Capital Sisters International

What Capital Sisters International does

Capital Sisters International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1996 by Patricia Foley Hinnen and headquartered in Golden, Colorado. The organization's core product is the Sister Bonds Investment Fund, a zero-interest bond instrument in $1,000 denominations with terms of one to five years. Each $1,000 bond is relent, also at zero interest, to a network of microfinance institution (MFI) partners that originate $100 micro business loans to impoverished women entrepreneurs in developing countries — each bond therefore funds ten women's enterprises. Investors receive principal repayment at maturity plus a "Social Dividend" Client Investment Report in lieu of interest. Sister Bonds and Sister Bonds Investment Fund are registered trademarks and, per the organization, constitute the first women's bond in the world to finance micro loans.

The platform is not a technology product; it is a financial intermediary with a WordPress-based website and an active social media presence. Capital Sisters deploys capital through a curated MFI partner network, with two named anchor partners: the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD) in the Philippines, serving 2.8 million clients (69% women), and Friendship Bridge in Guatemala, serving roughly 35,000 women annually (primarily indigenous Maya) with a 98.9% repayment rate in 2023. The organization reports an aggregate borrower repayment rate above 95%, has financed approximately 100,000 women's businesses across 25 countries, and claims impact on over 475,000 lives.

Capital Sisters generates operating support from individual donations (tiers of $50 to $1,000-plus, with a Founding Donor threshold required before bond purchase), foundation grants from sponsors including MetLife Foundation, Tides Foundation, and the Peter C. Cornell Trust, and pro-bono professional services from partners such as Hogan Lovells, Monigle Associates, and FLS Associates. Bond capital is pass-through — the organization does not charge transaction fees on the zero-interest instrument. Bonds are sold directly via the website to U.S. household investors and are currently registered in 46 U.S. states plus Washington D.C., with Louisiana, Kentucky, and Washington as exclusions. The organization holds a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid (2025) and a Global Purpose Prize for Financial Inclusion awarded to its founder in 2016.

Name

Capital Sisters International

Legal name

Capital Sisters International, Inc.

Website

https://capitalsisters.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Capital Sisters International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that channels U.S. household investor capital into zero-interest Sister Bonds funding micro loans for impoverished women entrepreneurs in 25 developing countries via microfinance institution partners including CARD and Friendship Bridge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Impact Investing & Microfinance

NAICS

Other Nondepository Credit Intermediation (52229), Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153), Loan Brokers (6163)

akta.pro primary industry

Microloans & Working Capital Loans (FSAKAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Debt Capital Raising Intermediation (Private Debt/Mezzanine/Bonds) (FSAEALAM)

Keywords

• Impact investing
• Microfinance loans
• Women's bonds
• Micro business loans
• Nonprofit microfinance

Headquarters

HQ city

Golden

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sister Bonds Investment Fund: Capital Sisters raises capital through the sale of zero-interest Sister Bonds Investment Notes ($1,000 bonds with 1-5 year terms). Investors receive their principal back at maturity and a Social Dividend (Client Investment Report) in lieu of interest. The bond proceeds are relent to microfinance institutions at zero interest, enabling MFIs to provide micro loans to women without charging predatory rates.
2. Individual Donations and Grants: Capital Sisters is funded through philanthropic support from individuals and foundations and from pro bono contributions of services. Donations fund organizational operations and expansion.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Capital Sisters International issues zero-interest $1,000 "Sister Bonds" purchased by individual investors; the bond proceeds are pooled and placed with partner microfinance institutions, which disburse small micro loans to impoverished women entrepreneurs in developing countries. Investors may also receive a "Social Dividend" equal to 10% of any interest collected on the underlying loans, and donors can contribute outright as Founding Donors to support the fund.

Product overview

Capital Sisters International offers a single core investment product called the Sister Bonds® Investment Fund, consisting of $1,000 zero-interest bonds that fund ten women's micro enterprises each. The portfolio includes the Sister Bonds® Investment Notes (the bond instrument), the Social Dividend (client investment reports provided to investors in lieu of interest), and a Donation Program with various contribution levels. The Sister Bonds® Investment Notes are unique as the world's first gender lens investment product available to household investors, enabling traditional donors to become investors while providing micro loans to impoverished women in developing countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sister Bonds® Investment Fund: Zero-interest bond investment product that funds micro loans for impoverished women in developing countries. Each $1,000 bond funds ten women's businesses.
• Sister Bonds® Investment Notes
• Social Dividend
• Capital Friends International

Products and services

• Sister Bonds

Quantifiable outcome

• Each $1,000 bond funds 10 women's businesses and impacts approximately 50 lives per year of investment
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARD is Capital Sisters' inaugural microfinance partner in Asia (Philippines). CARD was founded in 1986 and launched micro lending operations in 1989. The organization serves over 2.8 million clients (69% women) and has developed mutually reinforcing institutions (MRIs) including banking, insurance, and training programs. CARD maintains near-perfect repayment rates. Capital Sisters provides zero-interest loans to CARD which funds micro loans for impoverished women entrepreneurs.
• Friendship BridgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFriendship Bridge is Capital Sisters' inaugural microfinance partner in Latin America (Guatemala). Established in 1990 and headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado, it provides microcredit, Non-Formal Education, and healthcare to Guatemalan women. Clients are 100% women, primarily indigenous Maya in rural communities with highest poverty levels. Friendship Bridge supports nearly 35,000 women annually with a 98.9% repayment rate in 2023.
• Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCapital Sisters' CEO Patricia Foley Hinnen represented the United States on microfinance and gender issues at APEC policy meetings for 21 member countries for over a decade. She led the U.S. delegation for the APEC Women Leader's Network, spearheaded creation of the Microenterprise Working Group, and helped establish the Gender Focal Point Network.
• Beyond Our BordersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA special interest fund of the Women's Foundation of Colorado. Capital Sisters CEO has served on the board since 2005, financing projects supporting women and girls in developing countries and promoting gender-lens investing.
• Colorado Microfinance AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by Capital Sisters CEO Patricia Foley Hinnen. Industry association representing domestic and international microfinance practitioners and funders. Hosts major conferences featuring Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus and other industry leaders.
• The International Alliance for Women (TIAW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization of 40,000 entrepreneurial, executive, and professional women from 30 professional women's networks worldwide. Capital Sisters helped establish and build the TIAW Microenterprise Program, funding thousands of women's business loans in 20+ developing countries.
• Hogan LovellscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLaw firm providing exceptional legal representation across transactional and litigation matters. Experience in cross-border and emerging economies makes them a global partner for Capital Sisters.
• FLS AssociatescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides strategic business and operational planning, along with execution support to early stage companies. Their service to Capital Sisters since the early years has been indispensable to the launch of the organization.
• Calvert FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA global leader in impact investing, connecting individual investors with organizations working around the world on affordable housing, job creation, and environmental protection.
• Trans Mountain ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerColorado-based consulting firm providing bookkeeping services to Capital Sisters for as long as the organization can remember.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• VisionFund International: VisionFund is the microfinance arm of World Vision, providing small loans to families in developing countries; comparable mission and end-borrower profile to Capital Sisters' MFI-funded microloans.
• Root Capital: Root Capital is a nonprofit impact investor that lends to agricultural businesses in developing countries; adjacent peer in nonprofit-led credit intermediation to underserved borrowers.
• Accion: Accion is a global nonprofit that partners with microfinance institutions to serve the financially underserved; overlaps with Capital Sisters in MFI-partnership-based microfinance delivery.
• Grameen Foundation: Grameen Foundation is a large-scale nonprofit working on microfinance and poverty alleviation worldwide. Comparable to Capital Sisters in mission (microfinance for the poor) but operates a much broader programmatic portfolio.
• Opportunity International: Opportunity International is a large nonprofit microfinance organization providing small loans and training to entrepreneurs in developing countries; comparable in serving the same end-borrower segment globally.
• BRAC USA: BRAC USA is the U.S. affiliate of BRAC, one of the world's largest development nonprofits, with substantial microfinance operations serving impoverished women; comparable in scale and women-focused microfinance mission.

Direct peers

• Pro Mujer: Pro Mujer provides microfinance, healthcare and training to women in Latin America; highly comparable to Capital Sisters on women-focused microfinance and Latin American footprint (e.g., Guatemala, Bolivia, Peru).
• Women's World Banking: Women's World Banking is a global nonprofit devoted to financial inclusion for women through microfinance, directly comparable to Capital Sisters' women-focused microfinance mission and MFI partnership model.
• Kiva: Kiva operates a crowdfunded microfinance platform that channels individual lender capital to micro-entrepreneurs globally. It is the closest direct comparison to Capital Sisters' household-investor-to-microfinance-borrower model.

Emerging players

• Calvert Impact Capital: Calvert Impact Capital is an impact-investing nonprofit connecting investors to organizations working on affordable housing, jobs, and environment. Already a Capital Sisters partner; comparable in raising retail impact capital for development outcomes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCidct5M-LNZS4r5k0KRa01w
• Facebookfacebook.com/capitalsistersmicroloans
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/capital-sisters-international-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Capital Sisters International