The Non-profit Enterprise and Self-Sustainability Team (NESsT) announced at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting this month a new USD7.5 million portfolio to support the development of social enterprises to improve the livelihoods of artisans and small-scale producers in Latin America. The new portfolio will initially work with social enterprises in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Peru, helping an estimated 2,000 local producers and artisans to reach a sustainable level of income. The commitment builds upon NESsT’s current work supporting social innovators in Latin America and will be supported by NESsT’s long-time partner, the Lemelson Foundation.

NESsT also announced this month the four winners of its 2009 Social Enterprise Competition in Argentina. The organizations are: Fundación Rumbos, which works with a team of architects, sociologists and psychologists to create the physical and social conditions through which differently abled people can fully realize their rights and potencial (pictured); Centro para el Desarrollo Local, which works with poor communities to help them both strengthen their communities and develop the capabilities of their members; Fundación Directorio Legislativo, which, by disseminating information of public interest on legislation, campaigns for greater institutional transparency; and Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN), which promotes sustainable development by lobbying and working with the country’s political, legal and other public institutions. Each been awarded USD10,000. The winning organizations are now part of the NESsT portfolio in Argentina and will receive ongoing technical and financial assistance from the organization.