In our 20 years of lending, we have funded projects ranging from craft co-ops in the developing world to a dozen new businesses in an impoverished city near our office. We have invested in amazing successes and some failures. We are very involved with whom and what we fund.

Our bottom line is finding long-term solutions to poverty. We look for businesses that offer ripple effects and strengthen those around them. We are about building community and communities.

Our lending has evolved with our knowledge of climate change. We now look for businesses designed with the earth as a major stakeholder. We especially like businesses that engage climate change directly, such as the Intertribal COUP that is hoping to build wind farms on Indian reservations.

Fair Trade is a favorite model because of its holistic approach to development. The guaranteed price of goods to producers is but one of many factors. We like that children go to school, animal habitats are rebuilt, land is farmed sustainably, women are part of decision making, and the list goes on.

Since we are small and have a limited budget, we can afford to be choosy. Therefore, to get the most for our money, we look for trailblazers (who make trails thoughtfully)!

• Scroll down to see our investments made in 2011 and 2010.


• See the complete list of our diverse portfolio of current loans.


• See a list of retired loans, which have been repaid or are otherwise inactive.


• See our financial statement for 2010.

• 
  Divine cocoa growers in Ghana
  Divine Chocolate, makers of Fair Trade Certified and outstanding chocolates, wins our unending support by giving 45% of its company's ownership to the Fair Trade cocoa cooperative (complete with its first woman president!) from which it buys its cocoa. We applaud this business model, which leverages farmers standards of living more quickly than Fair Trade alone and offers a safety net for the unpredictability of farming. Our loan allows Divine to purchase additional cocoa and hence expand its chocolate bar production.


• Iron Man, a mom and pop iron-work shop, is featured in a PBS Boomers episode about Untours. Located 15 minutes from the Untours office, this business competes with large shops and big box stores that sell an increasing number of iron products. No one, however, can compete with Iron Man's artistry, attention to detail, and desire to create local jobs. Our three loans in 2011 give Iron Man the ability to purchase materials for three large contracts it normally would not be able to consider.


• Kestrel Growth Brands, a Fair Trade company specializing in certified organic vanilla, black pepper, cinnamon, and coffee, came to the rescue a second year in a row to purchase vanilla from Indonesian farmers left in the lurch when another fair trade company went out of business. Our loan makes the purchase possible.


• A New England synagogue, in a gesture of peace and economic justice, used an Untours Foundation loan to purchase a container of olive oil from Sindyanna of Galilee, a women-led Arab-Jewish non-profit organization.


• Nia Productions, a minority-owned lawn and snow removal company located in Untours's home town, is a test case for incubating tiny First World companies that are short on collateral and long on experience. Our loan allowed for the repair of lawn equipment.


• Pachamama Coffee Co-op, sellers of Fair Trade certified coffee, is owned exclusively by Fair Trade certified coffee cooperatives. This model, as with Divine Chocolate, raises the bar (and cup!) for Fair Trade models. The coffee is amazing, and easily purchased at CoffeeCSA. Our loan enables Pachamama to expand production.


• Witness to Innocence provides support for exonerated death row survivors as they respond to challenges and opportunities post-imprisonment. It also empowers survivors and their loved ones to be effective leaders in the abolition of the death penalty. We offered a bridge loan until a grant from the European Union came through, an unusual loan for our foundation. Surprisingly, WTI was featured in a Coca-Cola commercial aired in Spain in late 2010.

• 
  Cheryl, left, tasting vegan "ribs"
  with Untours Foundation manager
  Elizabeth and others
  Cheryl's Southern Style, located in Chester, PA, serves up home cooking in a low-income community. It's a favorite for catering by Widener University. Cheryl spends her precious free time reaching out to young, addicted women offering them hope, a good meal, and guidance. Her two loans enabled her to take on a Welfare-to-Work employee and to open a stand at a new soccer stadium.


• Damon's Flooring, operating in southern New Jersey and the Philadelphia area, is minority-owned and competing with big box stores and several large flooring companies. Our loan provided the opportunity to open a small store front. Contact us if you live in the area and have any flooring needs!


• Kestrel Growth Brands, a Fair Trade company specializing in certified organic vanilla, black pepper, cinnamon, and coffee, came to the rescue to purchase vanilla from Indonesian farmers left in the lurch when another Fair Trade company went out of business. Our loan made the purchase possible.


• SERRV, a non-profit online and storefront retailer, sells Fair Trade certified and fairly traded items. SERRV was the first to discover Divine Chocolate and bring it to the U.S. It's also the first to retail olive oil from Sindyanna of Galilee, a women-led Arab-Jewish non-profit organization. SERRV is a great destination for gift shopping for yourself and others.


• SosteNica, a non-profit financial institute, integrates environmental and educational projects with financial services, creating a holistic and long-term approach to the alleviation of poverty in Nicaragua. It's a trail blazer in its vision and actions to live gently on this planet. In addition to an Untours Foundation loan that allows SosteNica to expand its work, the foundation offers a Charitable Remainder Trust through SosteNica.

See our financial statement for 2010.