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Social Enterprise Development Partnerships, Inc. (SEDPI)

SEDPI is a private organization established in 2004 to provide capacity-building services and social investments to microfinance and microenterprise stakeholders. SEDPI offers business management and operations training to established social enterprises and microfinance institutions, as well as those wishing to enter these industries. It also provides technical and mentoring assistance, organizational appraisals, research services, and support with strategic planning.

Livelihood and Enterprise Development (LED) projects of Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP)

LED is an organization of Filipino business leaders who support sustainable means for domestic companies to strategically and collectively express their social responsibility. As of January 2014, there were 249 corporate members contributing PHP 26.7 million (approx. 605,000 USD) in funds. In the early 2000s, workforce development became a core programming strategy, and more recently an economy-wide campaign called the Inclusive Business Imperative was formed to promote and adopt inclusive business. Flagship LED projects include a workforce development program linked with employment opportunities in industries or firms, assistance to member companies in linking their business supply chain with poverty groups in surrounding communities, and assistance to member companies in implementing their CSR programs for livelihood development.

The Foundation for Professional Training, Inc. (FPTI)

FPTI develops innovative approaches to informal and formal education for women, manages training centers offering technical-vocational programs that enhance employment opportunities, conducts programs among trainers and volunteers that strengthen institutional support, and supports the promotion of technical-vocational training in the Philippines. FPTI has schools in Anihan, Banilad, Habihan, Manila, and Punlaan, and focuses mainly on training for food and beverage services and the culinary arts.

Sari-Sari Store Training and Access to Resources (S3TAR) Program

Launched in 2011, the S3TAR Program is a partnership between Coca-Cola Philippines and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), an agency of the Department of Labor and Employment. The program aims to empower 100,000 women owners of small-scale retail outlets to increase their household incomes and improve their quality of life. They are offered three years of support with basic entrepreneurship training, access to resources such as microfinance and merchandising, and peer mentoring.

ECHOsi Foundation

Established in 2012, ECHOsi develops and supports a value-chain for small producers of artisan or eco-friendly products that support a sustainable lifestyle. ECHOsi is the nonprofit arm of the ECHOstore Sustainable Lifestyle, a social enterprise retail store focused on fair trade and environmentally-friendly products made by local communities. ECHOsi supports small producers, farmers and women micro-entrepreneurs by helping develop products at early stages in the supply chain and moving these products through enhancement and value-addition processes such as packaging, introduction of new designs, product variant development, teaching communities about potential markets available to them, and strategically producing products for specialty markets.

Entrepreneur.com

This website is an extensive resource on how to start and expand a business. Company profiles and contact information can be found in the website’s Franchise Directory, Supplier Directory or Business Opportunities database.

Mentors Philippines Microfinance Foundation, Inc.

Under this microfinance opportunity, borrowers are organized as groups of five to ten friends. They must undergo pre-loan training and be willing to communicate periodically with the foundation. General loans range from PHP 1,000 to PHP 75,000 (approx. 20 to 1,700 USD).

Esquire Financing Inc.’s (EFI) Fueling the Dream: Business Model Competition

In 2014, EFI launched a competition to encourage the creativity, passion, and entrepreneurial aspirations of college students. Teams of three to five from participating universities were invited to present a business idea for a socially-responsible business. The grand prize awarded was capital-based funding of up to PHP 1 million (approx. 22,500 USD), aside from PHP 100,000 (approx. 2,250 USD) cash and a feature in Entrepreneur magazine, to the winning team. The competition is co-sponsored by Go Negosyo, SERDEF, the Asian Institute of Management, and a few influential media partners. The competition started in November 2014 with 40 teams and ended in February 2015 with one winning team (made up of two men and two women).

Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation, Inc. (NWTF)

Established in 1986, NWTF operates primarily through two projects. Project Dungganon helps marginalized women from rural and urban communities achieve self-reliance and rise above poverty by providing them with the training and collateral-free credit to start or maintain their own small business ventures. Project Kasanag targets micro-entrepreneurs for low-interest loans to help them acquire capital and assets to maintain their business. Kasanag also offers client-support services such as business evaluations and entrepreneurial seminars.

Ahon Sa Hirap, Inc. (ASHI)

ASHI is a micro-finance institution dedicated to increasing incomes and mobilizing savings among the poor, reducing dependence on usurious moneylenders, helping reduce rural-urban migration, and promoting the values of education and responsible parenthood among members. ASHI offers loans, savings, and micro insurance products, as well as non-financial services in the form of leadership training and workshops on community rebuilding after natural disasters. ASHI operates at least 26 branches and over 1,000 individual centers.