SEEDfund is a charity, registered in 2006, set up by a number of businessmen in the church here, to help poor people to become self sufficient through establishing small business initiatives.

SEEDfund grew out of the work of CRY seeking to alleviate the devastating effects of poverty and exclusion among young people growing into adulthood with little or no opportunity to escape the poverty trap and build a better future for themselves and their families.  They are usually in situations where the capital required to set up a business is either inaccessible or prohibitively expensive.

SEEDfund's aim is to set up a fund here in the UK from which small start up loans can be offered to appropriate poor people, known either to us directly or our partners abroad, who have developed a viable business proposal, and who demonstrate a degree of entreprenurial ability.

These businesses will be overseen by a local supervisor in their own nation, well known to SEEDfund, to whom the loans will be repaid, and which then can be used to reinvest in other small business start ups.  The idea is that in each nation where SEEDfund is operating there will be a revolving fund at their disposal, managed by the local supervisor, in conjunction with and accountable to the SEEDfund board in the UK.

SEEDfund believes that businesses and business people increasingly want to see their charitable donations 'invested' in such a way that depending on charitable 'handouts' is discouraged, and that the sustainable benefits and opportunities of business, creating self sufficiency with dignity, is encouraged.

Projects

To date over 20 such small businesses have been established with over £45,000 currently under SEEDfund management.

Such businesses include, in the following countries:

Albania - a minimarket, a restaurant, a pharmacy, a bakery, a mobile phone shop etc

Ukraine - a mobile phone shop, a printing business, an orthopedic bed salon, and health and exercise equipment etc

Armenia - farming, vineyards, cattle rearing etc

SEEDfund is also operating in Russia and Zimbabwe at present.

Team

For more information