December 17, 2009

Give a gift that makes a lasting difference

Looking for the perfect gift for that someone who has everything? Here are some suggestions that will make both you and your loved one feel good!

• Make a tax-deductible donation to Calvert Foundation in honor of your loved one. Donations provide the foundation of every loan we make. With more communities in need, Calvert Foundation turns every dollar you contribute into $20 at work in communities in the U.S. and around the world.



• ABC Home and Planet Foundation offers Gifts of Compassion, 24 ways to align your spending choices with your personal values. Each gift comes with a personalized certificate in a silk sari envelope. Selecting the "empowerment" option helps support Calvert Foundation.
• Consider a gift certificate from our partner MicroPlace, an eBay company. Any cause you choose will help the working poor break the cycle of poverty. Give now and you'll get a free $20 gift certificate to give someone else! (Limit one per customer.)

Root Capital receives first agricultural program-related investment from Gates

Last week Calvert Foundation borrower Root Capital received the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s first program-related investment (PRI) from its Agricultural Development initiative.

Root Capital will use the six-year, $10 million PRI as loan capital to scale its operations in Sub-Saharan Africa. The investment will expand economic opportunities for more than 500,000 rural households by enabling Root Capital to extend access to credit, financial management training, and global market opportunities for small and growing rural businesses. The $4 million operating grant will support Root Capital’s five-year growth plan to achieve a financially self-sustainable lending program by 2013.

Root Capital, a nonprofit social investment fund that is pioneering finance for rural communities in developing countries, provides capital and financial training to small and growing businesses such as farmer and artisan cooperatives that are trapped in the “missing middle” – the gap between microfinance and traditional banking. Since its founding in 1999, Root Capital has provided more than $175 million in loans to 255 small and growing businesses, representing more than 370,000 farmers in 30 countries throughout Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Root Capital partners with global buyers such as Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Starbucks, and The Body Shop to strengthen global supply chains for sustainable natural products such as coffee, cocoa, chili peppers, and honey.

Congratulations Root Capital!

Photo courtesy of Root Capital