Stay Informed

There are numerous ways to stay up to date on FAI. 

Subscribe to the FAI blog for expert opinions and insider perspectives on microfinance.

Follow the The Microfinance Insider, FAI's Student Network blog.  The Microfinance Insider a forum for graduate students engaged or interested in working in the field of microfinance.  The FAI Student Network is looking for graduate student summer contributors to its blog. If you are a current graduate student, working in microfinance or development this summer, and are interested in chronicling your experiences and observations, we encourage you to apply.  For all inquiries, please contact fai.studentnetwork@gmail.com.

Join the FAI facebook group to learn about microfinance-related events in the New York area, remain informed of FAI-related news, and share your opinions about microfinance.

Supporters

We are actively looking for funders interested in offering financial and institutional support to:

• Answer fundamental questions about the access of poor households to finance through empirical research

• Communicate the results through publications, knowledge sharing platforms and the creation of decision-making frameworks for policy makers.

Supporters can make a donation through Innovations for Poverty Action, a member of the Financial Access Initiative consortium. IPA is a 501(c)(3) organization that applies rigorous research techniques to uncover and promote the most effective approaches to addressing policy and poverty problems around the world.  Donations to IPA, which are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law, will support research on how financial services can better meet the needs of poor households.

Please contact Caitlin Weaver caitlin.weaver@nyu.edu for more information.

Research Partners

We are looking for financial service providers that would like to partner with us to conduct rigorous randomized controlled trials and answer key questions in microfinance. This requires that institutions meet the following criteria:

• Partner understands the research method and is prepared to ensure a satisfactory project.
• Project is large enough in scale to have adequate statistical power.
• Project is of central importance to the overall project – we really care about the research question.
• Project is manageable and, to the extent possible, builds on existing capacity.
• Partner is operating in Financial Access Initiative strategic countries.
• Partner must be seeking to answer key questions around demand, impact and regulation and willing to agree to the standards or randomized controlled trials and are able to fund their own operational implementation of the research.

Please contact Caitlin Weaver caitlin.weaver@nyu.edu for more information.

Student Network Members

The Financial Access Initiative seeks students in Master Programs at Universities around the world who are actively interested in microfinance and willing to put the knowledge they are gaining in the classroom at work to help open financial access for poor households around the world.

FAI can provide your student group with key educational, experiential (hands-on), and employment opportunities.

Education

• Access to FAI’s cutting-edge data and research
• Assistance securing high-profile guest speakers and arranging agendas for events
• A platform for students interested in institutionalizing microfinance curriculum in their universities to share resources and ideas

Experience

• Guidance on how to start up a successful microfinance organization
• Opportunities as research assistants with FAI and its partner organizations
• Consulting opportunities for student groups looking for action projects
• Publication opportunities on FAI’s website and newsletter

Employment

• Assistance organizing professional development workshops
• Access to job postings from FAI and its partner organizations

For information on how to start a local Microfinance Club: "Guide to Starting a Microfinance Club"

Please contact Caitlin Weaver at caitlin.weaver@nyu.edu for more information.

Volunteers and Interns

We are looking for volunteers and interns with a wide range of skills and expertise and a commitment to financial sector development. If you are interested in volunteering or in an internship please contact Caitlin Weaver at caitlin.weaver@nyu.edu