Started by husband and wife Jeff and Norma Van Horn, Grazia Forte is a not-for-profit business created for the sole purpose of raising money for Third World Economic Development. Grazia Forte is passionate about improving the lives of those in poverty, and believes that Microfinance plays a powerful role in developing the self-sufficiency necessary to break the cycle of poverty.

Grazia Forte was founded in late 2004 with a vision of helping to provide the gift of self-sufficiency to those who need it the most. We began our company using the tools at our disposal: a hefty supply of beautiful photographic images from our travels around the world, and a passion for making a difference. We created a greeting card utilizing our photos, and began selling our cards at a local Farmer’s Market. After one short month we had built up enough credibility to be sold at a local Border’s store. Much to our surprise, after only a few months we had sold over 800 cards! Since then we haven’t looked back – we have been fortunate to be able to continue to grow, add new products, and have become more tightly integrated with the organizations to which we donate. We are very excited by our growth, the impact we are having on alleviating poverty, and by your support!