Annual report 2025 — 3rd Creek Foundation

“The pride individuals have in their work, in seeing the fruits of their labor provide for their families and in supporting others to do the same – it's palpable."

Dear Friends,

When we talk about the work we do, and the impact from your donations, we often talk about the economic impact; the income increase of the individuals our grant partners work with, the dollars saved, the cost of creating a job for a person experiencing extreme poverty. But there is another priority for this work that is much harder to measure, and that is dignity.

This isn’t something easy to measure with precision, but it is a thread carried through all the projects that 3rd Creek Foundation supports. When an individual experiencing ultra poverty moves beyond survival, they see their own capacity to shape their future and that of their own communities.

We see dignity beam through every conversation we have with our grant partners and their program participants. Whether it’s beekeepers in Coastal Kenya and Western Tanzania, artisans in India creating home decor products from waste plastic, or rice farmers in rural Sierra Leone. The pride that these individuals have in their work, in seeing the fruits of their labor provide for their families and in supporting others to do the same – this pride is palpable.

In each of these stories we care about the economics, but beneath that, people are growing their self-sufficiency, their confidence, and are better prepared for whatever may come. We have learned this sense of dignity ripples outward, spreading through families and communities, and watching that transformation is what drives this work.

We hope that the stories in this annual report inspire you as much as they inspire us. This work only happens with your support, and we are deeply grateful you are part of it.

Warm regards,

Gwen Straley

Executive Director

  2025 Impact at a Glance

 
$106,000
Grants Distributed
$100,000
Investments Disbursed
9,860
Jobs Created
1,077
Unique Jobs Created
69,902
Lives Reached

2025 Highlight - Visiting Farming out of Poverty

In Tormabum, Sierra Leone, a region still recovering from decades of hardship, our Grant Partner Farming Out of Poverty (FOOP) is helping farmers to build stable, diversified livelihoods in a hugely under-resourced rural environment. With FOOP programming, rice yields have tripled, and farmers have been able to diversify crops, allowing them to spread risk, improve nutrition, and build resilience. FOOP exemplifies the kind of thoughtful, farmer-centered programming that 3rd Creek Foundation is proud to support. Gwen and board member Zahra visted FOOP to learn about the model and the impact FOOP is creating with farmers. Click here to read the full trip report.

New Partners

Lamu Tamu Beekeepers Cooperative

This year we welcomed new grant partner Lamu Tamu Beekeepers Cooperative (LTBK). Based in Lamu, Kenya, where many residents live on as little as $1.50–$1.70 per day, LTBK is building a sustainable, ethical supply chain for clean organic honey. Honey is a meaningful economic opportunity for local communities and can be managed alongside other work such as fishing or agriculture, allowing beekeepers to significantly boost their incomes.

LTBK pays a fairtrade price for honey that is double what members would receive on the informal market, and consumers can benefit from clean, high-quality honey.

Through our partnership, LTBK is training beekeepers in sustainable practices, protecting local biodiversity and steadily growing its membership, paving the way to financial sustainability for the cooperative. While it is still early in the season to report the full financial impact for the beekeepers and their families, the initial signs are encouraging, with member apiaries already expanding from 11 to 32. LTBK is firmly on the path to long-term sustainability, and we look forward to sharing more results later in the season.

TAMOA

In 2025 we grew our impact investment partners in Latin America, welcoming Tamoa. This Mexican social enterprise works with smallholder farmers, sourcing heirloom crop varieties for distribution across North America and Europe and providing training in business development and climate change mitigation. Access to global markets vastly boosts farmer income, with farmers receiving 43% of the final selling price, and protects Mexico’s biodiversity. Working with Tamoa, farmers are able to increase their incomes by a life-changing 50%. We can’t wait to see the impact they make on farmers’ lives in the coming year.

Afrilife

We were delighted to partner with Afrilife Honey, marking our fourth impact investment in Tanzania. Afrilife Honey works with farmers in Western Tanzania to make the switch to sustainable beekeeping practices. Afrilife Honey offers beekeeping training, access to modern equipment and offers market linkages across the region. Tanzanian forests are a rich source of income for local communities, but activities such as charcoal production damage biodiversity and are unsustainable. Afrilife Honey offers an environmentally sustainable alternative, supporting over 300 farmers to improve their incomes.

Tierra De Monte

Another addition to our Latin American portfolio, we were thrilled to partner with Tierra de Monte, based in Mexico. Tierra de Monte has already worked with over 100,000 farmers to regenerate land across Mexico. Tierra de Monte offers biological solutions that work in harmony with nature, this approach boosts farmer yields, incomes, and strengthens livelihoods in the long term. We look forward to seeing Tierra de Monte products reaching more rural areas in 2026.

In Case You Missed It

Fatuma’s Story: Laying the Foundation for a Resilient Future

3rd Creek Foundation's Grants Manager Ani Cammack visited East Coast Agritech in Kibiti, Tanzania to understand how their unique approach to eggs is growing financial independence for smallholder farmers. Click here to read how East Coast Agritech has supported Fatuma to transform her life.

Where We Work

Partnering with communities across Africa, Latin America and South Asia to grow economic independence.

Our Grant Partners

Our Grant Partners all work to improve the livelihoods of people experiencing extreme poverty. Through agriculture, clean energy, and entrepreneurship.