Core Funders

Historically, WWB has relied on our core funders, who have graciously provided general support, some for almost 30 years, to make WWB’s operations possible. These core funders include the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). In 2008, WWB was pleased to welcome an additional core funder, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

Key Supporters

Below we have highlighted some of our partnerships that have provided not only funding support, but also knowledge and resources to innovate and expand our operations.

Accenture

Accenture has been an important long-term partner of WWB, since 2004 providing support for WWB’s international workshops that share successes, lessons learned, and concrete tools, building the next generation of innovators and strong institutions in microfinance. In 2008, Accenture made a commitment to support WWB’s work in rural and individual lending to improve financial service offerings that reach further and deepen impact on low-income women entrepreneurs.

Citi Foundation

WWB and Citi cherish a long-standing cooperation dating back to 1999. A founding member of the WWB Global Network for Banking Innovation (GNBI), Citi has been supporting WWB’s overall strategy, knowledge-sharing and product design for the past decade. In 2005, WWB and Citi collaborated to create a Financial Risk Management Toolkit for WWB’s partner MFIs, and have organized regular trainings using the toolkit for the MFIs. Local Citi employees have participated in the delivery of these trainings. Read about the experience of two Citi employees who recently assisted with the training in Jordan. Another Citi employee has written about our experience visiting WWB Colombia as part of the WWB LEADers’ annual field trip. In 2009 Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President and CEO of WWB, was named Distinguished Fellow of the Year by NYU Stern’s Citi Leadership & Ethics Program. In March 2010, WWB honored Citi at its Annual Global Dinner for its long standing support of microfinance and WWB.

Deutsche Bank

Since 2003, Deutsche Bank has been supporting WWB through the Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation. In 2009, Deutsche and WWB broadened the partnership by identifying WWB network members at which Deutsche could deploy experienced staff for short-term volunteer assignments. Four projects were started in 2009 with SEEDS (Sri Lanka) completed. In Sri Lanka, the Deutsche team replaced manual processing with Excel tools, identified SEEDS’ key development points, revamped the cost structure and assessed major challenges such as portfolio risk management. The assistance is crucial in SEEDS’ transformation into a fully regulated bank while maintaining its “triple bottom-line” commitments to economic, social and environmental advancement. Read a first-hand account from the two Deutsche employees who worked on the SEEDS project. SEEDS is one of the 40 microfinance institutions that WWB supports in 28 countries around the world. In 2010 WWB and Deutsche will continue with three ongoing projects with plans to also include new MFIs.

HSBC

WWB began a partnership with HSBC in 2008 to develop financial products and services designed to expand HSBC’s financing capabilities in China’s rural communities. The first lending pilot will take place in Hubei Province, where HSBC was the first foreign bank in China to open a rural bank. WWB has assisted its Latin American network members with expansion into rural areas. HSBC sought WWB’s international experience in designing innovative financial products and services to support its rural banking services in China. As part of the pilot project, WWB will provide technical support to HSBC, train local staff in managing and servicing a portfolio of farmers and small businesses, and create tailored financial products and services to address the specific needs of these underserved population segments.

ILO

The ILO funds the “WWB Caregiver Policy” to benefit clients of Microfund for Women in Jordan. With ILO’s support, WWB is launching an affordable health insurance product that will enable clients to access private health care facilities for emergencies and more serious injuries, to which they may not have originally had access. This project is a very innovative one: it is focused solely on low-income women; it provides coverage above and beyond other public and private insurance; and addresses implementation risk not traditionally covered by health insurance providers.

MasterCard Foundation

In collaboration with the MasterCard Foundation, WWB established the Microfinance Leadership Center, which aims to develop principled, visionary leaders in microfinance, increase gender diversity at all levels of microfinance institutions, and build meritocratic institutions. WWB is partnering with the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business School and Creative Metier to create workshops and one-on-one mentoring focused on cultivating successful leaders and managers in microfinance.

Nike Foundation

In 2008 WWB and the Nike Foundation launched a new initiative to develop innovative savings products and services specifically geared toward the needs of young women and girls. With support from the Nike Foundation, WWB has designed, marketed and delivered savings products and financial education to girls between the ages of 10 and 24 via a three-year pilot program at microfinance institutions in Mongolia and the Dominican Republic. The partnership puts resources directly in the hands of young women in the developing world, who hold enormous, untapped potential for changing the social and economic future of their families and communities. The WWB pilot in Mongolia was recently featured on the Youth-Inclusive Financial Services portal.

Strategic Partnerships

As part of WWB's strategy to deliver value added services to its network members and increase impact on low-income women, WWB builds internal capabilities and expertise in a number of areas. As WWB has moved towards streamlining the products and services it offers and to continue maximizing the impact on microfinance organizations with whom we work, WWB has entered into strategic alliances with key partners. These alliances are collaborations with external institutions where a mutually beneficial relationship can enable WWB to increase its client impact, better provide a needed product or service or develop an internal capability.

Brown Rudnick

Brown Rudnick is proud to offer pro bono legal services to Women’s World Banking (WWB) in support of WWB’s mission to improve the economic status of low-income families in developing countries. Through Brown Rudnick’s Center for the Public Interest, the Firm’s London office is helping WWB to establish a charitable entity in the UK for microfinance activities in emerging markets for the benefit of low-income women. Brown Rudnick partner Lena Hodge is serving as lead pro bono counsel. The Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest is a measure of the Firm’s strong commitment to the community and serves as an umbrella entity encompassing the Firm's pro bono legal work, charitable giving, community involvement, and public interest efforts. For more information, please visit www.brownrudnick.com or www.brownrudnickcenter.com.

Creative Metier Limited

WWB and Creative Metier have formed a partnership to offer executive coaching to microfinance leaders under the auspices of the newly launched WWB Center for Microfinance Leadership. Creative Metier will work with selected leaders as they implement their development plans and build their own coaching and communication skills to develop their teams and organizations. Creative Metier is a leading player in supporting organizational and individual leadership development. The company specializes in Remote International Coaching Delivery systems that give their programs global coverage, works internationally with clients from a wide range of industries and sectors, and has a strong background working with leaders in the financial sector—members of the microfinance team have collectively coached more than 100 CEOs and senior leaders. Web site: www.creativemetier.com

FELABAN

The Latin America Federation of Banks (FELABAN) works with WWB to promote the entry of Latin American banks into microfinance, with WWB bank members serving as models. This partnership has resulted not only in an increase of bank entry into the microfinance market, but also significant policy changes to facilitate the process.

Goodwin Procter

With a shared interest in empowering low-income women, Goodwin Procter has partnered with WWB to help further its mission by providing pro bono legal services. Viewing pro bono work as a cornerstone of its firm, Goodwin Procter is proud to share its skills and resources to assist WWB and other nonprofit organizations and low-income individuals around the world. Goodwin Procter Partner Alyssa Grikscheit spoke about her pro bono activities, including those on behalf of WWB, in an interview for The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel. Web site: www.goodwinprocter.com

ING

Both ING and WWB share an interest in supporting and strengthening MFIs. Technical assistance from both organizations is often complementary, creating added value for WWB network members. This complementary support enables WWB to offer services to its NMs in areas it may not have the resources for or the expertise in. At the same time, ING is able to fulfil its objective of providing technical assistance to MFIs by gaining access to institutions that it otherwise may not have been aware of. Additionally, technical assistance from ING often supports WWB’s learning agenda and vice versa.

Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Aresty Institute of Executive Education

WWB has partnered with Wharton on curriculum design and delivery of the executive education workshops that it is organizing under the auspices of the newly launched WWB Center for Microfinance Leadership. Wharton is recognized as one of the top three business schools in the United States, provides the most comprehensive source of business knowledge in the world, and has experience in partnering with other foundations and academic institutions to co-create educational programs designed for the microfinance industry. The Aresty Institute runs leadership and other business programs in over 27 countries, in multiple languages. Wharton’s Advanced Management Program attracts 120 people annually from around the globe – 70% from outside the US. Web site: http://executiveeducation.wharton.upenn.edu

White & Case

White & Case has been providing WWB with pro bono legal service since our inception more than 30 years ago.  White & Case partner Sylvia Chin served as Board secretary to WWB for 18 years and continues to provide guidance on issues of corporate governance, strategy, financial products and capital markets resources.  As a global law firm with 36 offices in 25 countries, White & Case has advised WWB in jurisdictions as varied as the US, China, England and Mexico and on issues ranging from intellectual property, tax, pension benefits, grants, licenses, employment contracts and credit instruments and investments. White & Case is proud to be partnering with WWB's global network of women to alleviate poverty. Web site: www.whitecase.com

World Pulse

World Pulse is a media enterprise covering global issues through the eyes of women and is dedicated to listening to and broadcasting the unheard voices and innovative solutions of women worldwide. They produce World Pulse Magazine and PulseWire, an interactive community newswire where women can speak for themselves to the world and connect to solve global problems. Web site: www.worldpulse.com

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