GSR Foundation announces grant to Mercy Corps Ventures

GSR Foundation announces grant to Mercy Corps Ventures

The GSR Foundation has announced a $250,000 grant to Mercy Corps Ventures

The GSR Foundation has today announced it will be supporting Mercy Corps by granting $250,000 towards Mercy Corps Ventures (MCV). 

Photo description: Founding team of Ejara, a MCV investee and grant recipient to pilot an innovative blockchain use case for impact in West Africa. 

Photo credit: Mercy Corps

Announcing the grant, James Newell, Executive Director, GSR Foundation, said: 

“Mercy Corps is a fantastic partner for the GSR Foundation. We have been following their important venture work with keen interest, and share their conviction that blockchain and frontier technologies can play a pivotal role in building financial equity and inclusion. By working closely with underserved and excluded communities, we are excited to learn where nascent new technologies have the potential for profound impact. We can then use these learnings to ensure the efficacy of future grants.”

Scott Onder, MCV's Chief Investment Officer said: 

"Emerging crypto and blockchain technologies have the potential to radically transform how people in frontier markets engage with the global economy.  With support from the GSR Foundation, Mercy Corps Ventures will further expand the evidence base for blockchain solutions to increase financial access in underserved communities. Together, we will support entrepreneurs in these markets to deploy and test solutions confronting the climate crisis of which they are disproportionately affected. Since our inception, MCV has unapologetically embraced innovation in our approach to increase financial and climate resilience to underserved markets.  We are excited to partner with the GSR Foundation to back emerging startups to pilot and scale their positive impact on underserved users globally."

The GSR Foundation is a new independent charity and grant maker that envisions a world in which no one is excluded from participating in, or benefitting from, the advancement of technology and its role in progress. Its work is funded by a donation from Founding Partner, GSR (gsr.io), a leading cryptocurrency market maker. 

 -Ends- 

Notes to editors

About the GSR Foundation

The GSR Foundation, Registered Charity No. 1199228 (England & Wales) envisions a world in which no one is excluded from participating in, or benefitting from, the advancement of technology and its role in progress. 

Our grant making is centred around bolstering the strength of the organisation delivering the charitable work. We believe a successful charity is an ecosystem wherein outstanding projects are delivered. Like private sector entities, the ecosystem must be resilient and well- resourced to make a real and lasting impact. Hence, we recognise that strengthening excellent ecosystems with our funding adds the most value. We see our philanthropy as setting the stage for impact rather than directly causing it. 

The GSR Foundation was founded in 2022 by GSR, a leading cryptocurrency market maker, and operates as an independent charity. 

For more information about Mercy Corps Ventures, visit: https://www.mercycorps.org/en-gb/what-we-do/ventures 

Contact

• GSR Foundation, foundation@gsr.io