As a young woman, Anne Guerrant traveled the world as a professional tennis player. She defeated players such as Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova and ranked as high as #11 in the world. During her travels she and her husband, Terry, were humbled and moved by the extreme poverty they saw in poor countries they visited.  On a trip to India in 2005 they were able to visit a micro lending program in a small village of mud huts.  This day changed their lives.  They met women who had taken out loans of as little as $40 and were able to increase their income enough to provide food security for their children, and in many cases send them to school.  98% of these loans are paid back with interest so the money can be loaned out again and again.  The Guerrants were truly inspired by the dignity and ambition of the women entrepreneurs they met.  As business owners themselves, they could relate to the pride these entrepreneurs felt as their businesses grew.

They returned to Arizona and started the Guerrant Foundation, Inc. to help women and families improve their lives through small loans to start businesses.  The Guerrants take no salaries from the Foundation. They began making large personal donations and fundraising in mid-2006. Since then, the Foundation has helped over 40,000 of the world’s poorest people to start businesses. 100% of donations made to the Guerrant Foundation are passed through to either the Grameen Foundation,  Opportunity International,  BRAC, or Pro Mujer. Careful due diligence has been done to select these efficient organizations.