While CDFIs are not technically part of the micro-lending trend, they still provide small businesses with loans.

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But in India, the community component of micro-lending has never been taken seriously.

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Micropayments are the foundation and most widespread form of microfinance, though micro-lending and other financial services are growing, too.

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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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It is on the Ponoko blog (which regularly has terrific stuff for makers getting a business started) by Cassandra Glessner at SF Commonality, a San Francisco non-profit that helps small businesses with micro finance, micro-lending programs worth checking out.

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Warren Buffett and Bill Gates should use more of their money to set up region-specific venture capital funds and micro-lending organizations with main goals not to get killer returns but to give entrepreneurs the ability to try out their ideas.

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Some of the leading crowdfunders fall into different categories like Equity ( see my earlier post), Donation, Reward and Debt (a.k.a.micro finance and peer-to-peer lending).

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As many international micro finance institutions have demonstrated (although not yet proven nationally), lending to poor people can be a sustainable strategy as these nontraditional institutions get repaid and repay investors. (Note: Microfinance institutions are a subset of CDFIs in the United States).

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