You Make the Difference

Everyone's support, both large and small, is essential to reaching the objectives of the Economic Self-Reliance Center. We receive no direct funding from BYU or the LDS Church. The center is entirely funded from outside donors like you. Your help in assisting the center achieve its goals will affect the lives of countless families now and in the future. Please review and consider these funding priorities and join us in making a difference.

Business Solutions for Development

Business Solutions for Development is a model we are researching and piloting to provide better business opportunities and services to the poor. Microfranchising is the current business model we are researching which includes scaling down many of the franchising concepts found in some of the most successful companies in the world and applying those concepts to developing  markets.

Single Mom Initiative

This initiative brings together a network of practitioners, researchers, and sponsors to conduct ongoing research to better understand the challenges that single moms face as they strive to become self-reliant, and then to use the research results to help practitioners better serve the single-mom population.

ESR Conference

The annual Economic Self-Reliance Conference is the major collaboration and exchange venue for those interested in economic self-reliance and poverty alleviation. The conference size is limited and networking time scheduled to ensure intimate networking opportunities for everyone involved.

Social Venture Business Plan Competition

Each year the Center for Economic Self-Reliance awards $50,000 to innovative social venture ideas submitted by students. These cutting-edge ideas address social problems domestically and internationally to help others overcome poverty.

Social Venture Consulting Projects

Every year the ESR Center sponsors a number of Master of Business Administration(MBA) and Master of Public Administration(MPA) interns to go out in the field and work with one of our partner organizations to promote economic self-reliance.