Celebrating our 10th Anniversary – Meet Martin Burt, Fundación Paraguaya

July 29, 2021

The Freedom in Practice portfolio of grants at Rising Tide Foundation consists of more than 40 projects that are advancing tangible change in the lives of people and promoting greater freedom and prosperity around the globe. As a part of our 10th anniversary supporting projects that eliminate the obstacles which impede creative individuals, we have made a concerted effort to highlight the work of our talented grantee network.

In this interview you will have the chance to meet Martin Burt, Founder & Executive Director at Fundación Paraguaya, and learn more about the impact they are realizing through their innovative Poverty Stoplight US program. Poverty Stoplight aims to help people participate in the market economy, rather than becoming trapped by programs that are overly bureaucratic and inefficient. The key of the approach is to trust families, respect low-income people, and know that they will make the decisions that will work best for them. Poverty Stoplight enhances the freedom of the individual to take advantage of opportunities to lift themselves out of poverty by enhancing their “critical agency.” To alleviate poverty in the US and beyond, it is essential that the discussion around poverty shift to the capabilities of the poor rather than their weaknesses. You can learn more about the Poverty Stoplight project we are funding here. 

We hope you enjoy this conversation between Isabelle Hirs, Senior Program Manager at Rising Tide, and Martin Burt. If you have any questions about the Rising Tide grant making process please contact us here.

You can find more about the Poverty Stoplight project here.