Capital Sisters International was created as a platform to advance economic justice and financial inclusion for marginalized women entrepreneurs in the informal sector.

Patricia Foley Hinnen founded Capital Sisters after two decades in economic development, public policy, and international affairs with the US Congress, the State Department, and the microfinance industry because she was discouraged by the increasing feminization of poverty in spite of billions of dollars in international aid. Patricia’s interest in poverty alleviation dates back to her Peace Corps service in Africa where she observed the horrors of predatory moneylenders first-hand while working with impoverished market women who were paying as much as 20% interest a day. Her experiences in more than 60 countries over the decades since then have only reinforced her commitment to remove the systemic inequities that keep people marginalized. Her passion for social justice, confidence in women’s resourcefulness, and respect for human dignity all greatly inspired her innovative investment model for micro loans.