CERISE brings together five leaders in French microfinance with over twenty years of experience providing technical assistance to MFIs around the world:
- three NGOs, CIDR, GRET and IRAM,
- a public research institute, CIRAD and
- academic institution IRC.

CERISE is also associated with international initiatives SPTF (Social Performance Task Force), e-MFP (European Microfinance Platform), ProsperA (Alliance for the Promotion of Social Performance) and the EMP (European Master in Microfinance).

CIDR BP 1
60350 Autrèches
Tel: 03 44 42 71 40 Fax: 03 44 42 94 52
Email: cidr@groupecidr.org
Web: http://www.cidr.org/

The Centre International de Développement et de Recherche (CIDR) is a non-profit organization founded in 1961. CIDR studies, designs and implements economic and financial development programs that respect the socio-cultural context of local partners.
CIDR works in four areas:

1. Territorial dynamics and community development
These programs strive to help local populations fully participate in defining, designing and implementing local development initiatives. Emphasis is on economic development policies.

2. Business development services and professional trade associations
These programs focus on setting up sustainable services for economic actors using two approaches:
 rural enterprise services, in conjunction with producer organizations,
 urban business development service centers (training, advisory, financial intermediation, etc.).

3. Decentralized financial systems
These programs aim to create viable decentralized savings and credit institutions. CIDR uses two methodologies:
 self-managed savings and credit village bank networks (caisses villageoises d’épargne et de crédit autogérées-CVECAs),
 solidarity group lending.

4. Health and social insurance
These programs aim to make quality health care more accessible using two approaches:
 Involving local populations in the management and funding of health care services,
 Promoting self-managed health insurance plans

CIRAD TA 60/15
73, rue Jean-François Breton
34398 Montpellier Cedex 5
Tel: 04 67 61 58 00
Web: www.cirad.fr

Founded in 1984, CIRAD is a public agricultural research institution dedicated to international development.

CIRAD’s mission is to contribute to rural development through research, training and dissemination of science and technical information, primarily in the agricultural, forest and agro-food sectors..."

With three departments and 52 research units, CIRAD employ over 1800 staff.

The Environments and Societies department houses the "Collective Action, Policies and Markets" research unit, which studies the strategies adopted by agricultural market players with the objectives to pinpoint changes in the rural sector and determine how players respond to these changes; to help improve processes for formulating public policies; and foster the development of efficient, equitable farmer support services.

The research unit has extensive experience capitalizing on past experiences, conducting evaluations and assessing rural financial institutions.

Campus du Jardin tropical
45 bis avenue de la Belle Gabrielle
94 736 Nogent sur Marne
Tel 01.70.91 92.00 Fax: 01.70.91.92.01
Email : gret@gret.org
Web : www.gret.org

Created 30 years ago, GRET is a professional solidarity and international cooperation association. In Africa, Asia, and Latin America, as well as in Europe, GRET works to contribute to sustainable, fair development and alleviate poverty and structural inequalities. GRET’s actions aim to increase the incomes of rural and urban populations, reduce their vulnerability, improve their access to quality infrastructures and services, and develop their ability to be heard.

GRET designs and implements field projects, provides expertise, conducts studies, assessments and applied research, and manages several information and exchange networks. GRET emphasizes capitalisation and communication for development, in particular through its publications. GRET also contributes to the elaboration of public policies in the North and in the South.

GRET’s activities are organized around six thematic clusters and cross-cutting actions:
 Access to Essential Services
 Sustainable Food and Agriculture
 Institutional Development, Actors, Territories
 Information and Communication for Development
 Microfinance and Small Enterprise
 Public Policies and International Regulations.

The Microfinance and Small Enterprise Cluster aims to promote sustainable MFIs offering appropriately designed services to marginalized populations in developing countries. GRET provides technical assistance to existing and greenfield MFIs, often with local partners (Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Mauritania, Madagascar and Mexico_. The NGO also actively supports sectoral policies that aim to create an enabling environment for microfinance. GRET helps build capacities by producing and disseminating technical guides, coordinating the French-language version of Microfinance Gateway, www.lamicrofinance.org, and the email discussion list EspaceFinance.

49, rue de la Glacière
75013 Paris
Tel: 01 44 08 67 67 Fax: 01 43 31 66 31
Email: iram@iram-fr.org
Web: www.iram-fr.org

IRAM is an independent organisation specializing in applied research and rural development since 1957. IRAM’s expertise includes agricultural policies and food security; financing systems and microfinance; local development and natural resource management; and rural organizations and microenterprises.

A team of 45 professionals (agronomists, economists, sociologists, anthropologists, managers and trainers) and a network of external experts provide long and short-term technical assistance throughout Africa, Central America, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia.

IRAM’s activities relative to financing systems and microfinance include:

 designing appropriate financial services and institutions for people excluded from the banking sector,

 helping MFIs consolidate operations by determining the financial, social and legal conditions for sustainability,

 developing sectoral strategies and strengthening financial sector regulations (national policies, regulatory frameworks, consultative committees, ethical codes),

 carrying out research on financial sector growth and development (impact studies that measure increases to income and living standards, reduced dependency on usury lenders and supplier credit, improvements to gender relationships, new social relationships).

Montpellier SupAgro
1101, avenue Agropolis BP 5098
34093 MONTPELLIER Cedex 05 - France
Tel: 04 67 61 70 00
Web: http://irc.supagro.inra.fr/

Institut des régions chaudes (IRC) of the graduate school Montpellier SupAgro, offers courses designed to improve food security; incomes of rural populations; sustainable management of natural resources; and rural, agricultural and agro-food development in developing countries. Courses are directed at managers working in rural, agricultural and agro-food development in Mediterranean, subtropical and tropical regions. IRC proposes Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and continuing education.

As part of its Professional Master’s and continuing education programs, IRC offers a specialization in rural finance. Students learn the basics of this innovative sector as well as tools and methodologies of agricultural finance.

In conjunction with the Montpellier’s Ecole Doctorale Economie Gestion, CIRAD, CERISE and its partners, IRC conducts evaluations and carries out applied research on agricultural policies, agricultural support services and rural finance.

SPTF

CERISE is a founding member of the Social Performance Task Force (SPTF), created in 2005 at the impetus of CGAP, Argidius Foundation and Ford Foundation. The SPTF is an international working group that brings together all microfinance stakeholders interested in social performance (practitioners, academics, donors, investors, rating agencies, TA providers). SPTF has served as a forum for defining social performance, creating a common framework and developing the Social Performance Standards to be reported to the Mix Market.
La SPTF

eMFP

The European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) was founded in 2006. Today, the network has over 100 organizations and indviduals active in microfinance. e-MFP’s objective is to promote cooperation among European microfinance bodies working in developing countries to promote good practices.

CERISE is vice-president of the Platform and has faciliated a working group on social performance and socially responsible investing with NGO TRIAS since inception.
eMFP

EMP

Launched in 2005, the EMP (European Microfinance Program) is taught by professors form three European universities: Solvay Business School (Université Libre de Bruxelles), Université Paris-Dauphine and Wageningen University, with inputs form microfinance professionals CERISE, PlanetFinance, ADA and SOS Faim. The program combines academic excellence and real-world experience. CERISE teaches the course on evaluation in partnership with ADA. Since 2007, students receive a Master Complémentaire Conjoint en Microfinance upon completion.
EMP