Members
The Microenterprise Funders Group consists of representatives of a range of foundations, including national, corporate, family and regional grantmakers, who came together at the suggestion of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to explore mutual interests in fall 2005. Foundations participating in the meeting included the Mott Foundation, Ms. Foundation for Women, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Citigroup Foundation, Northwest Area Foundation, Wachovia Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Company, Linked Foundation, Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, and the Friedman Family Foundation. Collectively, these members have provided funding support for microenterprise programs and services, initiated and supported research on microenterprise, invested in national and regional intermediaries that support the microenterprise field, and funded efforts to develop supportive policies for entrepreneurship.

Since that first meeting, membership in the group has grown to include representatives from several dozen organizations. Click here for a list of participating funders.

Activities
Activities of the Microenterprise Funders Group include periodic meetings, Webinars and networking events. The Group meets in person twice a year, typically in May in conjunction with the Association for Enterprise Opportunity's National Summit, and again in the fall. Fall meetings are held in different communities across the country. The Funders Group also has hosted meetings and gatherings in association with other affinity groups. For example, the fall 2008 gathering was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Neighborhood Funders Group. Also in fall 2008, the MFG co-hosted a breakfast networking meeting at the Assets Learning Conference, and co-sponsored a Webinar on asset development, EITC outreach and microenterprise development in Indian Country, with the Asset Funders and EITC Funders networks.

The activities of the Funders Group are guided by a steering committee.  Committee members are:

• Jack Litzenberg, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
• Amanda Feinstein, Walter and Elise Haas Fund
• Yma Gordon, Citi
• Bob Friedman, Friedman Family Foundation

Next meeting
Participation is open to all donors interested in domestic microenterprise. Inquiries about the meeting can be directed to: elaine.edgcomb@aspeninst.org.

Join Us!
Participation in the Funders Group is open to any funder that supports or has an interest in microenterprise development in the United States. Funders interested in joining or learning more about the group can contact Elaine Edgcomb, director of FIELD, at: Elaine.edgcomb@aspeninstitute.org.

Meeting Reports

Meetings of the Funders Group provide participants with an opportunity to discuss key issues facing the microenterprise field, to share funding strategies and priorities, and to hear from microenterprise practitioners and support organizations. To read the most recent summary available of a meeting of the Microenterprise Funders Group (held May 20, 2008), click here. Visit our archive to read summaries of past meetings.

FIELD Funder Guides

The Funder Guide Series offers a brief— four pages or less—look at a specific issue or aspect of microenterprise and pinpoints opportunities for funders. In many instances, the guides highlight the work of already-engaged funders. For more information on the guides, available as free PDFs, click here.