We are on a mission to help people become
visible, active, and successful in their financial lives.

Celebrating Courage & Resilience

MILLIONS LIVE IN THE FINANCIAL SHADOWS

Life on the margins of our society is full of closed doors. If you’re financially invisible, it’s nearly impossible to get approved for an apartment, a credit card and sometimes even a job. You’re the target of high-cost fringe lenders who entrap you in debt and prevent you from reaching your full economic potential.

INVISIBLE

45 million people are without access to affordable credit. 16 million people don’t have access to bank accounts.

STUCK

1 in 4 families turn to fringe financial services for their daily needs.

STRAPPED

Being invisible costs more. Payday lenders charge 391% to 521% interest for payday loans.

We meet hardworking people where they are.
Then we build on what they have.

THE SOLUTION IS SIMPLE

The best solutions are found in the hidden strengths of marginalized communities. We’re building programs and services in real time that meet the complex needs of low-income communities.

RECOGNIZE

Low-income communities are full of resilience and wisdom. When you start with respect and appreciation, you can transform informal practices into financial power.

BUILD

We make it easier to navigate the financial marketplace by designing programs that transform everyday financial practices into savings and credit building opportunities.

SCALE

We leverage user-centered design principles and technology to expand our programs nationwide. We host a network of trusted nonprofits across the country.

OUR PROGRAMS

It’s not enough to feel good about the work we do. We care about having a real, tangible impact.
That’s why we validate our programs through third-party research.
This way, we measure our impact and use data to improve our programs.

IMPACT

Leisa Boswell

SFLGBT Center, San Francisco

“The LGBT community is about chosen family. MAF has understood this from the beginning. Together, we take care of each other when our given families would not.”

$8M in 0% interest loans

Access to interest-free loans means low-income clients can finance education, build businesses, become citizens, and more.

Daniel Lee

Levi Strauss Foundation, San Francisco

“When MAF sparked the Lending Circles movement, which is built on the ingenuity of everyday, hardworking people, Jose and his team knew this couldn’t be taken to scale through business as usual.”

90% success rate

20% of people we serve are credit-invisible. With our programs, 90% of them are successfully able to establish a credit score for the very first time.

Diana

Lending Circles client, San Francisco

“MAF helped me do two very important things: apply for DACA so I could work and build my credit history! It makes me feel good to take steps to be financially independent.”