South North Development Initiative
The South North Development Initiative SNDI/South North) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in New York City. [1] They have a stated mission "to promote job growth and reduce poverty in Latin America and Southern Africa through the establishment of specialized Local Investment Funds (LIFs) which provide both capital and advisory services to small and medium size businesses." [2] "South North often works in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and is registered with USAID." [3]
"South North works together with Sur Norte Inversión y Desarrollo, Argentinean sister organization, created in 1999. It mainly focuses on strengthening Social and Productive Inclusion Programs, by promoting new instruments for socio-economic development." [4]
Funding
"South North maintains a lean office structure and is funded by individuals, the private sector, foundations, and multilateral institutions. Past contributors include the Oak Foundation, UNDP, Charles Butt, Peggy Dulany, Bill Hewlett, Institute for Civil Society, Merrill Lynch, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Mercedes de Noboa, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, BP Foundation, Chase Manhattan Foundation, The Draper Foundation, Augusto Edwards, the Rockefeller Foundation, Asia Foundation, Bankers Trust, Capital Group Companies, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Joyce Mertz Gilmore Foundation, J.P. Morgan Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, UNESCO, Shaler Adams Foundation, Arco Foundation, Banco Ciudad, CIDA, Ford Foundation, Grupo Esquel, Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation, A. Robert Towbin, Paul Tudor Jones, Joukowsky Foundation and Sally Timpson." [5]
Directors
- Roberto S. Mizrahi, Chairperson, is an economist and entrepreneur from Argentina.
- Michael Gucovsky, President, was educated in Agronomy and Agricultural Economics at the Colorado State University and in Resource Economics and Economic Development at Yale University and the University of California, Berkeley.
- Lauretta Bruno, Vice President, has more than twenty years of experience as an investment banker.
- Juan E. Corradi, PhD, is a Professor of Sociology at New York University.
- Gilberto Flores is currently Deputy Director of the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean at UNDP.
- John Michael Forgach
- Maximo Kalaw, Jr., (1939-2001) was Executive Director of the Earth Council, President of the Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources and the Philippine Institute for Alternative Futures, and Chairman of the Green Forum-Philippines.
- Louis Knowles served as Executive Director of Oikocredit USA, an organization that extends low interest credit for development of poor communities in countries around the world.
- Marta Mauras, Secretary, a sociologist from Chile, is the Director of the Cabinet of the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.
- Matthew Meehan most recently served as Program Manager for South North Development Initiative, where he contributed to project work in Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, and South Africa.
- Samuel Opitz is Assistant Vice President in the Structured Finance Group of IDB Bank's Investment Products Division.
- Sally Timpson is the Global Manager of the UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme.
- Emma Torres, is Deputy Executive Coordinator, Global Environmental Facility, UNDP.
