What Habibah Foundation does

Habiba Foundation is a California-registered nonprofit established by the descendants of Habiba Khatun (1952–2003) to provide interest-free micro-credit to girls and young women in Bangladesh seeking economic independence through entrepreneurship. The organization operates primarily across Bangladesh through grassroots community outreach, currently documenting more than 80 micro-credit projects spanning tailoring, poultry, dairy/goat-rearing, vermicomposting, grocery stores, parlour businesses, and gardening, with individual disbursements ranging from Tk 5,000 to Tk 60,000 and a two-year interest-free repayment term.

The foundation's platform is a static informational website (habibafoundation.com) rather than a technology product: it hosts project portfolios, mission content, and a PayPal-integrated donation page, while beneficiary applications are collected via Google Forms and a QR code. There is no proprietary software, API, or mobile application; technology plays a purely supporting role. Operational distribution leverages an in-country partnership with Bidyanondo for sewing machine delivery across multiple districts, and cross-border co-funding arrangements such as a joint sponsorship with Enjoying Good USA for a Tk 60,000 goat-rearing project.

The business model is donation-driven: the foundation raises funds primarily from individual donors routed through its California office and PayPal portal, then on-lends those contributions as zero-interest micro-credit to approved beneficiaries, who are expected to return principal within two years. Revenue (in the donation sense) is undisclosed, and there are no funding rounds, institutional investors, or public financial statements. Go-to-market is community-led, with applicant flow driven by local referrals and partner organizations, and the foundation has signaled plans to extend operations into the USA and additional countries beyond its Bangladesh base.

Name

Habibah Foundation

Legal name

Habiba Foundation

Website

https://habibafoundation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Habiba Foundation is a California-registered nonprofit that provides interest-free micro-credit (Tk 5,000–60,000) to girls and young women in Bangladesh to launch small businesses, funded by individual donations and delivered through grassroots outreach and partners like Bidyanondo.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Microfinance

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

Microenterprise Group Lending (Joint Liability) (FSAKAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Sponsors (BPAGAKAF)

Keywords

• Microfinance services
• Women empowerment
• Interest-free microcredit
• Entrepreneurship funding
• Nonprofit charitable giving

Headquarters

HQ city

California

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation operates as a registered non-profit in California, USA, funded primarily through donations. Individual donors contribute funds which are then disbursed as interest-free micro-credit to girls and women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Habibah Foundation is a California-registered nonprofit that provides interest-free micro-credit (typically TK 5,000 to TK 60,000) to girls and young women in Bangladesh to help them start small businesses. The micro-credit must be returned within two years with no interest charged, and is delivered through named project categories such as tailoring, poultry, dairy/goat-rearing, vermicomposting, parlour services, grocery retail, and gardening. The foundation disburses funds directly to approved beneficiaries and partners with organizations like Bidyanondo and Enjoying Good USA to expand reach.

Product overview

Habiba Foundation operates as a microfinance and entrepreneurship support organization offering interest-free micro credit to girls seeking to start businesses. The Foundation provides a portfolio of project-based initiatives including Vermicomposting, Tailor Projects, Poultry Projects, Dairy/Goat-Rearing Projects, Parlour Business, Grocery Store, and Garden Projects. Each project provides small capital grants (typically 7,000-60,000 TK) to support women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, with plans to expand to the USA and other countries. The organization partners with entities like Bidyanondo and Enjoying Good USA for sewing machine donations, and accepts applications via Google Forms. The website serves as the primary informational and application channel, with no SaaS product or technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Micro Credit Program Interest-free micro-credit program providing small funds (typically TK 5,000 to TK 60,000) to girls and young women in Bangladesh who want to start new businesses, with a two-year return requirement and no interest charged.
• Tailor Projects Entrepreneurship program providing sewing machines and capital to trained tailors, enabling them to launch or expand tailoring businesses and achieve financial independence. Implemented in partnership with Bidyanondo for sewing machine distribution.
• Poultry Projects Livestock funding initiative supporting poultry farming ventures including chicken and duck rearing for egg and meat production, providing small capital to girls and women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh.
• Dairy Projects Agricultural enterprise support for goat-rearing businesses, providing capital to purchase and raise livestock for sale during religious festivals such as Quarbani Eid.
• Vermicomposting Projects Agricultural initiative providing funding for fertilizer production through vermicomposting methods, supporting entrepreneurs in starting sustainable farming businesses.
• Parlour Business Projects Service-sector entrepreneurship program funding beauty and makeup artistry businesses, particularly for wedding and event services.
• Grocery Store Projects Retail entrepreneurship initiative providing capital for inventory purchase to revitalize small shop operations.
• Garden Projects Agricultural funding program supporting high-quality seed purchase for gardening businesses, enabling sustainable income from small plots.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80 documented micro-credit projects across Bangladesh

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BidyanondocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Bidyanondo for distributing sewing machines to women beneficiaries. Multiple projects (Projects #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14) have been implemented through this collaboration, providing sewing machines to trained tailors to enable them to start businesses and achieve financial independence.
• Enjoying Good USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint sponsorship with Enjoying Good USA to support Beauty Khatun in Joypurhat with Tk 60,000 for a goat-rearing business. This represents a cross-border partnership combining US donor support with local implementation to help secure a family's future.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• BRAC: BRAC is the world's largest development NGO, founded in Bangladesh, with extensive microfinance and women's empowerment programs. It is a broad incumbent in the same mission space as Habiba Foundation but operates at vastly larger scale and with interest-bearing microfinance rather than interest-free lending.
• CARE International: CARE International is a major humanitarian organization running women's economic empowerment and microenterprise programs across South Asia, including Bangladesh. It operates at a materially larger scale than Habiba Foundation but in a directly comparable mission space.
• FINCA International: FINCA operates a global microfinance network serving low-income entrepreneurs across Africa, Latin America, and Eurasia with small-dollar loans. It is comparable to Habiba Foundation in microenterprise focus but operates as a regulated MFI with interest-bearing products.
• Opportunity International: Opportunity International is a US-based nonprofit providing microfinance, savings, and insurance to people in developing countries. Like Habiba Foundation, it focuses on financial inclusion for women but at materially larger scale and through institutional banking infrastructure.
• Mercy Corps: Mercy Corps is a large global humanitarian organization operating in Bangladesh and other developing markets with programs targeting women, agriculture, and economic recovery. It is comparable to Habiba Foundation in mission scope but offers institutional-scale programming.
• Islamic Relief Worldwide: Islamic Relief Worldwide is a faith-inspired humanitarian and development NGO providing interest-free (Qard al-Hasan) microfinance and entrepreneurship support in Muslim-majority countries. It overlaps with Habiba Foundation's faith-driven, interest-free positioning and Bangladeshi footprint.
• Grameen Bank: Grameen Bank pioneered microfinance in Bangladesh and serves millions of women borrowers through group-lending models. While it charges interest (unlike Habiba Foundation's zero-interest approach), it is a direct incumbent in the same geographic and beneficiary market.
• Women's World Banking: Women's World Banking is a global nonprofit dedicated to financial inclusion for women through supporting low-income women entrepreneurs with access to capital and financial services. It overlaps with Habiba Foundation's mission and target beneficiary but operates via institutional partners rather than direct disbursement.

Direct peers

• Kiva: Kiva is a US-based nonprofit crowdfunding platform that channels small-dollar loans from individual donors to micro-entrepreneurs globally, including in Bangladesh. It shares Habiba Foundation's model of donor-funded micro-capital directed at underserved women entrepreneurs.

Regional players

• Bidyanondo: Bidyanondo is a Bangladesh-based nonprofit that partners with Habiba Foundation for sewing-machine distribution and beneficiary outreach. It is a direct operational partner and a comparable regional actor in microenterprise support for disadvantaged women.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/omhabibeh-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Habibah Foundation