QUICK FACTS

About Unitus

Unitus, an international nonprofit organization, fights global poverty by accelerating the growth of microfinance—small loans and other financial tools for self-empowerment—where it is needed most.

Strategy

Unitus seeks out and partners with young, high-potential microfinance institutions (MFIs) and helps them build capacity, attract capital, and unite with our network to achieve rapid, sustainable growth. 

Founded

Established in 2001 as 501(c)3 nonprofit organization

Offices

Seattle, Washington USA, Bangalore, India and Nairobi, Kenya

What We Do

•    Human Resources, Technology and Operations consulting
•    Capital Advisory services
•    Seed or early stage funding through grants, equity, and debt capital

In addition, Unitus facilitates events, tools and services to drive peer-to-peer learning and best practice sharing across MFI partner network.

Number of microfinance partners

23

Where we work

Unitus works with the most high-potential microfinance leaders in Argentina, Brazil, Cambodia, Indonesia, India, Kenya, Mexico, Philippines and Tanzania.

Click image to enlarge

Families reached via our microfinance network

10 million

Average outstanding debt per borrower (as of 6/30/09)

$117

Strategic Partnerships

•    Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
•    Financial Sector Deepening
•    Michael & Susan Dell Foundation   
•    Omidyar Network
•    Sorenson Legacy Foundation
•    Whole Planet Foundation

Strategic Affiliates

Elevar Equity LLC, Unitus Capital LLC

Examples of Unitus partner growth

•    SKS in India, which served approximately 12,000 clients upon partnership with Unitus in 2003, now serves more than 5 million clients and is the fastest growing MFI in the world.
•    LifeBank in the Philippines, which served 60,000 clients upon partnership in 2006, now makes loans to more than 220,000 working poor.
•    Jamii Bora Trust in Kenya, which provided financial services to 70,000 entrepreneurs when Unitus partnered with it in 2004, now serves more than 230,000 clients and is well-positioned for rapid growth in the next three years.

Unitus Partners