Economic Empowerment

A rising number of portfolio managers is using environmental, social and governance (ESG) screens to select candidates for investment.

Whole Planet Foundation’s global impact has reached microentrepreneurs in India and 74 other countries thanks to supplier donors - like Numi Organic Tea - who have contributed more than $12 million for poverty alleviation.

In the spirit of #FundHerFuture, the generosity of David and the Papyrus-Recycled Paper Greetings generosity has created 43,000 opportunities for women entrepreneurs and their family members to live a better life through entrepreneurship.

Wells Fargo announced $18.5 million in grants today to nine Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) so they can unlock capital or increase training to diverse small businesses across the U.S. Two CDFIs are receiving awards to continue their work supporting entrepreneurs in Puerto Rico, which is still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

HP LIFE is an important component of HP’s global $20 million investment in achieving better learning outcomes for more than 100 million people by 2025.

We will take you behind the scenes to introduce you to the teams that are dedicated to empowering the world’s poorest people to become entrepreneurs. You will meet Field Officers, volunteers, and Whole Planet Foundation staff. Through their stories you will get a glimpse into a day on the job—whether it is in Austin, Texas or Huehuetenango, Guatemala.

In this episode of Pro Bono Perspectives, Leigh Phillips, CEO of EARN, shares more about her work using technology to empower low-income Americans to take charge of their financial lives. Leigh discusses the importance of bridging the savings divide and her career to date tackling issues of wealth inequality.

Ten years ago, 85 percent of the world’s transactions were in cash and checks, and 2.5 billion people were unbanked. Since then, we’ve all been working hard as an industry to develop technology that will give the unbanked access to the world of digital payments.

Whole Planet Foundation partners and Whole Foods Market suppliers commit $1.05 million to support microfinance initiatives across the world.