Shared Interest was established in 1994 by Founder Donna Katzin along with other U.S. anti-apartheid activists and socially responsible investors who were committed to ending apartheid with an unwavering passion for human rights and economic justice.  That year, after the country transferred political power to a democratic Nelson Mandela government, but left economic power concentrated in the same minority hands; Shared Interest was launched to provide U.S. investors with a catalytic vehicle to help reverse apartheid’s legacy of institutionalized race-based inequality.

The enduring vision that drives our organization – then and now – is to not make direct loans to our beneficiaries but to, instead, facilitate guarantees that catalyze South Africa’s own banks to lend to Black entrepreneurs, farmers and microfinance institutions, thereby creating sustainable solutions to address the region’s growing economic inequality and to achieve long-term growth and impact.

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Now, 29 years later, we have supported more than 2 million people by unlocking some $131 million in lending. Building on our long track record of success in South Africa, Shared Interest has recently expanded to other Southern African countries, including Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia.

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Shared Interest’s work is more critical now than ever before. The World Bank recently deemed South Africa the most unequal country in the world, with "race" playing a key role in a society in which 10% of the population owns more than 80% of the wealth. Shared. Interest is leveling the economic landscape for Black entrepreneurs and small and growing businesses by facilitating access to affordable financing and the technical resources that enable them to expand and scale their businesses.