How $2 can make a Difference: The Anderson Social Venture Fund

The Anderson Social Venture Fund (ASVF) strives to harness the intellectual and financial capital of the Anderson community to make strategic investments in non-profit and for-profit socially-conscious organizations in the LA region and abroad. Not only will ASVF make equity investments or low-or no-interest loans, but the Anderson Community will provide additional value to portfolio organizations through short-term consulting engagements, board participation, and access to our academic resources.

Many in the Anderson Community have stepped up to the plate to help us launch ASVF. The EA has agreed to incubate ASVF during its first round and Prof. Bhagwan Chowdhry will be serving as a faculty advisor.

The mission of ASVF’s first investment round, ASVF I, is to fund several micro loans that will make an impact abroad while raising internal awareness about the fund among the Anderson community. Our initial ask is $1 or $2 from everyone in this community, with a goal of raising $2,000. While $2,000 is far too small an investment to make an impact in a domestic venture, this sum will go long way to create impact in the developing world. Future rounds will seek additional funding through larger donations and alumni matches. Several alumni have already expressed interest in the fund.

We will be investing ASVF I through Kiva.org, a microfinance intermediary, which will streamline the funding process. Through this system, we can make low-risk loans to individual entrepreneurs who we can track via Kiva’s periodic updates. The loans will be repaid within 12 months and folded into a future round. Our priority is to target an entrepreneur such as Dr. Joseph Owola who sought $1,200 in financing to expand his medical clinic in Bungoma, Kenya.

Our goal for ASVF is to make equity and low interest loan investments of over $25,000 in Los Angeles area social ventures and nonprofits in addition to smaller global investments. By leveraging the financial and intellectual capital and entrepreneurial spirit of the Anderson Community we will expand the social impact of these organizations. The ASVF could be a valuable contribution to UCLA Chancellor Block’s new Institute for Los Angeles, which will use the vast resources of UCLA to work to identify and fix a major problem of the Los Angeles region.

Please help us launch ASVF by donating $1 or $2 to a representative or at our table in the courtyard during lunch the week of May 26th-May 30th. Checks can be made out to Entrepreneurs Association. We are also seeking two additional student members for ASVF I’s Investment Committee. Contact Amanda Sabicer, Juan Matute, or Matt Craig for more information.