How is this different from a bank loan?

These are small, fair amounts for women typically outside formal credit — exactly the gap banks do not serve.

Do you help her sell what she makes?

Yes — the program links to Artisans Direct, our not-for-profit marketplace, so production has a fair route to buyers.

What size are the loans?

Loans are sized to one production cycle, based on her materials list, so repayment is possible from the goods she makes.

What if she cannot repay?

Repayment is planned in weekly instalments with her group, and reviewed early. A missed instalment is treated as a warning to fix the pricing or the product, not as a default.

Are donations tax-deductible?

US donors receive a receipt from Sneha Karma Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization with EIN 47-3774368. For India, 80G details are available on request. Our donation policy explains receipts and refunds.

Will I receive updates on progress?

Yes. Supporters receive regular updates on activity and outcomes, plus an annual summary across the program. We do not share identifying details of beneficiaries without consent.

Can I visit the program?

Visits can be arranged in advance where it is safe for the people we serve. Write to contact us and we will explain what is possible and when.

How is my donation used?

Donations fund program delivery directly: training, materials, accommodation, health care and staff time. Our financials set out income and spending, and 80G details are available on request. See all FAQs → Contact us Have a Question or Feedback ? Contact us

Capital for Women Artisans

Q: Who can apply for a loan?

Women artisans who already have a skill or product but cannot buy materials at the scale they could sell. Most join through a local artisan group.

The Need

Why It Matters

Many artisans already have the skill and the product. What stops them is working capital: the money to buy materials before anything is sold, in amounts too small for a bank and too uncertain for a moneylender.

Without that money, production stops, orders are missed and a craft that could support a family quietly becomes a hobby. The gap is not talent. It is cash at the right moment, on terms that do not trap her.

Support-A-Artisan provides small, fair working capital, pairs it with guidance on pricing and repayment, and connects production to a market so the loan turns into income rather than debt.

Program Offering

What the Program Provides

Five elements have to work together. Take one away, and the rest stop delivering what they promise.

Small, Fair Loans

Loans are sized to a single production cycle, so she borrows what she can repay from the goods she is about to make.

Terms are written and explained in her own language, with no penalty structure designed to fail her.

Materials and Equipment

Capital is released against a materials list, so the money buys yarn, fabric or tools rather than being absorbed by household costs.

Where a better tool would raise output, equipment can be funded as part of the same loan.

Pricing and Repayment Guidance

Each artisan works through her costs, her time and a fair price, so she is not selling below what the work is worth.

Repayment planning is done with her, in weekly instalments that match how the market actually pays.

A Route to Market

Production is linked to Artisans Direct, our online marketplace, so goods find buyers beyond the village and the local weekly market.

Knowing there is a buyer changes what she is willing to make, and how much she can invest in materials.

Mentoring and Community

Artisans meet in groups, share orders and hold each other to repayment, which lowers the risk for everyone in the circle.

A mentor stays with the group after the first loan, so a second cycle is easier than the first.

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

Mahatma Gandhi

Donate to our Support-A-Artisan Program

Program Structure

How the Program Works

The process runs in three stages, and the same coordinator stays with her from the first conversation to the point where she no longer needs us.

Stage 1

Identify and Assess

Referral — Artisans are referred by our field team, partner organizations or other artisans already in a lending circle.
Skill and product check — We look at what she makes, how long it takes and whether there is a buyer for it at a fair price.
Loan sizing — The loan is calculated from her materials list and one production cycle, not from a fixed amount.
Group formation — She joins a small circle of artisans who review each other's plans and support repayment.
Terms agreed — Terms, instalments and the repayment date are explained and signed before any money is released.

Stage 2

Produce and Sell

Capital released — The loan is issued against her materials list so it buys what production actually needs.
Production begins — She produces to a known order or a market estimate, with a target date agreed in advance.
Pricing support — Her costs, time and price are reviewed so the sale covers materials, labor and a margin.
Market access — Goods are listed with Artisans Direct or sold through local buyers we have checked.
Check-ins — A mentor visits during the cycle to catch delays, quality issues or a pricing problem early.

Stage 3

Repay and Grow

Sale and settlement — Income from the sale is settled transparently, with the repayment portion shown clearly.
Repayment — Instalments are collected weekly or at sale, whichever matches how she is actually paid.
Review — We review what sold, what did not, and what the next cycle should make differently.
Repeat capital — A successfully repaid loan unlocks a larger cycle, so her business grows rather than restarting.
Pathway onward — She can move into Artisans Direct as a full producer, or into Skills Development for a new trade.

Our Impact

The Impact So Far

Success is an artisan who keeps practicing her craft, sells what she makes, repays her loan and earns a steady income. It is a workshop that stays open rather than closing, a skill passed on rather than lost, and a woman who is no longer dependent on others for her daily needs. We track loans made, repayment, and the income artisans earn — but the real measure is dignity: work she can call her own, on her own terms.

Give a woman the means to work, and she will not need saving — she needs only a fair start.
Sneha Karma Foundation
Support-A-Artisan

Program Eligibility

Who Can Join the Support-A-Artisan Program

Support-A-Artisan is for women artisans and producers who already have a skill or a product, but cannot buy materials at the scale they could sell.

Banks will not lend these amounts without collateral, so we lend on a written plan and a group guarantee instead. Applications come through our field team and partner organizations, and each is assessed individually.