Impactful investments for the developing world
Founded by Professor Dennis Shaughnessy, the Social Enterprise Fund enables the creation of micro-businesses through impactful investments to support small business owners, microfinance associates and student led social ventures.
In South Africa, Northeastern University’s Social Enterprise Fund helped to create the NU-TSiBA MicroVenture Fund which was funded jointly with Deutsche Bank and other private partners. The MicroVenture Fund has over half a million rands in seed funding and micro-investments in township communities.
In the Dominican Republic, the Social Enterprise Fund has created a loan portfolio with over $135,000 in microfinance loans for almost 500 associates, helping to create more than 285 new businesses. Our students have also interviewed over 800 borrowers for Esperanza International, one of the Latin America’s leading microfinance institutions, resulting in almost 10% of their active portfolio.
Our students also engage in service partnerships to improve the communities they work with. In total, our students have raised over $90,000 through grassroots initiatives and fundraising efforts to invest in 12 different community initiated projects throughout Africa and Latin America.