Cornerstone Foundation

Our program seeks to serve the regions and population groups of Bulgaria that are economically and socially challenged via a multi-faceted strategy of: 1. Marketplace entry for disadvantaged Bulgarians, meaning: socially disadvantaged citizens of any ethnic background - Roma, Pomak and Bulgarian. 2. Positive, observable business and community citizenship. 3. Sustainability of the current businesses - through our ongoing business consultancy our goal is to help already running and existing businesses pass the 18-months barrier and continue operating in a positive financial balance with potential to expand. Uniqueness of the Cornerstone Program: Business training and consultancy is available in Bulgaria, but it is fee based and thus socially disadvantaged people do not have the financial means to benefit from it. Our program is unique that is offers professional training and consultancy for free to socially disadvantaged people. Most other organizations offer training and consultancy mainly in the big cities. We conduct our trainings in the small towns and villages and we visit the businesses at their facility, thus they do not have to travel. Due to the relatively small loan amounts needed by our clients, they are often vulnerable to predatory lenders for their business loans. Cornerstone provides consultation to help avoid financing with predatory lenders.