As a part of its goal to reach 300,000 “microentrepreneurs, smallholder farmers, and [members of] vulnerable populations,” the US-based Whole Planet Foundation is accepting applications for loans and grants from “socially-focused microfinance institutions, social enterprises, nonprofit organizations and cooperatives” that provide microloans and related services. In selecting the initiatives to be funded, Whole Planet will prioritize applicants serving low-income farmers. The loans are to be repaid at 0 percent interest.
Applicants may request grants or loan funds in the following categories: (1) start-ups and businesses; (2) agricultural resilience; (3) food security; (4) technology for energy and water quality; and (5) miscellaneous. The deadlines to apply vary by country, ranging from December 2023 to April 2024.
Headquartered in the state of Texas, Whole Planet was established in 2005 by the US-based Whole Foods Market, which opened in the city of Austin in 1980. The foundation operates in 78 countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, especially focusing on women entrepreneurs. As of December 2022, the organization reported total assets of USD 10 million. From 2006 through June 2023, the organization issued funds totaling USD 107 million.
By Hawra Moochhala, Research Associate
Sources and Additional Resources
3BL Media press release
https://www.3blmedia.com/news/whole-planet-foundation-launches-call-applications-organizations-working-across-latin-america
Whole Planet Foundation homepage
https://www.wholeplanetfoundation.org/
Whole Planet Foundation Annual Report (2022)
https://www.wholeplanetfoundation.org/app/uploads/2023/11/WPF-Annual-Report-2022-optimized.pdf
Whole Foods Market
https://wholefoodsmarket.com/
Previous MicroCapital stories on Whole Planet Foundation
https://www.microcapital.org/?s=%22whole+planet%22
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