Sprout Enterprise® Impact Report 2024: Expanding Opportunities
The Alchemy of Enterprise
Investing in artisan enterprises improves the quality of life and creates a sustainable future for rural communities in emerging markets.
These rural communities are often marginalized or indigenous communities. The communities lack basic infrastructure, like paved roads, electricity or water and sanitation systems. Basic services like health care or schools may be unavailable or unaffordable. Men must migrate to distant cities for work leaving women and children behind. Their families are dependent on remittances which may be infrequent or insufficient.
By investing in artisan enterprises, we help to create sustainable livelihoods in these remote communities. Local teams are trained and developed with the business skills to manage these enterprises which become economic drivers of the local economies.
This year, we invested in Young Mountain Tea and FECCEG, and funded market development initiatives of eight companies from Colombia, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Kenya and Zimbabwe.
We continue to provide marketing and business development support to our artisan partners via our e-commerce sites: www.sproutenterprise.net and www.tilonia.com. And we continue to support the Kaliyachak Girls Learning Centerin rural Bihar, India.
Kumaon Tea has a modern, tea processing facility that will be owned by the tea farmers over time. 90% of the Kumaon Tea farmers are women.
Young Mountain Tea markets premium tea to the specialty tea market, while supporting the regeneration of the farmlands in Kumaon and increasing the incomes of the tea farmers. Through Young Mountain Tea’s launch of Kumaon Tea, a tea company in the foothills of the Himalayas in northern India, a modern, tea processing facility will be owned by the tea farmers over time. 90% of Kumaon Tea farmers are women.
FECCEG works with 1,550 member famers in Guatemala in nine departments of Guatemala. More than 30% of the federation's member farmers are women.
FECCEG is a federation of 17 associations and cooperatives of farmers established in 2006 to help small coffee producers in Guatemala to overcome price fluctuations and risks of the international coffee market. FECCEG provides resources, training, and technical assistance for the organic production of specialty coffee to its members. The federation works with 1,550 member farmers in nine departments of Guatemala.
Class 2 of the Kaliyachak Girls’ Learning Center in rural Bihar, India. More than 140 girls attend the center.
Kaliyachak Girls' Learning Center
Education is fundamental to women’s economic and political empowerment. Basic literacy and numeracy are essential skills to enable agency. Whether or not a girl goes to school – and stays in school – has a profound effect on her and on her future family. Staying in school longer means she will likely marry later, earn a higher wage, have a healthier family and send her own children to school. Your support helps to create this positive ripple effect.
Thanks to our sponsors, in 2024 we funded:
The Kaliyachak Girls Learning Center in rural Bihar, India providing education and vocational training to more than 140 girls and young women.
R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund Market Development Grants to eight enterprises in six countries.
R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund investments in Young Mountain Tea and FECCEG, social enterprises increasing the incomes of small holder farmers.
Sales and marketing via Sprout Enterprise® and Tilonia® for our artisan partners creating livelihoods for more than 12,200 artisans and farmers.
Our recent sponsors include:
American Online Giving Foundation • Circle of Sisterhood • Elizabeth Keating • Fidelity Charitable Foundation • Global Giving Foundation • Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund • Kathryn B. McQuade Foundation • Prashant Prabhu • Robert Bartels • Rucker/Gibbs Family Charitable Fund • So Hum Foundation • Sweeney Family Fund
Sprout Enterprise® Impact Report 2024: Expanding Opportunities
Make an Impact.
We make it easy for you to become an impact investor by using your philanthropic and impact investment capital to support the enterprises in our portfolio. You can also co-invest directly in select investment opportunities.
Learn more about these impact opportunities and join us in making an impact.
