Meanwhile, Saint Louis University's part-time program launched a micro-scholarship program last year: Students can apply to have the cost of one course remitted by the school so they can stay enrolled.

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Whole Foods has the Whole Planet Foundation which run campaigns and a micro-lending program to inject cash into needy communities on an international scale.

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As our organization grows, we hope to establish our own micro-loan program that will benefit the homeless participants as a crucial first-step in escaping homelessness.

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The 863 Program noticed, and last year it added a program to build a micro-electric car, inspired by bicycle components, for commuters.

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The teens also make and sell products at the center's bakery, which helps fund the program, and the foundation offers micro-loans to help them start their own businesses.

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Chris Gascon, the IOM's head of mission, says a program could offer vocational training or support in starting up micro-enterprises.

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Like the OLPC laptop, the decTOP's innovations come out of a drive to bring computers and the Internet to rural Africa and Asia: Data Evolution acquired the machine's hardware from Advanced Micro Devices (nyse: AMD - news - people ), whose "50x15" program seeks to take 50% of the world's population online by 2015.

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The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development kicked off the program in July with a request for proposals from designers and development teams for self-contained "micro-units" between 275 and 300 square feet, including kitchen and bathroom.

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