R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund Sponsors the Kula Innovate Challenge Award for Three Craft Enterprises in India.
The R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund is proud to sponsor the Craft Revival Award of the Kula Innovate Challenge. Launched by 200 Million Artisans, the Kula Innovate Challenge provides a pathway to catalytic capital for craft enterprises across India, and offers award winners mentorship, cash awards and connection to a global network. These award-winning craft innovators — Mianzi, Samakhya Sustainable Alternatives, and The Wool Knitters — have been recognized for their innovations in climate action, sustainability and the circular economy.
200 Million Artisans advances India's cultural economy by bridging gaps in research, networks, and capital for craft-led enterprises. Founded by Priya Krishnamurthy, 200 Million Artisan works to equip these enterprises with the tools, connections, and funding needed to drive dignified employment, gender inclusion and climate-positive innovation across India.
Bawa Hope: Where Wings of Hope Lift Communities from Poverty
In Swahili, "bawa" means wing. For the artisans working with Bawa Hope in Nairobi, Kenya, that wing offers something more: the lift to escape cycles of poverty that have defined their lives. Founded in the aftermath of Kenya's post-election violence in 2008, Bawa Hope has become a bridge between marginalized communities and global markets, transforming trauma into beauty through contemporary, ethnic brass jewelry, beaded jewelry, and woven baskets.
The enterprise's origin story began in an internally displaced persons(IDP) camp in January 2008, where founder Anne Nzilani encountered women making jewelry amid the chaos of displacement. When Anne asked one woman why she continued creating despite losing everything, the response became the company's north star: "The poorest person in the world isn't one without food and shelter, but one without hope."
Why We Invested: Du Anyam
R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund has joined Beneficial Returns, an impact investment manager, in a loan to Du Anyam, an artisan enterprise founded in 2014 to improve the lives of women and their children in rural Indonesia. Beginning with 8 women weavers in East Flores, Du Anyam now works with over 1,600 women across 54 rural villages in Indonesia.
Du Anyam (mother’s weaving in the local Flores language) has helped to reintroduce traditional wicker crafts to modern markets while creating sustainable income for these artisans. By providing entrepreneurial training, and creating both domestic and international distribution channels, the enterprise enhances the women’s financial stability while also improving their families’ access to nutritional food, healthcare and education.