Our Approach
We fight extreme poverty by funding the gap between charity and traditional business.
More than 165 million people in India live on less than USD 2.15 per day. Without a reliable source of income, the daily struggle to meet basic needs like food and shelter traps people in a vicious cycle of irregular, exploitative, and dangerous work.
Aid from charities can address their immediate needs. But moving out of the survival mode that people in extreme poverty are stuck in requires a solution that offers longer-term safety and stability.
That’s why a dignified job can be life-changing.
Our Model
Dignified jobs for people
in extreme poverty
Dignified jobs are safe, stable, inclusive, and rewarding. For people living in extreme poverty, a dignified job is an opportunity to think beyond survival and plan instead for their future. The results transform our jobholders, their families, and their communities.
Created by “missing middle” entrepreneurs
Although small and growing businesses (SGBs) like our portfolio partners create more than 60% of India’s new jobs, they often fall in the “missing middle” when it comes to raising capital: too large for microfinance loans, but not yet large enough for traditional funders.
Funded through
recycled philanthropy
Our pioneering model combines philanthropic funds into a pool of recoverable grants from which we make loans to job-creating businesses in some of the most challenging sectors and geographies.
We go where other investors don’t.
Our impact-first model is designed to find early-stage entrepreneurs in places and industries often considered too risky by other investors, and give them the tools they need to grow their business and create more dignified jobs.