Solidarity Microfinance provides small loans and support to aspiring low-income business owners in Greater Des Moines

Our Mission

Solidarity Microfinance provides a supportive and collaborative environment empowering low-income individuals to grow their small businesses and take the first steps towards creating a financially stable future for their families. We provide the tools to help people become small business owners through loans, training, and savings services. Our program and services are based on a high level of trust, respect, and integrity. Solidarity Microfinance is a program of Iowa Community Capital, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization.

DOwnload MAterials

• ICC Program Brochure

• ICC Annual Report 2020 (English)

Our Vision for Change 

Empowering Communities. Reducing Poverty. 

Low-income individuals face many barriers to starting or growing their own businesses. Many lack the support and access to services to help their businesses succeed. Factors including imperfect credit histories, language barriers, immigration status and educational background keep low-income individuals out of traditional financial institutions and business support systems.

We envision a city with less poverty. Nearly 40,000 people in Des Moines live below the national poverty level. In addition to helping individuals increase their income through entrepreneurship, we aim to reduce poverty in our city at large. Small businesses add money back into our local economy, and employ people in our communities.

Together we are creating big change, one loan at a time. 

MICROFINANCE

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, invented the group-lending model used for Solidarity Microfinance. Through his work, microfinance has become a common practice throughout the world and is used through different models as a tool for reducing poverty and providing low-income individuals with access to financial services.

Iowa Community Capital

Solidarity Microfinance is a program of Iowa Community Capital (ICC), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization serving low income populations and underserved communities. ICC was organized in 2000 and became an independent non-profit in 2010. It has a board of 10 Members representing Iowa MicroLoan, Community Vitality Center, lenders, and leaders from Iowa’s metro and non metro communities as well as cooperative, agriculture, local food expertise, and economic development.