Grameen America
“Can a nonprofit microfinance model deliver $40B in affordable capital to underserved women entrepreneurs at scale by combining digital infrastructure, philanthropic funding, and mission-aligned bank partnerships?”
Founded in 2008 as the U.S. arm of the Grameen Bank microfinance model, Grameen America began by delivering small group-lending loans to low-income women in cash. Over time it digitized operations — replacing paper and cash with a national disbursement card system and a modern MIS — and extended its lending platform to cover microloans up to $250K via a separate digital channel (grameenamerica.us). The organization has increasingly pursued technology partnerships (notably Mambu for core loan management) and philanthropic capital partnerships (Etsy, Wells Fargo, East West Bank, Mizuho) to scale toward an ambitious $40B deployment target by 2033.