Grameen Foundation strives to see the poorest and those living in harder to reach areas, have access to microfinance and technology and as a result of access to these services, move themselves out of poverty. Grameen Foundation, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC was founded in 1997 by friends of Grameen Bank to help microfinance practitioners and spread the Grameen philosophy worldwide. They share the ideas of 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus. Grameen Foundation and Grameen Bank are independent organizations and have no financial or institutional links. Through two of the most effective tools known – small loans and the mobile phone – the Foundation works to make a real difference in the lives of those who have been left behind: poor people. Grameen Foundation develops and spreads technology and open-source software that can be used by professionals serving the poor to enhance efficiency and lower operating costs. Their mobile phone-based technology projects also fight "information poverty" and provide business opportunities for poor entrepreneurs.