Join us in converting potential to prosperity

Every year, Canada welcomes hundreds of thousands of highly skilled immigrants. Unfortunately, many of these internationally trained professionals will spend years of their lives in poverty because of the barriers they face to reaccreditation. Not only is this a personal loss, it’s a significant economic loss for Canada.

Windmill Microlending’s $50 million Potential to Prosperity campaign for the integration of skilled new Canadians will address this waste of talent. Our affordable loans and career support services empower our clients to achieve full employment and triple their incomes. In doing so, our clients fill important roles and help alleviate Canada’s skilled labour shortages.

Our campaign builds on two decades of experience, during which we have deployed over $125 million in loan funds, including $68 million in the past three years alone. In the first year of this campaign, we have already supported 2,200 newcomers with $25 million in loans. When we empower Canada’s skilled newcomers to live up to their full potential, we help build a more prosperous future for us all.

“Without my Windmill loan, I would have had to borrow from family and friends. The loan made the licensing process possible for me. It helped me be independent and in charge of my life.” – Seun, Pharmacist. Windmill alumna.

Immigrants are vital to Canada’s future, but too many of them get stuck in poverty. Credential recognition challenges, financial constraints and underemployment trap these professionals in low-wage jobs, squandering their potential and costing our economy an estimated $50 billion each year in unrealized GDP.

The demand for Windmill loans and support is growing rapidly. Since 2005, Windmill has empowered nearly 13,000 skilled immigrants from over 150 countries. We aim to help up to 4,000 newcomers per year by 2027.

Our goals are to raise: 

• $35 million for loan capital: To offer affordable career loans to nearly 12,000 skilled immigrants and refugees for reaccreditation, upskilling and professional development opportunities to help them restart their careers in Canada. As clients repay their loans, funds will be reinvested to support 24,000 newcomers over the next ten years.
• $15 million for support services: To offer career education tools such as financial literacy training, coaching and mentorship to enable newcomers to integrate successfully and thrive in Canada over the long term.

Why Windmill?
Windmill offers affordable loans and support to newcomers to help them triple their income, regain their identity and take control of their future. Facts about our loans:

• Maximum loan size is $15,000.
• Loan default rate is 5%.
• Repaid loan capital is re-circulated every four years to support new clients, creating a cycle of repeated social impact that will benefit generations of newcomers.

Professions we support
Our clients represent a variety of professions, including: Physicians, dentists, nurses, personal support workers, pharmacists, engineers, physiotherapists, teachers, veterinarians, architects, lawyers, accountants, cybersecurity experts, data analysts, business analysts, IT professionals, skilled trades and more.

Our impact metrics

• Client income grows by moe than 3X by the time loans are repaid
• Unemployment drops by 75% upon completion of clients’ learning plan
• For every 10,000 clients that Windmill empowers, an additional $3.6B in lifetime tax revenue is generated, according to PwC
• Windmill generates $5.52 in social and economic return for every $1 donated, according to the Veritas Foundation

To learn more about Windmill, visit https://www.windmillmicrolending.org.