Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), an apex development organization, was established by the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) in May 1990, for sustainable poverty reduction through employment generation.

Legally, PKSF is a “company not for profit” and is registered under the Companies Act of 1913/1994 with the registrar of Joint Stock Companies. The legal structure of PKSF allows flexibility and authority to undertake programs in a dynamic environment, implementing them throughout the country and manage its affairs as an independent organization.

In the beginning of its operations in 1990, PKSF set the goal of creating self-employment opportunities in the rural off-farm sector and adopted the strategy of promoting a credit program for attaining this goal. This credit program, launched for the rural moderate poor, has been diversified over time in accordance with the changing needs of heterogeneous poverty-stricken segments of society and has gradually evolved into an “inclusive financing program”. PKSF’s present financing program includes the moderate poor of both urban and rural areas, ultra-poor, micro entrepreneurs, marginal and small farmers; members of these poverty groups are offered customized services. Enabling the poor to come out from the low productivity trap, PKSF has integrated capacity building, technology transfer, value chain development and other technical services in its development program.