Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • This Online Lender Uses Data Analytics To Serve Borrowers Who Lack Credit Scores

    Historically, banks have been largely hesitant to give small loans to individuals, particularly those with little or no credit history, which includes many immigrants and minorities. But an institution called Oportun is willing to bet on the underserved while still staying profitable as a business - they provide increased access to loans by leveraging a solid screening process, online resources, and credit score support for their customers.

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  • Creating “Better Buildings” With Solar Energy

    With the prices of solar technology dropping and the opportunity to save drastically on energy usage and costs, businesses and organizations across the country are investing more in solar infrastructure for their buildings and facilities. The Better Buildings Initiative of the US Department of Energy is helping by providing guidance and documenting effective approaches and financing for renewables installations - from hotels, to schools, to big box retail.

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  • After Coal, a Small Kentucky Town Builds a Healthier, More Creative Economy

    Many small towns in rural Appalachia are struggling to adapt to the greater evolutions of the American economy away from the coal industry. But some places, like the little town of Hemphill in Kentucky, are using the opportunity to get creative with local enterprise and unite the community in launching new ventures. The Hemphill Community Center is now a central resource for launching new small businesses, arts and cultural events, and fostering shared resources and renewed growth for the town.

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  • The Philanthropy World Is Embracing Impact Investing

    The resources needed to tackle some of the world's most pressing social and environmental problems - from poverty to climate change to inequality - are generally far beyond the reach of governments and traditional philanthropies. Fortunately, the private sector is taking an increasing role in social entrepreneurship through the practice of impact investing. Organizations and individuals alike are investing funds into meaningful, scalable projects that are generally proven to also provide a return; a win-win for everyone that generates sustainable change.

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  • Innovators Face Challenges in Breaking Down Barriers to Capital for Underserved Entrepreneurs

    Existing services and resources for entrepreneurs disproportionately do not help minorities and women, making it difficult for them to become successful. Programs such as MORTAR aim to help these under served entrepreneurs by providing capital to help their businesses take off.

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  • In Rural Uganda, Women Supporting Women

    Though the overall poverty rate has been dropping in recent years, rural communities in Uganda still lack many basic resources, including access to healthy food, toiletries, and economic opportunity. The Network of Women in Agribusiness and Development was founded by women to empower and support their sisters through educational initiatives, agricultural training, and the provision of items such as pigs and fruit trees to help them break the cycle of poverty.

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  • How Rang De is using crowdsourcing to make micro loans cheaper

    A husband and wife team in Bangalore (Bengaluru) have created a peer-to-peer, online micro-loan platform to help make poverty history by addressing credit needs of underserved communities. Lenders on the platform can choose the individuals and projects they loan to, and interest rates are kept low so as to be accessible for the recipients. The platform, Rang De, has seen great success and boasts a 93% repayment rate.

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  • You Can Invest Directly Into Building Bike Paths, Better Schools

    The startup Neighborly is making municipal bonds feel relevant. Rather than investing in a “muni” bond indirectly through a retirement fund, individuals can now directly purchase these bonds and target the money to areas they feel passionate about, whether that is building bike lanes in Vermont or investing in schools in Massachusetts. Neighborly is building renewed interest in the municipal bond market while generating more funding for important infrastructure projects.

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  • In Myanmar's slums, women pool savings to get relief from crushing loans

    Years of misrule and a subsequent dearth of hard currency, along with crippling bank-fostered debt cycles and exorbitant home mortgage interest rates, have created immense suffering for Myanmar's poor. But with the guidance of a local NGO, Women for the World, a pilot project helped women in some of Yangon's poorest neighborhoods capitalize on their cultural "head-of-household" status. It helped them form and manage community savings cooperatives, secure land, build homes, buy food, and even generate profit through loans to families' business enterprises.

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  • How to Keep Businesses (and Small Towns) Alive When Owners Retire

    RedTire, short for Redefine Your Retirement, is helping small businesses stay afloat by facilitating transitions in business ownership and acting as a non-profit business broker. The service helps rural communities thrive since small businesses are essential to the vitality of small towns. In its five year history, RedTire has brokered sales that collectively total over $22 million.

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