Root Capital

Root Capital

Founded	1999
Founder	William Fulbright Foote
Type	non-profit social investment fund
Location	Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America 955 Massachusetts Ave, 5th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States, Phone: [phone]
Area served	Africa and Latin America[1]
Key people	William Fulbright Foote (founder, CEO) Liam Brody (Senior Vice President of Value Chain Relations) Carlos Castello (Senior Vice President of Global Programs) Bonnie Cockman (Senior Vice President of Finance & Operations) Catherine Gill (Vice President of Investor Relations) Brian Milder (Vice President of Strategy, Knowledge & Innovation) [2]
Website	rootcapital.org

Root Capital is a non-profit social investment fund operating in poor rural areas of Africa and Latin America. According to its website, Root Capital "seeks to maximize the positive social and environmental impact of [its] work through a three-pronged strategy: finance, advise, and catalyze."^[3]

Operations

Root Capital claims to follow a three-step approach towards making a positive impact in the poor rural areas of Africa and Latin America where it operates. The three steps are:^[3]

• Finance: This involves making loans to rural small and growing businesses, including both short-term and long-term loans.
• Advise: This involves delivering financial training to current and prospective clients.
• Catalyze: This involves innovating on their own methodology to increase their own impact.

According to its impact page,^[4] Root Capital has disbursed $436 million USD between 1999 and 2012 and reached 2.6 million household members.

Funding

Root Capital seeks funding from both individual donors and foundations. Foundations that have funded Root capital include Mulago Foundation,^[5] Jasmine Social Investments,^[6] and Peery Foundation.^[7]

External reviews

Charity Navigator has given Root Capital a four-star rating (its highest possible) in its review of the organization.^[8]

Charity evaluator GiveWell had a conversation with the CEO of Root Capital in September 2011,^[9] and plans to publish a detailed review of Root Capital in 2013.^[10]

References

1. "About Us". Root Capital. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
2. "Our Team". Root Capital. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
3. "Our Approach". Root Capital. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
4. "Our Impact". Root Capital. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
5. "Root Capital". Mulago Foundation. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
6. "Who We Fund". Jasmine Social Investments. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
7. "Partners". Peery Foundation. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
8. "Charity Navigator Rating - Root Capital". Charity Navigator. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
9. "Conversation with Root Capital". GiveWell. 2011-09-16. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
10. "Root Capital". GiveWell. Retrieved 2012-12-05.

External links

• Website