ACDI/VOCA
To promote economic opportunities for cooperatives, enterprises and communities through the innovative application of sound business practice.

Alternatives Federal Credit Union
A Community Development Financial Institution, dedicated to building wealth and creating economic opportunity for underserved people and communities.

CALMEADOW (Canada)
Our core belief is founded on the assumption that providing access to affordable, responsive and sustainable financial services to low income self-employed people in underdeveloped regions of the world can make a positive and lasting contribution to their economic and social well being. Our experience, gained from our early participation in a broad range of microfinance program initiatives convinced us that the most likely route to massive and near term development of the microfinance sector would come about when the commercial sector became directly engaged.

F I N C A I N T E R N A T I O N A L
FINCA's mission is to provide financial services to the world's lowest-income entrepreneurs so they can create jobs, build assets and improve their standard of living. The village banking methodıs most valuable feature is that it offers a long-term solution to some of povertyıs worst suffering --- malnutrition, preventable disease, illiteracy, inadequate housing --- by helping the poor create their own solutions with dignity and self-reliance. Experts agree that while grants may be necessary during natural disasters or other emergencies, the most enduring solutions to chronic poverty are those that help the poor achieve economic stability.

Grameen --- Banking for the poor
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2006, divided into two equal parts, to Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank for their efforts to create economic and social development from below. Lasting peace can not be achieved unless large population groups find ways in which to break out of poverty. Micro-credit is one such means. Development from below also serves to advance democracy and human rights.

Institute for Community Economics
ICE's Revolving Loan Fund has been providing financing for over 26 years. Since its creation in 1979, the RLF has loaned almost $44 million, representing more than 445 loans to community organizations in 30 states and facilitating the development of more than 4,500 housing units. Principal lending goes to community land trusts, limited equity cooperatives, and community-based nonprofit organizations creating housing that is permanently affordable to people with lower incomes. Funds from the RLF are commonly used to finance land acquisition and the acquisition, construction and rehabilitation of housing. Other frequent uses include the acquisition of office space or other property by a nonprofit community service organization.

Land Trust Alliance
Promotes voluntary land conservation and works with nonprofit land trusts by providing information, skills and resources. Goals include dramatically expanding the pace of land conservation (through tax incentives); building strong land trusts; defending the permanence of conservation easements; and ensuring that the work of land trusts is as strategically directed as possible.

Mi Casa Resource Center for Women (Denver, Colorado)
Our mission is to advance self-sufficiency for primarily low-income Latinas and youth. We accomplish our mission by offering entrepreneurial training and small business planning; job training, placement and career counseling; GED and English as a Second Language classes; education, wellness and youth leadership activities; and community development.

Microfinance Gateway
Comprehensive online resource for the microfinance industry. It includes research and publications, specialized resource centers, organization and consultant profiles, and the latest news, events, and job opportunities in microfinance.

SEEP (Small Enterprise Education and Promotion) Network
SEEP Network, the leading international network and promoter of best practices in enterprise development and financial services, is a global organization whose membership is committed to reducing poverty through the power of enterprise.

SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association)
Is the largest member based organization of poor working women in India, a trade union registered in 1972. It is an organisation of poor, self-employed women workers. These are women who earn a living through their own labour or small businesses. They do not obtain regular salaried employment with welfare benefits like workers in the organised sector. They are the unprotected labour force of our country. Constituting 93% of the labour force, these are workers of the unorganised sector. Of the female labour force in India, more than 94% are in the unorganised sector. However their work is not counted and hence re-mains invisible. In fact, women workers themselves remain uncounted, undercounted and invisible