FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 22, 2011
Washington, D.C.- Today the Rumsfeld Foundation announced its 2011 global microfinance grants. This year's grants, totaling $225,000, will support four global microfinance organizations.
- $120,000 grant to FINCA International to support its microfinance partners in Afghanistan, Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The grant will support staff training and the opening of new branches.
- $60,000 grant to Opportunity International to support branch growth and client expansion in Colombia, as well as to support Opportunity's microinsurance subsidiary, MicroEnsure, in its efforts to expand access to affordable insurance products in India and Tanzania.
- $25,000 grant to the Grameen Foundation to support the expansion of rural microfinance in Peru.
- $20,000 grant to ACCION International's microfinance programs in India and Ecuador, focusing on improving educational programs and expanding rural microfinance.
"These microfinance organizations work to promote entrepreneurship. We are pleased to continue to support them," said Donald Rumsfeld, President of the Rumsfeld Foundation.
The Rumsfeld Foundation, established in 2007, rewards leadership and public service at home and supports the growth of free political and free economic systems abroad. To this end, the foundation has four focus areas: supporting charities that benefit the men and women of the U.S. military and their families, graduate fellowships for students interested in public service, building linkages between young leaders from Central Asia to the United States, and global microfinance.
Donald Rumsfeld's proceeds from the sale of his memoir, Known and Unknown, go to the veterans' charities supported by the Rumsfeld Foundation.
For more information about the Rumsfeld Foundation, please visit www.rumsfeldfoundation.org or email contact@rumsfeldfoundation.org.
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Sarah Conant
Rumsfeld Foundation
(202) 944-1304