Supporting Migrant Entrepreneurs in Mexico with Skills Training, Financial Resources and Tools to Build Secure and Sustainable Futures.
What We Do
At the Institute for Development, Evaluation, Assistance and Solutions (IDEAS), we help empower resource-poor communities worldwide with the tools and skills they need to create secure, sustainable futures for themselves and their families. By strengthening the organizations that deliver microfinance and economic development services—such as NGOs, microfinance institutions, social enterprises, microfinance national networks and other socially responsible organizations—we amplify their impact to help drive meaningful change.
Our Mission
At IDEAS, we believe in the potential of communities to lift themselves out of poverty. Every day, we work alongside economically disadvantaged communities around the world to help create opportunities, develop skills, and build secure futures for their families.
But this isn’t just about survival—it’s about dignity. It’s about giving individuals the tools they need to grow and thrive, not just today, but for generations to come.
Our Core Values
A world where everyone has the opportunities to create an abundant life without poverty or injustice.
Program Expenses
Our Programs
For 5 decades, IDEAS has been an innovator and leader in driving financial inclusion, microenterprise development, entrepreneurship, and community empowerment across Latin America, North America, Africa, and Asia. We have a mission to uplift underserved populations.
Our Focus Today: Empowering Migrants and Returnees in Mexico
Building on 35 years of experience, our current entrepreneurship program is dedicated to helping Latin Americans migrants and returnees in Mexico achieve stability and independence. We specialize in the following areas:
Financial Literacy
Teaching essential skills to manage finances and navigate economic systems.
Entrepreneurial Training
Equipping individuals to start and grow successful businesses.
Access to Resources
Connecting participants with financial resources and providing them with tools and networks to succeed.
Financial Institutions
Training staff of Mexican financial institutions to be more helpful to our populations.
How We Do it
Behind every thriving community is an organization ready to make a difference. That’s where we come in. We partner with and strengthen the institutions that are the backbone of change and empowerment—those providing microfinance, complementary training, economic development services and organizing the populations into clubs of each nationality.
Financial Institutions and Microfinance Networks
Expanding access to credit and financial tools for underserved populations.
NGOs & Development Organizations
Amplifying impact of mission driven organizations with tailored solutions and expert guidance.
Social Enterprises
Driving innovative solutions that spark local entrepreneurship and economic growth.
Cooperatives & Socially Responsible Businesses
Empowering people to take control of their economic futures.
Financial Institutions Founded
Social Entrerprises Launched
University Graduate Programs Developed
Lives Improved
Every Journey Deserves A Destination
Together, we’re helping create an environment where dreams take root, businesses flourish, and families thrive and become self-sufficient.
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Our Story: We Are Entrepreneurs
Since our founding in 1975, IDEAS has been dedicated to advancing economic justice, civil rights, community development. For 13 years, we worked in distressed urban and rural communities across eight southern U.S. states before expanding our efforts internationally in 1986.
Our Legacy of Innovation
Over the decades, IDEAS has spearheaded transformative programs, including Nicaragua’s first microfranchise enterprise: initiative
- TecAp: Provided solar energy providing electricity for the first time to communities off the grid.
- Youth Training: Preparing 76 young people with skills like solar rooftop installation to build sustainable careers.
- Women’s Empowerment: Supporting 144 women as microfranchisees to sell solar-powered products and gain financial independence.
IDEAS Impact
Read Stories of our program impact in helping Latin Americans migrants and returnees in Mexico achieve stability and independence.
Our Partners
