We are announcing that Grameen Foundation USA will be exiting its activities related to Mifos^®.  Over the coming months we will make a concerted effort to transition the initiative to leaders in the Mifos community.  Though this has been a very difficult business decision, we are confident that this is the best approach for Mifos to achieve long-term success.

Grameen Foundation launched the Mifos initiative in 2006 to address a critical need for a solid technology platform tailored to the needs of the microfinance community. Our goal has been to provide software that can promote growth and transparency in microfinance and achieve deep, lasting impact in the lives of poor people.

Since then, Mifos has become a robust open-source software platform that is used by microfinance institutions around the world.  As open-source software, Mifos has been supported by a global community of software developers, translators and users.

However, the challenges of running a global software business within a non-profit from the United States, combined with the expense of maintaining a substantial software development team, will not enable us to achieve our goals or to realize the potential of Mifos. Consequently, our leadership has decided that, over the coming months, Grameen Foundation will transition out of this business. Our direct involvement in Mifos will conclude at the end of November 2011.

We will be working with our existing customers and the Mifos community to enable an effective transition of Mifos to the extent possible, and will provide details and updates regarding service and support options at http://mifos.org/community/news.  Please sign up at the link to the right for notifications via email when we post new information.

We believe in the power of open-source software and the future potential of Mifos, and look to the global Mifos community to take Mifos forward. Achieving the full potential of Mifos will require leadership from the community. For Mifos to continue, one or more community members will need take on that leadership role. During the transition period, Grameen Foundation will work to ensure that community members who step into leadership positions on Mifos have the tools and access they need to be successful.

With more than 850,000 clients served by the poverty-focused organizations that use Mifos, we should all take pride in the breadth of its success to date. Furthermore, Mifos has played a catalytic role by demonstrating the value of open-source software designed for MFIs. The current usage and support of Mifos has laid a foundation for the community to continue developing the software. We look forward to working with the community to promote deeper engagement in the Mifos initiative during the months ahead.

If you have any questions about this transition, please contact mifos@grameenfoundation.org.