What is the Be The Ladder model?

Be The Ladder is a Dutch NGO operated by a talented team of finance, legal and other professionals who volunteer their time so that 100% of the money donated goes directly to recipients and operating costs. All donor contributions are donations. All potential crowdfunding recipients featured on Be The Ladder are sponsored by a nonprofit, NGO or public institution and agree to repay the grant when they are able (in this way, they "pay it forward" to another recipient). All repaid grants are used to fund new grants. No interest is charged, and there are no consequences for those who are unable to repay the grant. In this way, donors and recipients become part of a continuous “ladder” of pulling others up into brighter futures.

How did Be The Ladder start?

In 2016, Founder Elizabeth Pederson was volunteering as a legal advocate on the island of Chios, Greece (where the above photo was taken at a refugee camp in which she volunteered), when she met a young asylum seeker from Syria. The two kept in touch, and in 2020, she reached out to Elizabeth when she was being evicted from her apartment in Athens. Though she had legal status in Greece, a paying job, and some savings, she was about to become homeless. In looking for options for her young friend to receive a loan or other financial support to bridge her housing crisis, Elizabeth realized that traditional lending often excluded refugees and other vulnerable groups, who often had no access to the small infusions of capital that enabled movement into greater security. A group of friends from around the world came together to lend money so that Elizabeth's young friend could secure stable housing, and Be The Ladder was born.

How are grants identified?

All individuals featured on Be The Ladder’s crowdfunding platform are "sponsored" by a partner nonprofit, NGO or public institution. Unlike traditional crowdfunding, recipients and their specific needs are thus verified so that donors can give with confidence.

How can Be The Ladder grants be used?

Grants can be used for any legitimate need that
* is less than EUR 10,000;
* is discrete (e.g., a job-training program vs. a recurring cost like food); and
* will move the recipient into a more stable situation.

Examples include but are not limited to a down payment on an apartment, work attire, and small business, job training, or educational expenses.