Meet our Grantees
Pro Mujer
We were attracted to Pro Mujer (Spanish "For Women) in the early days of The HF's grantmaking because the smallest gift could provide such dramatic benefits. A Pro Mujer board member explained how it worked: ten poor women in one of several Latin American countries would commit to an association of mutual support and responsibility. They would each receive a loan (it was the equivalent of $50 then, which is what attracted us) to start a small business. The women would get business training, health care and education, and other support that allowed them to start building a livelihood for themselves and their families.
It transformed individuals, families, communities.
Pro Mujer was among the earliest microfinance organizations in the world and it's still among the widely known and most respected.
In addition to monetary grants from The HF, we arranged for Pro Mujer to receive donated office space in a midtown office building for a period of time.