About 3rd Creek Foundation
The 3rd Creek Foundation focuses on poverty alleviation in low-income countries by backing market-driven livelihoods and enterprise models that create jobs and increase smallholder farmer income. They favor capacity-building (training, accelerators, and technical assistance) and piloting scalable agricultural and clean-energy enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Grants tend to support intermediaries and local partners that convert business models into jobs for the ultra‑poor rather than direct service delivery.
Focus Areas
Market-based poverty alleviation through social enterprise (job creation for the ultra-poor)Agricultural livelihoods and smallholder farmer training (farmer field schools, inputs-as-a-service)Local enterprise accelerators and capacity-building for entrepreneurs in East AfricaClean cooking / charcoal briquette production as a livelihood and environmental interventionScaling NGO partners via training and global catalyst programs (e.g., Street Business School)
Who They Fund
ultra‑poor householdssmallholder farmers
About 3rd Creek Foundation
A defining pattern at 3rd Creek Foundation is its use of small, catalytic grants to help early-stage partners test and scale livelihood models for people living in poverty. In 2025, it gave multiple grants of $20,000 to Upaya Social Ventures to support businesses in India that create jobs for the ultra poor, and it backed Development in Gardening to run farmer field school programs in southwest Uganda. Those awards fit a broader portfolio that connects job creation, agriculture, and enterprise development rather than direct service delivery. The foundation’s recent grants also show a strong preference for intermediaries and local partners that build capacity around income generation. Street Business School received support for Global Catalyst Partner Training, while Anza Entrepreneurs was funded to strengthen investment readiness for Tanzanian social enterprises. Other awards supported clean charcoal briquette manufacturing, smallholder farmer productivity, and enterprise models that convert training, inputs, or technical assistance into income. The overall picture is of a funder that uses modest grants and program-related investments to back organizations working with ultra-poor households, unemployed people, women entrepreneurs, and smallholder farmers across low- and middle-income countries.
What 3rd Creek Foundation Funds
In agriculture and smallholder livelihoods, 3rd Creek Foundation supported Development in Gardening with $20,000 for farmer field school programs in southwest Uganda and gave $15,000 to King Baudouin Foundation US (Farming out of Poverty) for agricultural and livelihoods training. It also funded Safe Inclusion with $10,000 to increase agricultural productivity and shift subsistence farmers toward commercial crops with marketable surplus. The foundation also backs enterprise-building and skills platforms. Street Business School received $20,000 for Global Catalyst Partner Training, and Anza Entrepreneurs received $15,000 for an investment readiness accelerator for Tanzanian social enterprise. In clean-energy livelihoods, The Charcoal Project received $15,000 to advance clean charcoal briquette manufacturers and job creation for ultra poor, unemployed persons. Women’s economic empowerment appears in both the enterprise and clean-energy work, while farmer training, market access, and technical assistance recur across the portfolio.
How 3rd Creek Foundation Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$348K
Total Assets
$2M
Total Revenue
$160K
Total Expenses
$90K
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $14K and $16K, with a median of $15K.
25th Percentile
$14K
Median
$15K
75th Percentile
$16K
Geographic Reach
Regional4 states funded
About 0% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where 3rd Creek Foundation Funds
Top 5 recipient countries by grant volume for 3rd Creek Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 16 | $235K | 48.5% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 6 | $90K |
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