Grameen America

What Grameen America does

Grameen America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit microfinance institution founded in 2008 by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, extending the Grameen Bank group-lending model to the United States. Headquartered in New York, the organization provides collateral-free microloans to low-income women entrepreneurs who lack access to traditional credit, using a proprietary group-lending methodology in which borrowers form peer Centers of 5-8 members that provide mutual accountability and social collateral. First-time loans typically range from $500 to $2,500 at 15-18% interest on a declining balance, with no origination, late, or monthly fees; loan sizes scale progressively every six months based on repayment history, reaching over $100,000 for long-tenured members. The organization also reports loan performance to Experian and Equifax, enabling members to build formal credit histories (achieving an average score of 653). The company's core technology combines a group-lending platform with the My Grameen mobile application, launched in April 2023, which centralizes loan management, financial education delivery, payment tracking, and member communications.\n\nRevenue is generated through two primary streams: recurring interest income from the microloan portfolio and philanthropic contributions from foundations, corporate partners, and individual donors. The loan portfolio is funded through a blended capital structure combining philanthropic grants and below-market-rate debt financing from impact-oriented financial institutions including Wells Fargo Foundation, Mizuho Americas, Silicon Valley Bank, East West Bank, BNP Paribas, and Etsy. Repaid loans are recycled back into the portfolio, creating a stated 13x capital multiplier over five years. The go-to-market motion is community-led: physical branches staffed by local hires from each served community, complemented by word-of-mouth referral networks, partnership-driven outreach, and high-visibility ambassador activity (notably Jennifer Lopez as National Ambassador since 2022). Distribution also includes the My Grameen mobile app for existing members and dedicated sub-brand channels including Elevate by Grameen America (Black women entrepreneurs, launched 2022) and Grameen Promotoras (community health education).\n\nSince inception, Grameen America has disbursed over $5.8 billion in loan capital to more than 239,400 women entrepreneurs across 29 U.S. cities, with 1 million+ total loans disbursed and an independently validated 99% repayment rate. Impact has been externally validated through the first-ever randomized controlled trial of U.S. microfinance conducted by MDRC, demonstrating 22-percentage-point improvements in credit score attainment, 6-point gains in Prime credit scores, 94% of members reporting improved financial situations, and 95% still operating their businesses six months post-enrollment. Current strategic priorities center on the "Women Are Limitless" campaign launched in April 2024, which targets deployment of $40 billion in loan capital to 750,000 women across 70+ cities by 2033, supported by an $85 million seed investment from Blue Meridian Partners — the largest initial scaling investment Blue Meridian has made to any single organization.

Name

Grameen America

Legal name

Grameen America, Inc.

Website

https://grameenamerica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Grameen America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit microfinance institution providing collateral-free microloans ($500-$2,500 initial, scaling upward) to low-income women entrepreneurs across 29 U.S. cities using a group-lending methodology, having served 239,400+ borrowers with $5.8B+ disbursed since 2008.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Microfinance

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

Microloans & Working Capital Loans (FSAKAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Microfinance, Financial Inclusion & Inclusive Markets (BPAGABAM)

Keywords

• Microfinance lending
• Women entrepreneurship financing
• Group lending model
• Small business microloans
• Community financial services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices24 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Microloan Interest Income: Grameen America generates revenue through interest income on microloans at 15-18% on declining balance. Each loan repaid is recycled back into the portfolio, creating sustainable recurring revenue. The organization states that sustainability means interest income covers operating expenses.
2. Philanthropic Donations and Grants: The organization receives charitable donations and grants from individuals, foundations, and corporations to support expansion and program development. Major grants include Blue Meridian Partners ($85M), Wells Fargo Foundation ($3.25M), and Etsy Uplift Fund ($1.5M).
3. Debt Capital: Grameen America borrows capital from financial institutions and investors (such as Etsy $3M debt capital, Mizuho $5M, East West Bank partnerships) to fund microloan disbursements, generating returns through the spread between borrowing costs and loan interest rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Grameen America provides microloans (starting at $500-$2,500) to low-income women entrepreneurs in the United States using a group lending model that does not require collateral or credit history. The organization operates through a physical branch network across 29+ U.S. cities, complemented by financial education, peer support, credit-building, and a mobile app for member self-service.

Product overview

Grameen America is a microfinance nonprofit organization offering a single unified product portfolio centered around its core microloan program for low-income women entrepreneurs. The core offering consists of microloans ($500-$2,500+) using a group lending model without requiring collateral or credit history, supplemented by the My Grameen mobile application for member self-service. The portfolio includes dedicated sub-brand Elevate by Grameen America for Black women entrepreneurs, the Grameen Promotoras Program for health education, a Financial Education Curriculum with workshops and digital learning tools, and a pilot Savings Program for asset-building. These products work together to provide comprehensive support—loans, peer networking, financial and business education, health resources, and savings tools—to transform communities and advance financial mobility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Women Are Limitless: A five-year campaign aimed at raising $600 million to enable Grameen America to deploy $40 billion in loan capital to 750,000 women entrepreneurs over 10 years. The campaign focuses on expanding access to affordable financial services, deepening impact, promoting systems change, and investing for scale.
• Elevate by Grameen America
• Grameen Promotoras Program
• My Grameen

Products and services

• Microloan Program Group-based microloan program offering loans starting at $500-$2,500 with interest rates of 15%-18% on declining balance and no origination, late, or monthly fees, targeted at low-income women entrepreneurs lacking collateral or credit history. Members become eligible for progressively larger loans every six months based on repayment history.
• My Grameen Mobile Application Member-facing mobile app launched April 2023 enabling existing Grameen America members to manage loan information, track payments, access financial education content, and automate branch responsibilities on their own time.
• Elevate by Grameen America Dedicated initiative applying the same group microloan model to serve Black women entrepreneurs in predominantly Black communities, providing affordable business capital through Grameen America's branch operations.
• Grameen Promotoras Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% of members reported improved financial situation vs control group
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Jennifer LopezflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 October 2023National Ambassador conducting community events, mentorship programs, and high-profile visibility campaigns supporting Latina entrepreneurs and Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations.
• EtsycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2023Comprehensive strategic partnership providing $3 million in debt capital over four years to support microloan portfolio and $1.5 million Uplift Fund grant for financial education programs. Partnership enables $32 million in loan capital through 5,800 microloans.
• MastercardcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership supporting small business owners and driving community impact; collaboration on content and resources for women entrepreneurs.
• BeyGOOD FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBlack Parade Route partnership providing entrepreneurial women of color with affordable first-time loan capital through collaborative community initiative.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Grameen Foundation: Founded by Muhammad Yunus alongside Grameen America, Grameen Foundation is the global sister organization extending the Grameen microfinance and poverty-alleviation methodology internationally; closest peer by mission, model, and brand lineage.
• Kiva: P2P microloan marketplace enabling crowdfunded small-dollar loans to underserved entrepreneurs globally; directly comparable lending product, target customer, and inclusive-finance mission, though Kiva operates digitally rather than through physical branches.
• DreamSpring (formerly Opportunity Fund): CDFI providing microloans and small-business capital to underserved entrepreneurs across the U.S.; comparable mission, target borrower, and product offering to Grameen America, including credit-building and financial education wraparound services.
• Accion: Global nonprofit providing small-business loans and financial inclusion services to low-income entrepreneurs; similar CDFI-aligned model, mission, and product suite, with comparable U.S. footprint and borrower focus.
• LiftFund: Texas-based CDFI providing microloans and small-business loans to underserved entrepreneurs, particularly Hispanic/Latino and immigrant business owners; closely comparable lending product, target demographic, and branch-based delivery model.
• Working Solutions (formerly Working Solutions for CDFIs): Bay Area-based CDFI providing microloans and small-business coaching to underserved entrepreneurs, especially women and people of color; comparable microloan product, target borrower, and combined lending-plus-education service model.
• Justine PETERSEN: St. Louis-based CDFI providing microloans, small-business lending, and credit-building services to low-income and minority entrepreneurs; comparable microfinance product, target demographic, and financial-inclusion mission.
• Pacific Community Ventures: CDFI providing small-business loans and advisory services to underserved Bay Area entrepreneurs; comparable product mix, target borrower, and mission of inclusive economic development.

Broad incumbents

• SBA Microloan Program (via intermediary CDFIs): Federal SBA Microloan Program channels government-backed capital through intermediary CDFIs to provide microloans up to $50K to small businesses; overlaps substantially with Grameen America's product offering but at a national-program scale rather than a single-organization scale.

Others

• National Association of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI Coalition): Industry association representing CDFIs including Grameen America; relevant ecosystem-level peer for benchmarking, capital-partner introductions, and policy advocacy rather than direct competition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/grameenamerica
• Facebookfacebook.com/grameenamerica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grameen-america-inc-

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grameen America