Social entrepreneur Peter Nares, the founder of Prosper Canada and longtime friend of the Center for Social Development (CSD), died on April 5. He was 66. 
He was “a visionary with an unstoppable belief in the desire and capacity of all people to forge a decent life for themselves and their families, and a bottomless desire to give those burdened by poverty the chance to do so,” Prosper Canada CEO Elizabeth Mulholland wrote for the national charity’s website.
Prosper Canada began in1986 as a program of the Ontario Social Development Council. Mr. Nares transformed Prosper Canada (then SEDI) into a standalone nonprofit organization in 1995 and spent the next 15 years introducing and helping to drive the development of Canada’s micro-enterprise, asset building and financial literacy fields, Mulholland noted.
“At CSD, we deeply valued Peter’s friendship and leadership,” said CSD Director Michael Sherraden. “We offer our deepest condolences to his family and his colleagues at Prosper Canada.”