LAUREN C.
May 3rd
Thank you for helping to make the world a better place in celebration of my birthday! I'm really excited to donate my birthday to the charities listed on my page here, and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to share with you some of the enthusiasm I have for these organizations.
As a general philosophy around giving, I believe in helping people to help themselves. Charity works best when paired with dignity.
The organizations I support, whether local to the San Francisco Bay Area or operating in the poorest regions of the developing world, help individuals to retain (and in some cases, regain) their sense of self-worth and pride while providing them education, tools, and resources to improve their lives for the future.
Charities Lauren is Supporting
Make a loan to an entrepreneur across the globe for as little as $25.Kiva is the world's first online lending platform connecting onlinelenders to entrepreneurs across the globe.
I lend money through Kiva because a lack of capital shouldn't be the reason these entrepreneurs can't realize their dreams. They have enough other challenges to face; so if they have the determination and the spirit to start or grow a small business, I want to help them make that happen.
Acumen Fund is a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty.
The markets alone cannot solve the problems of poverty; nor are charity and aid enough to tackle the challenges faced by over two-thirds of the world’s population living in poverty. Patient capital is a third way that seeks to bridge the gap between the efficiency and scale of market-based approaches and the social impact of pure philanthropy.
For Acumen Fund, patient capital is understood as a debt or equity investment in an early-stage enterprise providing low-income consumers with access to healthcare, water, housing, alternative energy, or agricultural inputs. The patient capital Acumen provides is accompanied by a wide range of management support services nurturing the company to scale. Our aim in investing patient capital is not to seek high returns, but rather to jump-start the creation of enterprises that improve the ability of the poor to live with dignity.
I love Acumen Fund's "patient capitalism" approach to global philanthropy and social enterprise! It's a smart and distinct difference from throwing money at a problem and hoping it works out well. My wish is that more philanthropic efforts will start following Acumen Fund's lead going forward.
Donations Made in Lauren's Name
![]() |
Jeff made a donation to
Acumen Fund
in Lauren's name!
Lauren - Merry Christmas!!! Mom & Dad |
|
Chris Upton made a donation to
Kiva
in Lauren's name!
Happy Birthday, Lauren!
|
|
|
Erin Upton Cosulich made a donation to
Acumen Fund
in Lauren's name!
Merry Belated Christmas, Lauren! Love you! |
|
|
Andrew Meyers made a donation to
Acumen Fund
in Lauren's name!
Hooray for Lauren! |
|
|
Erin Upton Cosulich made a donation to
Acumen Fund
in Lauren's name!
Happy Birthday, Lauren!!!!! Hope you have a great day! love, Erin |





