfinance to Mutual Aid—Moving Resources to People, Not Banks

NonProfit Quarterly

In the 1970s, economist Muhammad Yunus pioneered the concept of microloans through the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, a revolutionary idea that aimed to lift people out of poverty by offering small loans to those excluded from traditional banking. Yunuss premise was simple: People know better.

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Small Firms Are Still a Big Missed Opportunity in Development Philanthropy

Stanford Social Innovation Review

The problem is not lack of potential impact; SMEs represent nine out of 10 firms, the biggest employers worldwide, and without helping these firms grow, we cannot create jobs, lift people from poverty, empower women, or innovate solutions for the climate crisis. There are 3.4 There are 3.4 Not philanthropy’s problem.

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Building an Economy with Purpose: The Transformative Potential of Baby Bonds

NonProfit Quarterly

According to the latest Survey of Consumer Finances , conducted by the Federal Reserve, as of 2022, the median White family held over $285,000 in wealth, while the median Black family wealth was around $44,900—just 15 percent as much. It enables people to plan their futures and live self-determined lives.

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Ending Persistent Poverty in Rural America: The Role of CDFIs

NonProfit Quarterly

This article introduces a new series, titled Eradicating Rural Poverty: The Power of Cooperation. In 2014, six CDFIs located in regions of rural America beset by persistent poverty formed a coalition to remedy longstanding underinvestment. This article introduces our series Eradicating Rural Poverty: The Power of Cooperation.

Poverty 131
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How ‘Productizing’ Innovative Finance Hurts Development

Stanford Social Innovation Review

By Jonathan Ng & Rob Mills In recent years, the concept of innovative finance has become increasingly popular in the international development community, especially as a way to mobilize more funding to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet there is a limit to applying commercial finance thinking to the development sector.

Finance 111
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Policies for Housing With Heart

Stanford Social Innovation Review

Multigenerational households typically have more income earners than single families, and by combining the income of working family members and the social security or pensions of retired ones, Americans living in multigenerational households have lower levels of poverty. While 13 percent of U.S.

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Impact Investing for the Missing Middle in Agri-Finance

Stanford Social Innovation Review

It directly limits future growth and also makes it harder for the cooperative to borrow sufficiently to finance its day-to-day activities or operating expenses. Is external financing available? In other words, 70 percent of the global needs for rural finance are currently unmet. But how and where? Affordable?

Finance 121