THE IMPACT OPPORTUNITY
Indigenous peoples represent around 5% of the world’s population but make up 15% of the world’s extreme poor 
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Supporting indigenous systems for resilience and livelihoods is critical to reducing poverty while contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) |
While indigenous peoples own, occupy, or use 25% of the world’s surface area, they safeguard 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity 
Indigenous peoples lead on protecting the environment and fighting climate change |
Despite the critical importance of indigenous communities and their stewardship of land and society, indigenous communities throughout the world are disproportionately affected by extractive industries and experience disenfranchisement, economic isolation and exploitation that is far more tragic and profound than is reported through government data or mainstream media.
WHAT WE DO
We provide financing to social enterprises that build individual agency, community resiliency, and economic self-determination in indigenous communities, as well as fight the world's greatest challenges of environmental degradation, declining soil health, and shrinking biodiversity.
WHO WE ARE
The Reciprocity Fund is managed by Beneficial Returns. Our seed capital is a recoverable grant from Cold Mountain Fund of
RSF Social Finance
RSF Social Finance
Our Advisors
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Marie is a Program Officer at The Center for People and Forests, an international NGO based in Bangkok focused on capacity building for community forestry in Asia. She previously worked for Tebtebba (Indigenous Peoples' International Centre for Policy Research and Education) as a coordinator of the Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility (IPAF) for Asia and the Pacific. Marie is a member of the Kankana-ey, an indigenous group from the Mountain Provinces of northern Philippines. She holds an MA in Social and Development Studies from the University of the Philippines and an MA in Lifelong Learning from Aarhus Universitet.
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ROMAN VIZCARRA NORIEGA
Roman has worked to preserve and share his native Andean culture for most of his life. As a UNESCO-sponsored artist, he traveled throughout Europe, exposing audiences to Andean art forms. He owns Kawsaypaq, a tour operator offering immersive cultural experiences of Peru's Sacred Valley. He also co-owns and manages an inn, a restaurant, and a spa that showcase indigenous culture. He is a mentor for a youth-led organic farm and a founding parent of Kusi Kawsay Andean School in Peru, which strives to develop respect of culture and ecological diversity, while honoring the wisdom and dignity of indigenous traditions, reciprocity, respect and social justice.
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OUR PORTFOLIO
waykanaECUADOR
Waykana is a social enterprise that exports guayusa, a caffeine-rich leaf native to the Amazon. Waykana sources from more than 200 Kichwa farming families in the rainforest and creates a profitable alternative to slash-and-burn agricultural methods. Guayusa can be grown with other food, fruit, timber and medicinal plants to create biodiverse and ecologically healthy agricultural plots that allow local farmers to thrive and generate a sustainable livelihood for the community. The Reciprocity Fund provided a $30,000 loan to finance a new cutting machine as it expands its business.
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FECCEGGUATEMALA
Federación Comercializadora de Café Especial de Guatemala (FCCEG) is a thirteen year-old non-profit that works with 1,500 Mayan producers of organic coffee, sugarcane, and cinnamon in Western Guatemala. Governed as a cooperative, FCCEG provides loans, technical assistance and access to the US market for these farmers, 30% of whom are women. In 2019, the organization generated over $12 M in revenue. The Reciprocity Fund's $75,000 loan helped FCCEG expand their warehouse and administrative offices.
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Bats’il MayaMEXICO
Bats’il Maya is part of a coffee cooperative that supports over 360 Tzeltal farming families in the central highlands of Chiapas. The cooperative operates a green coffee milling operation, a roasting facility, and three coffee shops. With their vertically integrated model, indigenous producers benefit economically from the value-add of milled, roasted coffee, and brewed coffee. The Reciprocity Fund provided a $25,000 working capital line to manage the timing gap between paying farmers and receiving payment from export customers.
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Work With us
InvestorsParticipate in The Reciprocity Fund through a recoverable grant that circulates capital to indigenous social enterprises on favorable terms, then returns it to investors for future grantmaking. Contact us to learn more.
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BorrowersIf you are a for-profit or non-profit social enterprise that aims to build individual agency, community resiliency, and economic self-determination in indigenous communities, get in touch with us.
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Get in Touch With Us
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