MRR: About

About Microenterprise Results Reporting

The goal of the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) microenterprise development efforts is to broaden access to microfinance, markets, and resources for the poor in developing countries. Achieving this goal includes providing the poor in developing countries with the tools they need to compete in an increasingly globalized market economy. USAID is active in a broad range of technical areas including rural and agricultural value chain development, non-agricultural value chain development, small and medium enterprise services, enabling environments, microfinance, and mobile financial services.

The USAID Microenterprise Results Reporting (MRR) website is USAID's response to the Microenterprise Results and Accountability Act (MRAA) of 2004 (Public Law 108-484). It summarizes USAID's investments and outreach within microfinance and microenterprise development.

History

Since its inception over 50 years ago, USAID has supported and implemented microenterprise and microfinance development. In 1988 and 1989, USAID took stock of its experiences to assess the techniques used to develop microenterprises. Their assessment highlighted USAID project interventions that sought to establish successful programs, institutions, and delivery techniques.

In 1994, USAID created its Microenterprise Initiative to raise the priority of microenterprise to one that matches its importance for poverty alleviation. USAID established the Office of Microenterprise Development in the Bureau for Global Programs, Field Support, and Research to manage the Initiative.

The Microenterprise Initiative is an integral part of USAID's broad-based economic growth strategy. The ultimate goals of USAID's support for microenterprise development are to assist the poor to increase their incomes, assets, skills and productivity, and to facilitate the creation of "economic democracies" in which all citizens participate fully in the economy.

Since 1996, USAID has conducted a data call to identify and quantify USAID's funding obligated to support microenterprise. The data call enables the creation of an online, searchable database of all microenterprise support.

Open Data License

USAID provides data on the USAID Microenterprise Results Reporting website ("this website") to the public to further USAID's values of transparency, participation, and collaboration in tangible ways that benefit the American people. USAID provides this data with either a Partner License or a Government Work License.

USAID asks that the "USAID Microenterprise Results Reporting Website" be cited as the source of the data used from this website. Data shown on MRR are used to report to the U.S. Congress in compliance with the Microenterprise Results and Accountability Act (MRAA) of 2004 (Public Law 108-484). USAID is providing this information as a public service and makes every effort to provide accurate and complete information. USAID expressly disclaims liability arising from use, reference to, or reliance on any data contained on this website. USAID makes no representations and grants no warranties, express or implied, and USAID specifically disclaims any other warranties, including any warranty of quality, merchantability, or fitness for a particular use or purpose. USAID will make every effort to keep this site current and to correct errors brought to our attention. Errors and data requests are best reported via USAID Data Services team at dataservicesrequest@usaid.gov.

The data posted on this website may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created or maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided to enhance the public’s information experience on the website and are not an endorsement of the U.S. Government. USAID does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. USAID make no claims, or guarantees about the accuracy and completeness of external data connected to this website, and expressly disclaims liability for errors or omissions.

About USAID Data Services

The USAID Microenterprise Results Reporting (MRR) is maintained by USAID Data Services, an activity supported by the Knowledge Management Division in the Bureau for Management's Chief Information Office (USAID/M/CIO/KM). USAID Data Services delivers technical and professional support services to facilitate USAID's understanding, access, and quantitative analysis of development data and information. To achieve the dual tasks of economic analysis and data services, USAID Data Services is responsible for managing four major databases and websites: Microenterprise Results Reporting, Trade Capacity Building, Foreign Aid Explorer, and International Data & Economic Analysis.

  • Acronyms
    • DCA—Development Credit Authority
    • DEC—Development Experience Clearinghouse
    • FY—Fiscal Year
    • KDMD—Knowledge Driven Microenterprise Development Project
    • MFI—Microfinance Institution
    • MPEP—Office of Microenterprise and Private Enterprise Promotion
    • MRAA—Microenterprise Results and Accountability Act
    • NGO—Nongovernmental Organization
    • PAT—Poverty Assessment Tool
    • PPI—Progress out of Poverty Index
    • PPP—Purchasing Power Parity
    • SME—Small and Medium-sized Enterprise
    • USAID—United States Agency for International Development
    • USG—United States Government
  • Enterprise Development

    Projects that fund non-financial or business development services. These services can refer to the many interventions that help microenterprises start, survive, and grow, including those that help them acquire skills and knowledge, gain access to financing and other inputs, and develop the commercial relationships with other firms (both micro-scale and larger firms) required to integrate into higher-value markets. Examples include skills training, market research and linkages, input sourcing, product development, accounting and financial management, communications and brokering services, business advice, and technology development.

  • Financial Services/Microfinance

    Projects that fund the provision of financial services adapted to the needs of low-income people, such as the provision of small loans, the acceptance of small savings deposits and simple payments services needed by microentrepreneurs and other poor people. These services can include microcredit, savings and deposit services, and insurance and remittance services. In addition, obligations that fund grants for loan capital or technical assistance and capacity building of the microfinance industry should also be captured as Financial Services/Microfinance. For example, if an obligation is made to an institution that provides training and capacity building to Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), the obligation should still be classified as microfinance.

  • Mechanism Number

    Mechanism number is the award number of a project.

  • Microenterprise

    The definition of microenterprise according to 219 (ADS) on Microenterprise development is a "very small enterprise owned and operated by poor people, usually in the informal sector. For USAID program purposes, the term is restricted to enterprises with 10 or fewer workers, including the microentrepreneur and any unpaid family workers. Crop production activities, previously excluded from the scope of the definition, are now included as long as they otherwise qualify on the basis of enterprise size and the economic status of the owner operator and employees."

    Four types of projects support microenterprise and should be reported in the MRR data call:

    1. Financial Services/ Microfinance
    2. Enterprise Development
    3. Policy for Financial Services/Microfinance
    4. Policy for Enterprise Development
  • Microfinance

    The term microfinance was introduced in the 1990s with the specific idea to cover financial services including micro-credit and micro-savings. Microfinance is a part of the financial sector that contains formal and informal institutions, both small and large, providing small-size services.

  • Policy for Enterprise Development

    Projects that fund activities in promoting appropriate policy, regulations, and administrative practices governing the business environment in which microenterprises operate.

  • Policy for Financial Services/Microfinance

    Projects that fund activities in promoting appropriate legal, regulatory, and supervisory practices for both public and private microfinance institutions.

  • Sector

    The Microenterprise Results Reporting (MRR) website defines sectors by the Department of State and USAID Standardized Program Structure. The Standardized Program Structure establishes a consistent way to categorize and account for State-USAID managed assistance. List of sectors used on this website

For technical assistance with the Microenterprise Results Reporting website, please contact the MRR Team at mrr@usaid.gov.

For technical assistance with the Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC), please contact the Knowledge Service Center at ksc@usaid.gov.

For additional questions contact Autumn Gorman or Thomas Kennedy.

You might be able to find the information you need right now by checking;

  • About the Website gives more information about Microenterprise Results Reporting, History, and USAID Data Services
  • Glossary details the terms used