The Untours Foundation is funded by Untours, a unique travel company offering spectacular vacations to Europe, Quebec City, and Buenos Aires. Owners Norma and Hal Taussig believe in living simply and in sharing the profits of their business to create a better world. In 1999, they won an award from Paul Newman and John F. Kennedy, Jr., for having the Most Generous Business in the United States.
The foundation is also funded by over 1000 "Untourists" who have donated to the foundation's low-interest loan fund, and by several other small and mighty foundations.
We are honored and humbled by the support of so many. Thank you for joining us!!
The Untours Foundation addresses poverty by providing low-interest loans to businesses around the world to create work, housing, and Fair Trade where they are needed most. We look for projects that are pioneering, innovative, replicable, and green.
Most loan recipients have no collateral or track record necessary to borrow money through conventional lending institutions. By giving loans and not grants, the foundation provides a "hand up" and not a "hand out."
Paul Newman said of the foundation: "Untours' giving is creative in every sense of the word. Their low-interest loans literally create jobs among the hard-core unemployed and housing in decaying urban centers."
Ben Cohen of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream has said of Hal Taussig and the foundation: "What makes Hal so special is that he combines real kindness and compassion with that practical business side, and that, I think, is the key to making a difference."
The foundation's portfolio is quite eclectic. Most loans are under $50,000.