IDEAS (Institute for Development, Evaluation, Assistance & Solutions)

IDEAS is a creative international non-profit. We have worked on 4 continents for 45 years. IDEAS uses an entrepreneurial approach in community economic development. We have created 15 social enterprises and 5 inclusive financial institutions. We assist NGOs and for-profits achieve a triple bottom line (financial sustainability, social change, and environmental improvement). IDEAS supports social enterprises and impact investors to achieve the Social Development Goals. Our services include consulting, training, teaching, and evaluation. We use many evaluation methodologies, including impact evaluation. We are improving the economics of Central American refugees in Mexico. We are pioneers in promoting lending and training to new immigrants as microentrepreneurs. We combine impact investing with donations to make refugees economically stable and serving others with business services. Impact investing has been our specialty since 1978. We provide consulting and evaluations. We are skilled in impact evaluations for investors, impact funds, social enterprises and grassroots organizations. We help them measure and manage the type of impact they seek. We understand financial institutions, as we have helped create five. We have many years doing impact evaluation and have created tools. We are social entrepreneurs and have created 15 enterprises of different types. We provide a variety of consulting services, including solar energy for families, solar rooftop financing, microfranchising, market research, business development, rural finance, and strategic planning. Our Training Services: We are experts in building the capacity of women and youth to be trainers and consultants. We train low-income practitioners and those with graduate degrees in a wide variety of evaluation methodologies. We provide many training services, including women’s microenterprises, youth entrepreneurship, and institutional development. Members of our team are professors at the graduate level