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MCI

the words making cents international

We work to solve global development challenges by linking learning to action to create lasting change.

Our Mission

We believe that given the opportunity, everyone has the potential to achieve extraordinary things. Fostering this potential and promoting opportunities for people around the world is what motivates us and our work.

Founded on the principles of social entrepreneurship, Making Cents International uses evidence-based, market-driven approaches to support those most in need: Young leaders advocating for change, smallholder farmers feeding our planet, women entrepreneurs launching and growing businesses, families displaced by conflict and disasters struggling to rebuild their lives. In doing this important work, we partner with local organizations to create inclusive and supportive social and economic ecosystems where all individuals and groups can thrive and live fulfilling lives.

Learning and sharing how we, our clients, and our partners can create lasting change in people’s lives is at a core of our organizational ethos. Our flagship initiatives – the Youth Economic Opportunities Network and the annual Global Youth Economic Opportunities Summit – embody this ethos by bringing together development practitioners, donors, companies, researchers, and young leaders to learn from each other and improve their programs, policies, and partnerships.

For more than two decades, we have been a trusted partner to numerous public and private clients. We are excited to co-create and bring new ideas to life with partners who seek real and lasting change in the world. We look forward to working together with you for a future where all people can reach their full potential.

Our Values

  • We put positive impact first. Our programming creates positive impact driven by evidence. We develop sustainable and scalable approaches with our partners to address the most pressing challenges for the communities where we work. Recognizing the danger posed by climate change to the positive impacts we achieve, we seek tangible ways to reduce our own environmental impact and incorporate environmental considerations in our activities.
  • We continuously learn and adapt.We do not fear failure; rather, we reject stagnation in favor of agile experimentation. Each adaptation and new methodology we develop and apply provides opportunity to learn using a collaborative, human-centered approach that continuously enhances our work. Our embrace of flexibility and creative risk-taking leads to more effective and relevant solutions for our clients.
  • We practice meaningful engagement. Power imbalances are significant tangible barriers to inclusion. Underpinning our work is respect for the individual and the communities in which they live. We seek to understand, include, and create benefits for a diverse range of stakeholders through our programming. To do this effectively, we focus on the most vulnerable stakeholders and removing barriers to their meaningful participation.Responsibility for meaningful engagement extends to our company’s workforce. We are committed to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within our company through our continuous examination and improvement of our systems, policies, and culture to address long-standing, systematic barriers to participation and advancement within our industry.
  • We are accountable and transparent. We cannot create positive change without a foundation of trust and transparency. From our policies to our practices, we work ethically and honestly, lead by example, and hold ourselves to the highest levels of integrity and accountability. We only make promises we can keep, and we honor our commitments to clients, partners, and staff.

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