About Us

The Campus Microfinance Alliance was founded in October 2009 in response to a national movement — college students across the country starting microfinance institutions to spur economic development in their campus communities.

Read the report that started it all

Download FIELD's report, "Can Student-run Microfinance Organizations Help Address Issues of Scale and Sustainability in the U.S. Domestic Microenterprise Industry?" written by Elaine Edgcomb and Luz Gomez.

After an initial report by the Aspen Institute's FIELD Project assessed the state of the movement, these campus MFIs gathered for the first time at a conference at Rutgers University in the fall of 2009. At that meeting, the Campus Microfinance Alliance was born, with a mission to raise awareness, provide technical assistance, and create networking opportunities for student-powered microfinance organizations.

The strength of the Alliance is its members, which serve as laboratories for innovation in domestic microfinance and training ground for a new generation of social change leaders. Now, the Alliance hosts an annual conference, awards capacity building grants, and provides on-site and online technical assistance to its members.

Staff

Vanessa Carter, Director

Vanessa is the Director of Campus Microfinance Alliance, which helps students start and grow Campus MFIs. Before CMA, Vanessa worked with Credit Builders Alliance, where she managed services that help nonprofit loan funds offer credit reporting as a tool to build credit for consumers. Prior, Vanessa helped to build ThinkImpact, a social enterprise that connects students with rural villages in Kenya and South Africa to build social businesses. Vanessa is a recipient of the Projects for Peace fellowship and spent the summer of 2008 establishing a community center in Makrepeni, South Africa to improve access to entrepreneurial opportunities for women. Vanessa graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a B.A. in international relations and government.

Chair

Rohan Mathew, The Intersect Fund

Executive Committee

Rohan Mathew, The Intersect Fund
Andy Posner, The Capital Good Fund
Maggie West, Community Empowerment Fund

Advisors

Nathan Wyeth, The Schoenfeld Foundation
Ben Rudick, The Schoenfeld Foundation
Elaine Edgcomb, The Aspen Institute