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ECHOING GREEN ** // BE BOLD. //

Echoing Green is a globally functioning non-profit organization that plays a crucial role in society, as a business that identifies, funds, and supports rising social entrpreneurs. Since 1987, Echoing Green has grown at a fast rate in financially and strategically aiding social entreprenuers globally, those whom we need to solve the problems impacting our modern society. Through easy means of application, individuals with innovative ideas for social change can have a chance to win a two-year fellowship to receive funding and technical support reaching up to $90,000 for their designs to evolve into established social remodeling organizations.
 * What is it? **

The organization recognizes that social entrepreneurs are vital in stimulating societal change, and the fact that most need financial and tactical support to succeed. In such a process, risk-taking is necessary, however it can result in effective social change in all sectors of our society. From its establishment, Echoing Green has invested over $28 million in seed grants to nearly 500 social entrepreneurs, and its influence is dispersed in 40 countries on five continents. Again, as large as the risk maybe, the return on its investments are equally great. Within 5 years of its establishment, it had raised thirty-seven times their total seed investment, and by 2004, Echoing Green Fellows' organizations raised approximatedly $930 million to contribute to their work.

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Echoing Green has provided over the years indispensible opportunities for individuals to share, develop, and implement revolutionary ideas for social change, and has enhanced its ability to fund and invest through partnership such as //the New York Times, the Skoll Foundation,// and //Ashoka//. ======


 * Who was affected? **

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Vikram Akula had first received an Echoing green Fellowship in 1998, which enable him to establish his SKS Microfinance that year. SKS Microfinanace was an NGO that had evolved into a profit company which gave opportunities for global businesses to flourish in the field of microfinance. Before Vikram met Echoing Green, his design had a lack of capital, with high costs of delievering the micro-loans. ======

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Through its efficient microfinance practices, by the November of 2007, SKS had lent over 15 billion rupees, equivalent to $400 million to over 1,300,000 unpriviledged poor women, aiding approximately 6 million individuals.The organization itself, was awarded the ABN Finance Process Excellence Award and the Grameen Foundation USA Excellence Award, whilst Vikram Akula himself, was named India's Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the Schwab Foundation, and listed as one of //Time// Magazine's 'Time 100'. ======

**Echoing Green** media type="custom" key="6300507" width="160" height="160"
Echoing Green Website:

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**Questions That Arise**

Is the great risk-taking profitable almost always?

What traits does Echoing Green seek in a social entrepreneur?

Is the donations always enough to function the organization?

How do most social entrepreneurs seeking opportunity come across to the organization? Is it exposed to media?

What are other economic means does the organization use, in order to raise greater funds for its investment on social entrepreneurs?