Donate funds
You donate what you can to Wisconsin Microfinance.
Our mission and vision
Our mission is to use microfinance to empower aspiring entrepreneurs, primarily women, to lift their families out of poverty. We seek to reduce extreme poverty by providing access to capital in order to provide a hand up, not a handout.
COVID and Microfinance
It is now clear that the COVID-19 crisis has seriously disrupted life in Haiti and the Philippines.
With poverty levels increasing due to the crisis, the mission of Wisconsin Microfinance is more relevant than ever. And while our partners may be extending repayment periods, the overall success of our programs continues.
Our microfinance programs
We are currently supporting entrepreneurs in Léogâne, Haiti, and on the island of Panay, Philippines. Since 2010, we have provided over 1,500 loans to entrepreneurs to build their own businesses and consistently demonstrated that an investment in individuals can improve the quality of life of their families and their communities.
Gomoa Assin Mampong, Ghana
Our collective impact
Wisconsin Microfinance measures both the success of our programs in terms of money circulated, but also assesses improvements in quality of life of our loan recipients.
$230k
Total amount circulated
97%
Repayment rate
80%
Percent of loans to women
Give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day. Give a woman microcredit, she, her husband, her children and her extended family will eat for a lifetime.
—Bono
Your support unleashed
How it works
Our programs are based on the microfinance model developed by Muhammad Yunus through the Grameen Bank. The Grameen Bank was founded on the belief that the very poor have unlimited potential, and unleashing their creativity and initiative can help end poverty.
Our partners
Your money is transferred to our partners.
Loans made
The money is used to make loans to entrepreneurs in the communities.
Loans repaid
When the loans are repaid, the money is used to make additional loans.
Understanding microfinance
Ways to take action
Donate
When you donate to Wisconsin Microfinance, you are empowering families with the resources needed to rise above poverty.
Partner with us
Host a fundraiser, make a recurring contribution, or participate in a corporate or congregational partnership to support our work.
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Recent Updates
April 19, 2023 - WHS Student Raises $3,500 to Help Fight Poverty in the Dominican Republic
Wisconsin Microfinance apprentice program participant and Waunakee High Schools student Evan Lory recently traveled to the Dominican Republic. With his inspiration he was able to work locally to raise $3,500 to support our Wisconsin Microfinance loan program in that country..
December 5th, 2022 - Does Microfinance Actually Improve Lives?
Microfinance, once hailed as a miracle solution, has become the subject of skepticism in the last several years. There is no doubt that repayment rates are as high or higher than traditional financing, but many questioned whether these loans actually led to improvements in individual and family living conditions.
For the first time, Wisconsin Microfinance has been able to track what truly matters, and is measuring changes in the quality of life of borrowers over the first 18 months after receiving a loan.
