Grameen Foundation

Grameen Foundation was founded in 1997 to help the world’s poor address their own unique needs. We believe that all of us desire to improve our lives, and that all of us – even the poorest among us – can reach our full potential if we are given access to the right tools and information. Our work focuses on harnessing the underappreciated strengths of the poor, an approach inspired by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. Grameen Foundation President Alex Counts also trained under and worked closely with Professor Yunus in Bangladesh for six years. While Professor Yunus is a founding director and a current director emeritus of our board, Grameen Foundation and Grameen Bank are independent organizations and have no financial or institutional links. Our collaborative approach to poverty alleviation recognizes the multidimensional and complex nature of global poverty. We work with private sector companies, non-governmental organizations, government agencies and others to ensure we achieve lasting impact in the regions where we work. We are headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in the U.S., Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. We also work in the Middle East and North Africa through Grameen-Jameel Microfinance Limited, a joint venture, and in India through Grameen Foundation India, a wholly-owned subsidiary.