About
Opportunity International is a global nonprofit that creates opportunities for entrepreneurs to build their businesses, children to go to school, farmers to feed their communities, and families to end the cycle of generational poverty. For more than 50 years it has developed innovative programs that use financial services, training, and support to address some of the greatest challenges facing people living in poverty around the world.
Mission
Opportunity International's vision is a world in which all people have the opportunity to achieve a life free from poverty. Working with financial institutions and field partners, it designs, delivers, and scales financial solutions as part of a worldwide movement to end extreme poverty.
What they do
- Microenterprise: financial services, training, and support that help entrepreneurs living in poverty build their businesses
- Education Finance (EduFinance): loans and support that equip schools and help students access education
- Agriculture Finance (AgFinance): financing and tools for smallholder farmers and agribusinesses so they can feed their communities
- Health programs and CoLab, an innovation lab, alongside other initiatives
- Partnerships with 146 financial institution partners that deliver capital to clients on the ground
History
Opportunity International was founded in 1971 by businessman Al Whittaker and entrepreneur David Bussau, two leaders who recognized the power of offering financial services to those living in poverty. Today the organization is growing and scaling programs like AgFinance and EduFinance under a strategic plan designed to help even more families thrive, supported by affiliated organizations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Scale and impact
According to the organization's published impact metrics (as of December 31, 2024), Opportunity International released 2.5 billion dollars in capital in the most recent period and served 21.2 million unique clients, with 30 billion dollars in total capital released with partners since 1971. Capital released is the aggregate amount of all loans made by Opportunity's financial service partners to schools, students, smallholder farmers, agribusiness enterprises, and microbanking loan clients.
Financials
Opportunity International Inc is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 54-0907624) whose federal tax exemption was issued in January 1973. According to ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, for the fiscal year ending September 2025 it reported total revenue of 51,137,074 dollars, total expenses of 50,949,140 dollars, and net assets of 30,184,143 dollars.