An economist by training, Juan Padilla is introducing bank loans as a tool to help civil society organizations access financial resources that will enable them to improve the efficiency and impact of their work.

In Argentina, as in other countries of Latin America and around the world, civil society organizations are facing increased demand for their services, which translates into increased financial needs. At the same time, however, traditional funding sources have proven unable to provide the resources required to meet this growing demand.

In order to transform the relationship between the citizen and banking sectors while enabling civil society organizations to heighten the impact of their work, Juan has developed Creo, or "I Believe," a financing mechanism that allows nonprofits to access large, traditional loans.Juan first focuses on identifying and approaching institutions to participate in the project. Juan works in parallel with both sides to raise awareness and address concerns.

He has established relationships with four of the largest, most respected private banks in Argentina, who will each lend up to $2.5 million per year at extremely competitive interest rates.

Building on the ten years he spent leading a nonprofit organization that lends micro credit to small-scale entrepreneurs in Argentina, Juan is developing a model that offers bank loans to civil society organizations.

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