Aspen Institute

Aspen Institute: $10,000 in the final installment of a three-year, $60,000 cumulative grant to initiate a new program, the Alliance for Artisan Enterprise. This endeavor will work in a variety of capacities provide assistance to the millions of artisan handcrafters whose work comprises $34 billion in international trade annually, yet who lack access to markets, business capital, and a stable value chain. Many of these issues are inherent to an industry that is highly informal and lacks the appropriate coalitions and networks required to leverage change in the overall business environment. The Alliance will work to establish and promote best practices for the industry (including such linkages), conduct research for the industry, market and publicize the industry to achieve public awareness regarding authenticity and sustainability of products, and create a worldwide coalition of artisans, aid-to-artisan organizations, foundations and corporations to begin the work of formalizing and regulating the industry as a whole, in conjunction with the U.S. State Department.