The BRAC Ultra Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI) is a left-of-center nonprofit, fiscally sponsored by BRAC USA, that claims to advocate on policy to address extreme poverty as a global issue which promotes sustainable employment. The initiative works with local government organizations, nonprofit groups, and United Nations-affiliated entities to adapt and implement such programs. ¹

In July 2020, MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, named the UPGI as one of 116 organizations “driving change” that would receive part of a $1.7 billion grant. ²

Background

Founded in Bangladesh, BRAC is a global non-governmental organization (NGO) that claims to advocate policy solutions towards addressing poverty. ¹

BRAC’s Ultra Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI) was created to advocate for a “graduated” approach to assist global communities impacted by poverty through providing education and skill sharing to create a financially-sustainable living. ^{3 1}

Graduation System

The BRAC Ultra Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI) was started in 2002 and applies a “graduation” system to be implemented for participants over a two-year period. ⁴ The model claims to have four steps aimed at assisting participants living in extreme poverty especially women. The program itself provides microgrants for food and other goods for survival, training on how to generate income through livestock assets, and job training. The initiative also teaches participants how to budget, save, and invest their incomes before returning to their communities. ⁵

Funding

In 2020, MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, included the BRAC Ultra Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI) among 116 organizations to which she contributed a total of $1.7 billion that year for groups that were “driving change.” ²

In June 2020, philanthropic group Audacious Project provided a $60 million grant to BRAC UPGI. ⁶

In early February 2025, the Trump administration implemented a 90-day suspension on foreign aid, affecting several advocacy organizations including BRAC. ⁷

Leadership

Shameran Abed is the executive director of BRAC International and is the head of BRAC Ultra Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI) since being appointed in 2016. Abed previously joined BRAC Bangladesh in 2009 while later joining BRAC International in 2012. He previously served as the board chair of bKash, the financial subsidiary for BRAC Bank. He also serves on the boards of BRAC Bank, BRAC Uganda Bank, and the Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV). In addition, he is the chairman of the Microfinance Network as well as a member of the World Bank‘s Steering Committee of the Partnership for Economic Inclusion. ⁸

Lindsay Coates was previously the managing director of BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI), joining the organization in 2018 after previously serving as the president of philanthropic group InterAction. ¹ In December 2020, Coates wrote an op-ed praising President Joe Biden for committing to “protect and strengthen social safety nets.” ⁹

1. Press Release. “BRAC welcomes Lindsay Coates to Ultra Poor Graduation team.” April 20, 2018. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2018/04/prweb15430377.htm
2. Scott, MacKenzie. “116 Organizations Driving Change.” Medium. July 28, 2020. Accessed January 16, 2021. https://mackenzie-scott.medium.com/116-organizations-driving-change-67354c6d733d
3. Graduation. Meriam Webster Dictionary. Accessed January 16, 2021. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graduation
4. BRAC. The Audacious Project. Accessed January 16, 2021. https://audaciousproject.org/ideas/2020/brac
5. Ovi, Ibrahim Hossain. “Brac to help 21m lift themselves from extreme poverty by 2026.” Dhaka Tribune. June 19, 2020. Accessed January 16, 2021.    https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2020/06/19/brac-to-help-21m-lift-themselves-from-extreme-poverty-by-2026
6. Press Release. “BRAC UPGI Receives $60 Million as 2020 Audacious Project to Lift 21 Million People From Extreme Poverty by 2026.” June 18, 2020. Accessed January 16, 2021. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/brac-upgi-receives-60-million-as-2020-audacious-project-to-lift-21-million-people-from-extreme-poverty-by-2026-301079674.html
7. Betsy Reed, “Be Clear about What Trump and Musk’s Aid Axe Will Do: People Will Face Terror and Starve, Many Will Die | Gordon Brown,” The Guardian, February 7, 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/07/donald-trump-elon-musk-usaid-poverty-america.
8. “Shameran Abed.” BRAC Ultra Poor Graduation Initiative, Accessed February 27, 2025. https://bracupgi.org/staff/shameran-abed/
9. Coates, Lindsay. “A Biden administration commitment to protect and strengthen social safety nets, at home and abroad, signals America’s commitment to human rights and combating extreme poverty.” Thompson Reuters Foundation News. December 2, 2020. Accessed January 16, 2021. https://news.trust.org/item/20201202143403-0easy/