The Hellenic Initiative (THI) has announced a new partnership with AFI Microfinance (AFI) and the Captain Vasilis & Carmen Constantakopoulos Foundation (CVF) to launch a microfinance program aimed at strengthening local entrepreneurship and agrifood business development across the Peloponnese.

The initiative, titled “Supporting Local Development and Agrifood Entrepreneurship in the Peloponnese,” opened for applications on July 1 and targets both new and existing businesses in the regional units of Messinia, Laconia and Arcadia.

The partnership combines THI’s global network of Diaspora Greeks and Philhellenes, AFI’s established microfinance expertise and CVF’s long-standing commitment to the sustainable development of Messinia, with the goal of improving access to capital for entrepreneurs who have traditionally struggled to secure financing through conventional banking channels.

Eligible businesses will be able to receive loans of up to €25,000 at a fixed 3.5% interest rate, with no guarantor or collateral required, a grace period of up to six months and reduced processing fees of 1.5%. The financing is designed to help businesses modernize, expand and strengthen their long-term sustainability.

The program is open to businesses across all sectors that have been operating for up to one year. Particular emphasis is placed on the agrifood sector, including primary production, food processing, marketing and exports, as well as agricultural technology solutions that promote innovation and sustainable growth. Agrifood businesses are eligible regardless of how long they have been operating. THI and its partners expect the initiative to support approximately 60 agrifood businesses across the three regional units.

In addition to financial support, participants will receive mandatory training delivered by AFI’s specialized partners. Beneficiaries operating in the primary sector will also receive training in collaboration with the American Farm School, covering entrepreneurship, financial management and sustainable agricultural practices.

For THI, the initiative also reflects its broader mission of reconnecting the Greek Diaspora with the communities from which many emigrants originated. Messinia, Laconia and Arcadia have historically been among Greece’s most significant regions of emigration, with generations of residents settling in the United States, Australia and elsewhere. Many of their descendants remain active within THI’s international network, and the program offers a tangible opportunity for the Diaspora to invest in the communities their families once left behind.

“Supporting local and decentralized development has always been at the core of what we do,” said Stamatis Velegrakis, Chief Executive Officer of AFI Microfinance. “With the valuable support of these two foundations, we aim to strengthen the local economy and entrepreneurship by offering access to financing, knowledge and advisory support.”

George P. Stamas, President and Co-Founder of The Hellenic Initiative, described the program as a direct investment by the Greek Diaspora in its communities of origin.

“This partnership is Diaspora investment in its purest form: capital and know-how flowing back to the very villages and towns that sent so many of our families abroad generations ago,” he said. “This program lets us turn that connection into real jobs and real businesses on the ground.”

Andrew N. Liveris, Chairman and Co-Founder of The Hellenic Initiative, said the collaboration demonstrates the organization’s founding vision.

“The Hellenic Initiative was founded on the idea that the Diaspora and Greece succeed together, not as donor and recipient but as partners,” he said. “This program is that idea in practice: local expertise from AFI, local roots from CVF and the global reach of our Diaspora network all aligned behind entrepreneurs in the Peloponnese. Programs like this are how we build long-term resilience in Greece’s regions, not just short-term relief.”