Sprout Enterprise® Network
Building the business capacity and entrepreneurial skills of artisan enterprises in rural communities.
Sprout Enterprise® 2022 Impact: Investing in Artisan Enterprises
Craft Is the Original Circular Economy.
The craft story today is in many ways what the story of craft has always been – of artisans making use of waste, left over or found materials, of design and innovation to perform the alchemy of material transformation into a product of function and beauty, of expressing and sharing cultural and community values, and of telling the stories of each generation.
A Special Alchemy of Color and Texture from Design Ateliers
This article first appeared in Impact Entrepreneur Magazine.
As part of a series of “fireside chats” sponsored by R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund, Hema Shroff Patel and Maddalena Forcella discussed their approach to design, heritage crafts, and their design studios. Both designers work collaboratively with highly skilled spinners, dyers, and weavers, and share a passion for the art and craft of textiles, sustainability, and improving the quality of life in their communities. Shroff Patel, founder of Amba, joined the conversation from Mumbai, India, while Forcella, founder of Madda Studio, spoke from Oaxaca, in the highlands of southern Mexico.
Trusting the Power of Community
This article first appeared in Impact Entrepreneur Magazine.
As part of a series of “fireside chats” sponsored by R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund, Kythzia Barrera and Rashmi Bharti spoke about the artisan-owned collective enterprises that they founded and continue to build, Colectivo 1050° and Earthcraft Self-Reliant Cooperative. Both founders define success in terms that put local stakeholders first. Rashmi Bharti spoke from Tripuradevi, in the mountain region of northern India. Barrera joined the conversation from Oaxaca, in the highlands of southern Mexico.
R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund Supports Series 6 of the Social Impact Pulse Podcast.
Series 6 of The Social Impact Pulse Podcast launches today with weekly episodes presenting interviews with entrepreneurs leading artisan enterprises from India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Mexico and Guatemala. All of the enterprises have been part of the Sprout Enterprise® network and impact investment opportunities which are part of the R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund portfolio.
R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund Named One of the 2022 Transformative 25 Funds.
The R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund is proud to have been selected as one of the Transformative 25 Funds transforming finance for people and planet for the second year.
“The 2022 list includes visionary changemaking fund managers who envision a new economy. These diverse trend-setters are designing solutions to create a just, inclusive economy for people and the planet…
The fund must meet at least three of the following four criteria:
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Employ integrated capital
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Use creative finance
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Focus on social, relational, and ecological returns
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Engage with ownership and governance for equity.”
Jennifer Astone
Rubin Foundation Awards Grant to R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund
The Marvin and Sylvia Rubin Family Foundation announced that it has awarded a grant to R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund to fund a textile project led by Maddalena Forcella and Ana Paula Fuentes, social designers based in Oaxaca in southern México.
The designers will be working with 26 indigenous weavers in San Bartolo Yautepec, a Zapotec village in the highlands of Oaxaca. Using back-strap looms that predate the arrival of Spanish colonialists, the Zapotec weavers produce fabric with intricate brocade motifs. The fabric is then used to create huipiles, traditional Mexican garments. “For us, these are some of the most beautiful huipiles in México,” Fuentes said. “But unfortunately the weaving tradition has been disappearing little by little, mainly because of the lack of markets. Many women have stopped weaving.”