Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank, will receive the US Congressional Gold Medal award today, Wednesday April 17th.  Professor Yunus will become only the seventh person in history to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal.  Congress will present Professor Yunus with the Gold Medal to honor his pioneering microfinance work.  Earlier, the House of Representatives voted unanimously … Read More >>

Chooze is a good returns company and invests its profits in anti-poverty programs at the end of each year.  These programs provide training, support, education, and loans to women so they can start their own businesses and lift themselves out of poverty.  The loans are paid back at the end of the year, and the cycle starts again.  They choose to loan money this way because it is more sustainable … Read More >>

Bahrain is starting to focus more attention on social businesses in their country.  The Family Bank in partnership with the Economic Development Board, Ministry of Social Development, Tamkeen, the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Bahrain Development Bank organized the first Bahrain Social Business Week earlier this year in September. Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank, was one of the speakers participating in the four-day event.  Professor … Read More >>

In 2011, Muhammad Yunus was forced to resign due to political battles, but the Grameen Bank was able to remain to help the poor of Bangladesh. However, now the Bangladeshi government has created a Review Committee to examine the operations of the Grameen Bank that could threaten all the progress that Grameen has done since the 70s.  Grameen Bank has started a petition that will be sent to Secretary of … Read More >>

I know this is late notice, but for those of you in Seattle interested in microfinance and/or the Grameen Technology Center – there’s an event tonight (May 17th) you may want to attend: May 17, 5-7 p.m. Grameen Foundation Technology Center Open House Check out our new office and meet Grameen Foundation and Tech Center leadership and staff David Edelstein, VP of Technology Programs, Alex Counts, President and CEO, Susan … Read More >>

A couple months ago I saw spam emails from Kiva, now Grameen warns about email scams using the Grameen Foundation name:

Grameen Technology is hosting a networking/informational happy hour in Seattle tonight for anybody that is looking for some last minute plans and would like to learn more about Grameen Tech’s inititiatives. This is an opportunity to mingle with microfinance and technology enthusiasts as well as Grameen Foundation staff, including Tim Wood, their MoTeCH Director, who will be briefly discussing how mobile technology is improving healthcare for pregnant mothers in Ghana. … Read More >>

Grameen (and Kiva) are trying to win the online voting campaign to win $200,000 through the Members Project® from American Express and TakePart and they need your vote! You can vote here. And if you don’t believe me that Grameen needs your help, here are the Grameen Interns with a creative rap video…

Here’s a short video where Alex Counts from Grameen and Yeardley Smith (actress known for the voice of Lisa Simpson) visit Fonkoze in Haiti:

Mifos, an initiative of the Grameen Foundation whose goal is to help MFIs become more effective, is looking for a business intelligence software designer in Seattle WA. “Job Summary: We’re seeking a superstar software developer who is deeply passionate about ending global poverty using Free and Open Source Software. Along with the software development team, this person is responsible for the design, implementation, and testing of the software that makes … Read More >>