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Awards & Recognition

Our commitment to transparency, accountability and excellence have earned us top accreditation and awards.

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Grameen Foundation India recognized

CNBC-TV 18, one of India’s largest electronic media channels, and Union Bank recognized Grameen Foundation India (GFI) for Fostering Financial Inclusion Through Strategic Collaboration, highlighting GFI’s partnership with the microfinance institution Sonata and the payments company Oxigen. Prabhat Labh, CEO of Grameen Foundation India, accepted the award from Shiv Pratap Shukla, Hon’ble Minister of State, Finance Ministry, and Mr. R. Gandhi, Former Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India during CNBC-TV 18’s 5th Edition of The Financial Inclusion Agenda in New Delhi on Dec. 7, 2017.

Ideas that Impact 2016-17

Grameen Foundation India’s work with Sonata Microfinance and Oxigen featured in NASSCOM Foundation’s Ideas that Impact 2016-17. The report compiles the strongest innovators in Tech for Good within the NASSCOM Social Innovation Forum network. NASSCOM (the National Association of Software and Services Companies) is a global trade association Indian Information Technology (IT)with over 2,000 members.

Mondato Award (2016)

Grameen Foundation India earned the 2016 Mondato Award for the Digital Finance Plus (DF+) Social Impact in Emerging Asia category for its work to integrate mobile financial education and services in India.

Digital Impact Awards Africa (2016)

Airtel Weza, a service developed by Grameen Foundation and Airtel Uganda, was recognized as the “Best Financial Inclusion Initiative.” Savings groups in Uganda use Weza to safely store funds digitally.

NGO Advisor (2015, 2016)

In 2016, Grameen Foundation was ranked 12th among 500 of the world’s leading non-governmental organizations. The Geneva-based NGO Advisor has published its rankings since 2012, providing the only global ranking of development nonprofits. Grameen Foundation was ranked in the top 20 organizations in 2015.

Kalahari “Pro Poor Innovation” Award (2016)

Grameen Foundation and Airtel Uganda earned the Kalahari Award for Airtel Weza, a service that gives savings groups an easy, safe way to store their funds and uses mobile phone technology to connect isolated rural communities to a broader range of financial services.

ImpactAssets 50 (2012, 2013, 2014)

The ImpactAssets 50 is the first publicly available database of experienced private debt and equity impact investment fund managers. Grameen Foundation was named to the annual list for its commitment to expanding income-generating opportunities for the poor in rural or hard-to-reach markets through targeted investments in emerging social businesses.

Computerworld Honors Program Laureate (2013)

Grameen Foundation was recognized for its MOTECH initiative in Ghana, which used a robust yet simple-to-use mobile health technology system to provide maternal and infant care information, and also enabled health staff to collect data on patients. Developed with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the open source platform is compatible with any mobile technology and has since been used in more than 15 countries, including Ghana, India, and Sierra Leone.

Philanthropedia High-Impact Nonprofit (2012)

Grameen Foundation was recognized as one of 11 high-impact nonprofits working in international microfinance by Philanthropedia, an online resource for donors owned by nonprofit-evaluator Guidestar. Philanthropedia surveyed 77 international microfinance experts, who reviewed 119 nonprofits and ranked Grameen Foundation second among organizations that are making the biggest positive impact at the international level.

Philanthropedia: Top Microfinance Nonprofits (2012)

Freedom from Hunger, which joined with Grameen Foundation in 2016, ranked #5 among international microfinance organizations by Philanthropedia. The selection panel, composed of 72 microfinance experts, evaluated 119 international microfinance organizations and recognized 11 organizations that are making the biggest positive impact in international microfinance.

Global Telecom Business Innovation Award (2011)

Grameen Foundation, Qualcomm's Wireless Reach™ initiative, Ruma and Bakrie Telecom received the Best Mobile Application Innovation award for AppLab Indonesia, a Grameen Foundation initiative that provided sustainable mobile-based business opportunities to the poor. Global Telecom Business is the leading magazine for senior managers at telecommunications businesses.

Global Health Council: Best Practices in Global Health Award (2011)

Freedom from Hunger (now part of Grameen Foundation) was recognized for programs that effectively demonstrate the link between health, poverty and development. It was selected in recognition of its ability to exhibit measurable results, as well as capacity and expertise in sharing, inspiring and extending best practices for improving health.

Global Mobile Award for Best Use of Mobile for Social and Economic Development (2010)

Grameen Foundation, MTN Uganda and Google SMS received the GSMA “Best Use of Mobile for Social and Economic Development” award in recognition of the use of mobile communications to bridge the "digital divide."

InterAction: Best Practices and Innovations Award (2010)

Freedom from Hunger (now part of Grameen Foundation) was awarded InterAction’s Best Practices and Innovations Award for Health and Microfinance: Leveraging the Strengths of Two Sectors to Improve Food Security. InterAction honors those who promote information-sharing on effective program approaches and improve practice standards by boosting the efficiency and impacts of field programs.

AfricaCom Award for Best Solution for Rural Services (2009)

Grameen Foundation, MTN Uganda and Google SMS won the Best Solution for Rural Services award for AppLab. The award recognized the initiative’s contribution to “significantly improving access to telecommunications in rural areas.”

SEEP Network Member of the Year (2007)

Grameen Foundation was honored as the 2007 Member of the Year by the Small Enterprise Education and Promotion (SEEP) Network, the leading international network and promoter of best practices in enterprise development and financial services geared toward reducing poverty.

Fast Company Social Capitalist Awards (2005, 2006, 2007)

The Fast Company/Monitor Social Capitalist Awards is the only award program that quantitatively measures a nonprofit’s innovation and social impact, as well as the viability and sustainability of its business model. For three years in a row, Grameen Foundation was recognized for its groundbreaking work in expanding the reach of microfinance around the world while applying innovative technology to increase efficiency and provide new opportunities for the poor.

Tech Museum Awards (2004)

Grameen Foundation received an Accenture Economic Development Award for its work on the Village Phone program. This “business in a box” enabled Village Phone Operators, individuals in underserved communities, to provide a pay-phone service to neighbors, who would typically have to walk for miles to make a call. Grameen Foundation’s Village Phone program was the first successful replication outside of Bangladesh, where the program was started by Grameen Telecom. The Tech Awards are designed to honor individuals and for-profit, public, and not-for-profit organizations from around the world that are applying technology to profoundly improve the human condition in the areas of environment, economic development, education, equality and health.

Pro-Poor Innovation Award (2004)

The Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) created the Pro-Poor Innovation Award to recognize and promote organizations and programs that offered sustainable financial services to marginalized communities. Grameen Foundation received the award for its Village Phone program, which partnered with local microfinance institutions to help poor individuals receive microloans to start a Village Phone business in their communities. In remote communities, Village Phone Operators provided a cheaper, more accessible way to make phone calls.