Established in 2006, Envest Microfinance Cooperative is a Wisconsin – based impact investment fund manager. We provide financing to local microfinance institutions (MFls) that generate social and environmental benefits in 11 countries. Our MFI partners are committed to lending to traditionally marginalized borrowers, such as women and rural residents.

PHILOSOPHY

We are dedicated to the belief that reducing poverty is crucial to achieving a socially just and environmentally sustainable world economy. We believe that microfinance can play a critical role in creating the economic opportunities necessary to bring about global financial justice.

MISSION

Envest is dedicated to making financial services universally available by bridging the gap between microfinance and financial markets by using financially sound market mechanisms and expanding the scope of microfinance to include the financing of appropriate sustainable technology.

VISION

We envision a world with an environmentally sustainable global economy in which basic needs are met worldwide.

We are an international team with deep microfinance knowledge, working from five different countries and speaking a variety of languages. Envest has been dedicated to building a socially just and environmentally sustainable world for 18 years. The combined talents and perspectives of our team are invaluable to carrying out our mission of financial inclusion.

Our model generates financial, social, and environmental returns by investing in carefully selected mission-driven local institutions. We do so by conducting careful due diligence, providing impact financing, and building strong long-term partnerships with both investors and MFIs.

The idea to start Envest was born in 2006 around Jon Bishop’s family kitchen table. Over the following 18 years Envest has attracted a strong community of impact investors. We have also put a lot of time into building relationships with MFIs in 11 countries. These relationships are not just invaluable for our operations but makes us a trusted, long-term partner for the global communities that need it most.   Read more

Our MFI partners are led by members of the communities they serve. These local leaders have the expertise and cultural competence needed to benefit individual borrowers. Click on a partner’s logo below to learn about their incredible impact.

What is the meaning behind our logo? In 2006, Julia Glad Pooler, who was interning with Envest and now serves on the Advisory Board, came up with a logo idea during a flight to a sustainable investing conference. The three stacked lines point to our commitment to the triple bottom line:  environmental health, social well-being, and good corporate governance. A rising sun over the mountain is a symbol of hope and our vision of an inclusive and sustainable world.