The Grameen Foundation was founded following the success achieved by the Grameen Bank in fighting poverty through microfinance. Its board of directors includes the Nobel-winning founder of Grameen Bank, Mohammad Yunus, in addition to more than a dozen other personalities from the world of finance. The Foundation's mission is to empower the world's poorest people to lift themselves out of poverty with dignity through access to financial services and to information. Its global network of microfinance partners currently reaches 2.7 million families in 22 countries.