The Goldin Institute
The Goldin Institute is a Chicago-based nonprofit that partners with grassroots communities internationally to develop locally led responses to poverty, conflict, environmental challenges, gender-based violence, and social exclusion.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The Goldin Institute is a United States nonprofit organization based in Chicago, Illinois. Its work centers on community-led approaches to social, economic, environmental, and peacebuilding challenges. Rather than presenting itself primarily as a direct-service agency, the institute has worked to connect local leaders, civil-society organizations, religious networks, researchers, funders, and public institutions so that affected communities can define their own priorities and develop practical strategies. The organization was founded in 2002 by Diane Goldin and Travis Rejman in association with the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions. Its founding initiative, convened in Chicago on October 27, 2002, was the Goldin Institute for International Partnership and Peace, a network-forming symposium focused on bringing grassroots leaders from the inter-religious movement into sustained dialogue and collaboration. This origin gave the institute a distinctive emphasis on cross-community partnership, religious and cultural inclusion, and locally rooted peacebuilding. A significant strand of the institute's work has concerned microcredit and the experiences of borrowers. In the late 2000s, it supported research and public discussion about whether microfinance programs were meeting the needs of recipients, particularly in Bangladesh. Diane Goldin's study, "The Limits of Microcredit—A Bangladesh Case," was published by the Institute for Food and Development Policy in 2008. The institute subsequently developed the Improving Microcredit: Listening to Recipients project, which focused on gathering borrower perspectives rather than assessing microfinance solely through the claims of lenders, donors, or policymakers. National Public Radio discussed the project in November 2009, and the institute facilitated a roundtable in Dhaka in June 2010 that brought recipients together with lenders and government regulators. Its research and related collaborations also contributed to Microfinance: A Guide For Grantmakers, produced with Grantmakers Without Borders. The work reported allegations of physical and sexual abuse by loan collectors, illustrating the institute's interest in accountability and the direct testimony of affected communities. The institute also became involved in community protection and gender-based violence prevention in Haiti after the January 2010 earthquake. In February 2011, it worked with partner organizations on the Haiti Camp Security and Sensitization Project in Place Petion, a settlement within the Champ de Mars displacement camp in Port-au-Prince. The project addressed reports of rape and violence against women and children by supporting vulnerable Haitian women in organizing for their own safety. The initiative was connected to work begun by the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti and reflected the Goldin Institute's broader preference for strengthening local leadership rather than relying only on outside intervention. Another area of activity has been support for former child soldiers and youth affected by armed conflict. In Uganda, the institute helped launch Youth Leaders for Restoration and Development, commonly known as YOLRED. The organization was designed and run by former child soldiers and focuses on leadership, restoration, and community development. A YOLRED community event in December 2017 included a talent show featuring participants in an art-therapy program, demonstrating the use of creative activities alongside reintegration and civic work. The Goldin Institute has collaborated with organizations including the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions, the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti, the Africa Council of Religious Leaders, Nijera Kori, Grantmakers Without Borders, and Food First. Its public-facing media has included documentaries such as Enough: By the Women of Haiti and material from a Goldin Institute digital storytelling workshop in Haiti. Publicly available information establishes the institute's founding, areas of work, and selected projects, but does not provide enough reliable information to summarize its current staffing, budget, funding mix, or present program scale. It is therefore best characterized as an internationally oriented, community-partnership nonprofit whose historical profile is more documented than its current operating structure.
History
The Goldin Institute was established in 2002 in Chicago, Illinois, by Diane Goldin and Travis Rejman, in association with the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions. Its initial identity was expressed through the Goldin Institute for International Partnership and Peace, a symposium and network-building effort convened on October 27, 2002. The event sought to connect grassroots leaders involved in inter-religious work and to encourage continuing collaboration across communities and traditions. The institute's subsequent work combined community organizing, research, dialogue, and partnership development. One documented focus was the experience of people who receive microcredit. In 2008, the Institute for Food and Development Policy published Diane Goldin's study, "The Limits of Microcredit—A Bangladesh Case." The research questioned whether microcredit outcomes could be understood adequately without listening directly to borrowers. The institute later developed Improving Microcredit: Listening to Recipients, a project that elevated the experiences of Bangladeshi microcredit recipients in public and policy discussions. National Public Radio covered the project in November 2009. In June 2010, the institute convened a roundtable in Dhaka where recipients, lenders, and government regulators could discuss the operation and consequences of microcredit. The institute also worked with Grantmakers Without Borders on Microfinance: A Guide For Grantmakers. According to the organization's documented research, interviews and testimony brought allegations of physical and sexual abuse by loan collectors to light. Following the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the institute participated in efforts to address insecurity in displacement camps. In February 2011, it worked with partner organizations on the Haiti Camp Security and Sensitization Project in Place Petion, a community inside the Champ de Mars camp in Port-au-Prince. The project responded to reports of rape and violence against women and children. It was connected to work initiated by the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti and sought to help women at heightened risk organize collectively to prevent and respond to violence. The Goldin Institute has also supported initiatives involving former child soldiers and young people affected by conflict. In Uganda, it helped launch Youth Leaders for Restoration and Development, or YOLRED, described as the first organization designed and operated by former child soldiers. YOLRED's work includes leadership and community restoration activities. A December 2017 event featured an art-therapy talent show, illustrating the organization's use of creative expression in its work with participants. The institute's documented collaborators include the Africa Council of Religious Leaders, the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions, Nijera Kori, Grantmakers Without Borders, Food First, and the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti. It has also produced or supported public-facing documentary and storytelling work, including Enough: By the Women of Haiti and a digital storytelling workshop documentary from Haiti. Available reference material does not establish a complete chronology of later programs, current leaders, financial resources, or organizational status beyond identifying the institute as an operating nonprofit. Those areas require further verification.
- 2017
YOLRED community event highlighted art therapy
[1]A YOLRED event in Uganda featured creative work by participants in an art-therapy program.
- 2011
Haiti camp security project launched
[1]The institute worked with partners on a community safety and sensitization initiative in Place Petion, Port-au-Prince.
- 2010
Microcredit recipient roundtable held in Dhaka
[1]The institute facilitated a dialogue among Bangladeshi borrowers, lenders, and government regulators.
- 2009
Improving Microcredit project received public attention
[1]National Public Radio aired a segment about the institute's effort to document the experiences of microcredit recipients.
- 2008
Bangladesh microcredit study published
[1]The Institute for Food and Development Policy published Diane Goldin's study examining the limitations of microcredit in Bangladesh.
- 2002
Founding symposium convened in Chicago
[1]The Goldin Institute for International Partnership and Peace was convened as a network-forming gathering for grassroots leaders in the inter-religious movement.
Products and positioning
A community-led international nonprofit that connects grassroots leaders and partner organizations to develop locally defined solutions to poverty, conflict, violence, and other social challenges.
Participatory research and policy dialogue
Improving Microcredit: Listening to Recipients
A research and engagement project focused on the experiences of people receiving microcredit in Bangladesh. It sought to broaden discussion beyond lender and donor perspectives by documenting borrower concerns and creating opportunities for direct dialogue with financial institutions and regulators. The project was associated with research into abusive collection practices and informed the institute's collaboration on a guide for grantmakers considering microfinance.
Community safety and gender-based violence prevention · 2011
Haiti Camp Security and Sensitization Project
A project conducted in Place Petion within the Champ de Mars displacement camp in Port-au-Prince. Developed with partner organizations after the 2010 earthquake, it addressed threats facing women and children, including rape and other violence, by supporting vulnerable Haitian women in organizing for community protection and prevention.
Youth leadership and post-conflict restoration
Youth Leaders for Restoration and Development (YOLRED)
A Ugandan organization launched with Goldin Institute support and designed to be led by former child soldiers. YOLRED focuses on restoration, development, leadership, and community participation among people affected by armed conflict. Its documented activities have included creative and art-therapy programming intended to support participants' expression and reintegration.
Participatory media and storytelling
Digital Storytelling Workshop in Haiti
A Haiti-based storytelling initiative represented in the institute's public-facing media. The available reference identifies a documentary connected with a Goldin Institute digital storytelling workshop, but does not provide sufficient detail about its dates, curriculum, participants, or subsequent distribution.
Marketing campaigns
- 2011Haiti Camp Security and Sensitization Project
Haiti
A community safety initiative in a Port-au-Prince displacement camp that supported Haitian women facing heightened risks of sexual and other violence.
Outcome. The project promoted local organization and community-led prevention, although the available sources do not quantify its results.
- 2009Improving Microcredit: Listening to Recipients
Bangladesh · United States
A public-interest research and advocacy effort that centered microcredit borrowers' experiences and promoted direct engagement among recipients, lenders, regulators, and grantmakers.
Outcome. The work received media coverage, informed a grantmaking guide, and documented allegations of abuse in loan collection.
- 2002International Partnership and Peace Symposium
United States · International
A Chicago convening created to connect grassroots leaders involved in inter-religious work and develop an international network for partnership and peace.
Outcome. It established the institute's early network-building and inter-religious collaboration model.
Brand decisions
2011
Support community-led protection in HaitiStrategyBackground
The 2010 earthquake and subsequent displacement created severe safety risks for women and children in Port-au-Prince camps.
Action taken
The institute joined partner organizations in the Haiti Camp Security and Sensitization Project and supported vulnerable women in organizing against violence.
Aftermath
The initiative reinforced the institute's model of supporting locally organized responses to humanitarian and protection challenges.
2009
Center microfinance work on recipient testimonyStrategyBackground
The institute's research indicated that microfinance policy and evaluation could overlook the experiences and risks faced by borrowers.
Action taken
It developed the Improving Microcredit project, organized dialogue with borrowers, lenders, and regulators, and collaborated on guidance for grantmakers.
Aftermath
The work increased attention to borrower perspectives and reported allegations of physical and sexual abuse by loan collectors.
Recent events
- 2017
YOLRED community event showcased former child soldiers' creative work[1]
Other
A community event hosted by Youth Leaders for Restoration and Development in Uganda included a talent show connected with an art-therapy program.
- 2011
Haiti camp safety project addressed violence against women and children[1]
Other
The institute joined partner organizations in a project supporting community organization and safety for women living in the Place Petion displacement camp in Port-au-Prince.
- 2010
Dhaka roundtable brought microcredit recipients into dialogue with lenders and regulators[1]
Other · Regulation
The institute organized and facilitated an open discussion in Bangladesh involving borrowers, lending organizations, and government regulators.
- 2009
NPR highlighted the Improving Microcredit project[1]
Other
National Public Radio discussed the institute's project focused on listening to microcredit recipients.
- 2008
Study examined the limits of microcredit in Bangladesh[1]
Other
Diane Goldin's study on Bangladesh examined microcredit from the perspective of recipients and was published by the Institute for Food and Development Policy.
- 2002
Goldin Institute for International Partnership and Peace convened in Chicago[1]
Other
The institute's founding network-forming symposium brought together grassroots leaders connected to the inter-religious movement.
Sources2 sources
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