Hear about character-based Microlending.

Here about the sponsors for the upcoming conference.

Join us as we interview Regina Ann Campbell, Chief Program Officer at Epicenter, Memphis, TN

Review upcoming conference at www.microloanconference.com

Learn about the upcoming conference and how to identify the right microloan.

Overview of the upcoming National Microloan Conference. To register, go to www.microloanconference.com

Overview of the 2019 National Microloan Conference at TechTown Detroit, September 27-28, 2019. Www.microlanconference.com

Amy McKenna Luz, president and CEO of AEO, opened the AEO 2007 Annual Conference by welcoming the membership and attendees to the "final conference of the Association for Enterprise Opportunity," going on to explain the plans to revamp AEO's brand and have a new name by the 2008 conference. In her address, Amy casts a vision of microenterprise beco…

Dr.Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, made a surprise appearance at AEO's 2007 Annual Conference. Dr. Yunus was introduced by outgoing AEO Board Chair, Greg Walker-Wilson, who recalled his initial meeting with the economist from Bangladesh many years ago, and the lasting impact of that meeting on Walker-Wilson’s life and career. As he a…

On the last day of AEO's 2007 Annual Conference, an innovative roundtable was held, titled Predictions for the Movement. Mark Pinsky of Opportunity Finance Network (OFN), Robert Egger of DC Central Kitchen, Kevin Kelly of AEO, and various audience members joined the discussion, moderated by AEO's CEO and President, Amy McKenna Luz. The discussion i…

Robert Egger, Founder and President of DC Central Kitchen, speaking at the AEO 2007 Annual Conference, introduced by AEO's CEO, Amy McKenna Luz. Mr. Egger discusses some of the components of microenterprise in the US, along with the challenges faced by the nonprofit sector on a whole. To learn more about DC Central Kitchen, go to http://www.dccentr…

Treats for Troops is a web-based business founded in early 2003 by Denver business woman Deborah Crane, whose mission is to provide a safe, easy way to support America’s soldiers all over the world. Since the business was launched, more than 20 tons of treats have been shipped to soldiers all over the world and last year the business grossed $1.4 m…

At the 2007 AEO Annual Conference, Saul and Carmen Manriquez, owners of Carniceria La Especial in Albuquerque, NM, were given the AEO Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Best Community Business. Using $200 of their savings, the couple started Carniceria La Especial as a small business selling specialty Mexican goods at a flea market in 1996. Since r…

Since 2002, AEO has honored leading innovators in the microenterprise development field with its Innovator Awards. This year, AEO recognized its Denver, CO member, Micro Business Development (MBD) for initiating a program that provides their clients access to affordable health care. With lack of health insurance identified as a major challenge for …

At the recent AEO Conference, 17 attendees from across the United States summed up what microenterprise meant to them. Hear from a diverse group of practitioners about why they feel microenterprise is important for both poverty alleviation and economic development. To learn more about the AEO Conference, go to http://www.microenterpriseworks.org/20…

A conversation with Bob Friedman, founding chair of AEO, CFED Board Chair and Secretary of the Friedman Family Foundation. Bob discusses the start and overall history of AEO specifically, and U.S. microenterprise in general. He also discusses some of the integral aspects of the microenterprise movement, including thoughts on Dr. Muhammad Yunus' des…

On AEO's May Policy Call, Jon Bailey, Director, Rural Research and Analysis Program of the Center for Rural Affairs in Nebraska discussed their efforts to include funding for a new rural microenterprise development program in the Rural Development portion of the Farm Bill. He described the contents of the legislation, its current status and how lis…

AEO's Kevin Kelly sat down with Larry Laverentz, General Dynamics Information Technology Contractor for the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), and Kasra Movahedi, ORR grantee and Community and Economic Development Manager at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in San Diego, CA. Mr. Laverentz discusses ORR's Refugee Rural Initiative, which a…

Steve Johnson, Director of CDBG Entitlement Communities Division, HUD, discusses what exactly the Community Development Block Grant is, and how it can benefit microenterprise programs. He also discusses how much of CDBG funds go to microenterprise development programs and what those dollars are most often used for within the programs. To learn more…

At the 2007 AEO Conference, CDFI Fund Director Kimberly Reed sat down with Kevin Kelly, AEO's Managing Director for Policy and Advocacy, to discuss her initiatives as the CDFI Fund's newest director, along with how the CDFI Fund can work with AEO members. To learn more about AEO's policy priorities, go to http://www.microenterpriseworks.org/index.a…

Incoming AEO Board Chair, Dan Betancourt, talks with Greg Walker-Wilson, outgoing Chair, about his tenure on the Board. Walker-Wilson notes, among other things, some of the challenges for both the membership and the Board with the 2006 leadership transition. He then turns the tables, asking Betancourt about his take on the challenges and opportunit…

Lina Page, Executive Vice President of Strategic Communications for Opportunity Finance Network (OFN), and Marcia Stein, Managing Director of Communications for AEO, discuss some of the nuts and bolts of rebranding. Ms. Page also provides an overview of the work that has been done to recreate OFN's brand as an organization, along with the overall b…

This conversation with Dan Betancourt and Greg Walker-Wilson, the CEOs of Community First Fund and Mountain BizWorks, respectively, covers the rebranding they have both been working on within their microenteprise development organizations. Topics covered include possibilities for widening scope while maintaining mission, hiring communications staff…