Root Capital


Root Capital is a nonprofit organization operating in poor rural areas of Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. According to its website, Root Capital "seeks to maximize the positive social and environmental impact of work through a three-pronged strategy: finance, advise, and catalyze."

Operations

Root Capital claims to follow a three-step approach towards making a positive impact in the poor rural areas of Africa and Latin America where it operates. The three steps are:
According to its impact page, Root Capital has disbursed US$1.1 billion between 1999 and 2017 and reached 5.7 million household members in rural communities.
Root Capital is one of several money managers to pursue a gender lens investing strategy.

Funding

Root Capital seeks funding from both individual donors and foundations. Foundations that have funded Root capital include Mulago Foundation, Jasmine Social Investments, and Peery Foundation.

External reviews

had given Root Capital a four-star rating continuously beginning in 2005, but downgraded their rating to three stars on December 1, 2019.
Charity evaluator GiveWell had a conversation with the CEO of Root Capital in September 2011, and planned to publish a detailed review of Root Capital in 2013, however GiveWell's review of Root Capital was still not complete as of November 2019.