In partnership with AFI and the Captain Vasilis & Carmen Constantakopoulos Foundation the Program Expands Access to Financing and Training
Athens, July 9, 2026, | The Hellenic Initiative announces a new partnership with AFI Microfinance (AFI) and the Captain Vasilis & Carmen Constantakopoulos Foundation (CVF) to launch a microfinance program supporting local entrepreneurship and agrifood business development across the Peloponnese. The program “Supporting Local Development and Agrifood Entrepreneurship in the Peloponnese”, opened for applications on July 1 and targets new and existing businesses in the regional units of Messinia, Laconia and Arcadia.
The partnership brings together THI’s global network of Diaspora Greeks and Philhellenes, AFI’s proven microfinance infrastructure, and CVF’s deep, place-based commitment to Messinia to unlock capital for entrepreneurs who have historically struggled to access traditional bank financing. Eligible businesses can receive up to €25,000 in financing 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% – terms designed specifically to help founders modernize, grow, and sustain their businesses.
The program is open to businesses across all sectors with up to one year of operating history, with particular emphasis on the agrifood ecosystem – including primary production, processing, marketing and export of agrifood products, as well as agri-technology solutions that support modernization and sustainable growth. Businesses in this category face no limit on years of operation. THI and its partners expect the program to support approximately 60 agrifood businesses across the three regional units.
Beyond financing, participants will receive mandatory training delivered by AFI’s specialized partners and, for beneficiaries in the primary sector, in collaboration with the American Farm School, covering entrepreneurship, financial management and sustainable agricultural practices.
For THI, the program is also a direct expression of its mission to connect the Greek Diaspora with the regions its members come from. Messisia, Laconia and Arcadia have sent generations of emigrants abroad – to the United States, Australia and beyond – many of whose descendants remain active in THI’s network today. The program gives the Diaspora a concrete way to reinvest in the places their families once left.
Stamatis Velegrakis, Chief Executive Officer, AFI Microfinance, said: “Supporting local and decentralised development has always been at the core of what we do. 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, The Hellenic Initiative, said: “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. This program lets us turn that connection into real jobs and real businesses on the ground.”
Andrew N. Liveris, Chairman and Co-Founder, The Hellenic Initiative, added: “The Hellenic Initiative was founded on the idea that the Diaspora and Greece succeed together, not as donor and recipient but as partners. 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”
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