Blog

John A. Sobrato wins the MAF Padrino Award for supporting San Mateo County immigrant families.

Jenny Flores wins the MAF Madrina Award for her lifelong commitment to serving immigrant families and steadfast partnership with MAF.

We celebrated our journey alongside clients, partners, funders, board members, and MAFistas.

DACA turns 10 this year. Two DACA recipients, Shanique and Miguel, share how the program has impacted their lives.

In the final episode of our first season, MAF CEO José Quiñonez sits down with Efrain Segundo, MAF Financial Education and Engagement Manager. They outline a better way forward beyond cash, one tha…

In episode 4 of Cafecito con MAF, hear from April Yee, Senior Program Officer at College Futures Foundation and a trusted MAF partner.

In episode 3 of Cafecito con MAF, hear behind-the-scenes stories of how MAF launched the Rapid Response Fund from MAFistas Rocio Rodarte and Joanna Cortez Hernandez.

In episode 2 of Cafecito con MAF, hear how Diana, an entrepreneur and working mom, navigated the challenges of the pandemic.

In our first podcast episode, join MAF CEO José Quiñonez and MAF Policy & Communications Manager Rocio Rodarte for the story of how immigrants, students, and workers left out of federal COVID-19 re…

Lending Circles providers from across the country convened for the first time in nearly two years for IGNITE: Connect, Reflect, Innovate. 

Iván, a poet based in the San Fernando Valley, experiments with words, images, and sound as he navigates the world. He uses his voice to advocate for social justice.

Like MAF, Karen realized the best of finance could be put to work in service of community. She’s leveraging the skills she has for those left in the shadows.

COVID-19 devastated the financial lives of immigrant families. Excluded from federal relief, how can immigrant families rebuild their financial lives?

While entire industries were shutting down during the pandemic, Cristina and her husband saw an opportunity to seize their dream. Cristina sat down with MAFista Diana to talk about starting a busin…

Elle Creel has been searching for a place to set roots. At MAF, she’s found fertile ground.

Laura grew up in a Mexican immigrant family in Oakland. Her new role as a MAF board member honors those roots.

At MAF, we’re bringing all that we have to bear in the fight against poverty, just as essential workers did in the midst of the global pandemic.

A Texas court put DACA at risk again. Here’s what you can do to support citizenship for all.

Joleen learned valuable lessons navigating the financial system. She runs Lending Circles at UpValley Family Centers to help her community do the same.

Marlena has a dream to save lives with science. She’s moving ahead, despite a pandemic. She’s not alone.

As vaccines roll out, many of us see a light at the end of a long tunnel. But this light is dimmer for immigrant families who have been repeatedly excluded from federal COVID-19 relief. As we l…

MAF Awarded $45 Million To Support Immigrant Families During COVID-19 Crisis. It’s Not Enough. Congress Needs to Ensure that All Immigrants Have Access to Relief.

Read about MAF’s partnership with Citi Community Relations and how we’ve provided trusted, culturally-relevant financial education within the Ventanillas de Asesoría Financiera.

Organizing in Georgia made its victory possible. The victory makes a horizon of progressive policies possible. Two are top priority.

Here’s what we’ve learned are the 5 keys to running a successful campaign for a diverse electorate.

SB1157 offers a credit-building lifeline to low-income tenants living in subsidized housing, allowing them to report their rent payments to major credit bureaus so they can continue safely building…

Read about Francisco’s inspiring journey and its many challenges – including migration, financial barriers, fatherhood, and COVID-19.

We’re welcoming 7 incredible nonprofits to our Lending Circles Network!

Meet MAF’s college fund grant recipient Taryn Williams and learn about her incredible journey finding inspiration and hope in unlikely moments.

Activity skyrocketed in the MyMAF app in the early months of COVID, as users searched for resources around credit and savings.

Immigrants, like other marginalized communities, are labeled as “hard-to-count” by the US Census Bureau. Immigrants, we found, were in fact the easiest-to-count.

Xiucoatl’s story illustrates the incontestable reality that art—in all of its forms—is essential to enabling people to connect with each other through empathy, shared space, or shared experience. L…

We’re mounting thoughtful and relevant tools, resources, and campaigns that place people at the forefront of change and mobilizes them towards civic action.

The pandemic has exacerbated a number inequities within this country, including access to higher education. Even in the absence of a pandemic, so many students overcome insurmountable barriers to a…

If I had to distill the essence of MAF’s Rapid Response work into one word it would be: partnerships.

The marginalized communities and hard-working immigrant families that we serve every day at MAF will receive, at best, pennies for each dollar needed because they are invisible. The census plays a …

We are in the midst of a generation-defining crisis. The coronavirus is laying bare the interconnectedness of modern life, rapidly spreading and jeopardizing the health and well-being of millions o…

On November 14, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a proposal to dramatically raise the costs of filing fees. The proposed fee schedule raises unfair and prohibitive …

Design is an integral part of the MAF Lab’s R&D process and today, we give you in an inside peek into how design meets direct service at MAF. In the first episode of our podcast, you’ll get to …

“Impossible” is not a word in Regina’s vocabulary. Her savviness and tenacity stood out to us within minutes of meeting her one Monday afternoon. She walked confidently through MAF’s door, took a s…

In this report, we see our clients’ financial lives are interwoven with larger communities and often relies on informal resources. We invite you to explore this issue with us, develop a deeper unde…

MAF’s clients often turn to creative strategy to manage their financial lives; faced with barriers to accessing formal income opportunities, our clients innovate. One such strategy we’ve seen is se…

MAF is sponsoring SB 455, also known as the California Financial Empowerment Fund, which would create a $4 million fund to support nonprofits delivering effective financial education and empowermen…

Ever since that dreadful day Trump descended down the escalator to announce his candidacy, we all knew deep down that it was the start of open season on immigrants. We’d seen it before. Desperate p…

Meet the community where they are. At MAF, this is one of our core values. We’re constantly searching for ways to build new programs that uplift this principle. That’s why we are excited to launch …

Whether you’re a San Francisco Bay Area native, or have only visited the city a handful of times, you may have explored the famed “North Beach/Little Italy” neighborhood and crossed paths with the …

On April 30, 2019, I testified before the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee’s hearing on “Expanding Opportunity by Strengthening Families, Communities, and Civil Society.” This bipartisan body…

Meet Doris Vasquez, MAF’s Client Success Manager. Though she’d never admit it herself, Doris embodies what it means to be a community leader. As MAF’s Client Success Manager, Doris is engaging with…

In celebration of the MAF Lab having hit its one-year mark, we want to recognize the role and work of our Tech Advisory Council in supporting our successes. We’ll be sharing a series of blog posts …

Samhita Collur has held many roles during her nearly three years at MAF. Officially, she’s been a Partner Success Manager and Communications Manager, but she’s also been a storyteller, a mobile app…

At Mission Asset Fund (MAF), we never pass up an opportunity to celebrate our inspiring and all-around incredible community members. At this year’s MAF Summit, we rolled out a red carpet of our …

Catalyst Miami is a member of MAF’s national Lending Circles network based in Florida’s Miami-Dade County. Through its diverse programs and services, Catalyst Miami is dedicated to fighting poverty…

When you’re strolling down 24th Street in San Francisco’s Mission District, you can’t help but stop in your tracks as you are greeted by a display of luchador masks outside Mixcoatl’s storefront. …

What does ‘Transcend. Evolve. Take Flight.” mean to you? Read part one. ‘Ni de aqui, ni de alla’/’Not from here, nor from there’ I maintained my connection to my Mexican heritage and cult…

In the U.S. there is a wide array of financial products and services to help consumers build their financial lives. In addition to banks, there is a whole Financial Planning and Advice industry to …

What does ‘Transcend. Evolve. Take Flight.” mean to you? Life’s about a dream I’ve always considered myself a dreamer — long before the term was used to identify a community of hard-working…

Meet Shruti Dev, MAF’s first Technical Project Manager in the MAF Lab. Shruti came to MAF from the for-profit sector with a background as a developer and business systems analyst in healthcare. …

Today, Boni speaks about his life in the U.S. with a humble confidence. In the five years that Boni has lived in the country, he has built financial security for himself. He has navigated unfamilia…

Watch MAF’s 12 Data Points of Christmas, a video featuring insights from the last decade

“My name is Rosa, and I received a check from you within only days of my request. You understand that this issue is incredibly time sensitive, and you did not neglect nor treat me as just a number….

MAF recently submitted the below statement against the proposed public charge rule. We would like to encourage you all to also make your voice heard before the public comment period closes on Decem…

MAF is excited to announce the launch of its new mobile app, MyMAF. MyMAF is a virtual financial coach designed to help low-income and immigrant families achieve their dreams and help MAF’s clients…

A few weeks ago the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a proposed rule that will change how the government looks at immigrants who have used or are likely to use public benefits. This …

The Trump administration blatantly targeted immigrants by rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program on September 5, 2017. Shocked and angered by his actions, we did not r…

At this year’s Summit, we’re bringing together thought leaders from a variety of sectors – nonprofit, finance, tech, and social sector. We can’t wait for the conversations and ideas that are bound …

My soul hurts to hear babies crying inconsolably for their parents, begging for help. I think about these little ones each time I look at my children, hoping that we will stop this madness and reun…

Being responsive is one of the major goals of our organization and our R&D team. After a successful DACA renewal fee assistance program, we surveyed clients to identify ways in which we could c…

Over the past couple months, we’ve heard many of our clients pour out their fears and concerns over their future. The threat of deportation looms large for so many immigrant families, causing real …

A third federal judge has issued a new DACA ruling. While the first two injunctions re-opened the program for the foreseeable future, this order is the first time since September 5, 2017 that there…

To hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients and their families, a DACA permit represents hope. Hope for jobs, for family security, for a future worth fighting for. The threat of losing DACA has pla…

In this new political context, when our community told us that maintaining financial security was their top concern, we decided to invest in promoting self-employment. We decided to invest in the i…

In “DACA=Better jobs, stable families,” we explored the impact that DACA has on job opportunities and family security. With a work permit and the ability to get education, it’s no surprise that DAC…

$460 billion. That’s the estimated value that DACA recipients add to our GDP. In addition to the well-known economic impacts to our country, there is a good amount of research about the positive be…

It goes back to the earliest days at MAF, when Lending Circles was not yet a program available across the nation and when the conversation about financial capability only centered around savings. O…

In September 2017, MAF launched the nation’s largest DACA fee assistance program serving 7,600 Dreamers across the country. In a series of blog posts, we’ll share information about who we served an…

Mission Asset Fund is excited to launch new zero-interest, credit-building loans available throughout California to cover the USCIS filing fees for U.S. Citizenship ($725), DACA Renewals ($495), Gr…

The Trump Administration ended DACA on September 5, 2017, igniting a wave of anguish and fear in communities throughout the country. Since 2012, hundreds of thousands of young people came out of th…

After September 5, 2017, MAF quickly mobilized to provide financial assistance to DACA recipients across the nation. Our campaign was inspired by our belief that DACA recipients and their families …

Pilar celebrates her one-year homeownership anniversary this year. Her home is a beautiful, cozy, and peaceful place in South Minneapolis. She recalls the warm and loving home her mother created fo…

Today, Nora speaks excitedly about the prospect of buying a home. She shares the number of rooms she’d like to have, her ideal neighborhoods, and even hints at how she plans to decorate her kitchen…

Media Contact: (888) 274-4808 x206 marketing@missionassetfund.org $2,500,000+ Fund to Help Dreamers Renew DACA by October 5 San Francisco, CA – September 22, 2017 – Mission Asset Fund (M…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: (888) 274-4808 x206 marketing@missionassetfund.org $1,000,000 Fund Announced to Help Dreamers Renew DACA by October 5 San Francisco, CA – September 13, 2017 – M…

This group of passionate MAF advocates is fundraising and friendraising for justice At the end of 2016, an exciting group formed at MAF: the Adelante Advisory Council (AAC) is MAF’s first-ever c…

She’s a bilingual UI developer and ping pong pro who’s passionate about using tech for good. Meet Gaby Zamudio, a bilingual developer specializing in UI and an all-around positive, people person…

When Claudia’s husband was offered a job in the United States, she encouraged him to take it and insisted that the entire family—the two of them and their two children—move from Guatemala to build …

How you can prevent an immigration-related emergency from becoming a financial one  Detention and deportation can have a huge impact on a family’s finances. What happens to a car, apartment…

Meet MAF’s four passionate new members of the Board of Directors: Alex, Cara, Lissa, and Sagar MAF is thrilled to welcome four new members to our Board of Directors! They bring rich experience i…

From a thriving chocobanana business to a spicy pinch of kimchi that literally means “I love you.” At MAF, we’re always looking for an excuse to share stories. In celebration of Mama’s Day 2017,…

She’s a MAF donor and Board Member who brings passion and creativity to everything she does. Follow our Champion Spotlight series, where we introduce you to our great Social Investors and honor …

The racial wealth gap is real, and it’s growing. But where do immigrants fit into this analysis? This post first appeared on the Aspen Institute’s blog. It was written by MAF’s CEO José A. …

The $725 application fee is keeping one million New Yorkers from becoming citizens. Building a wall, the Muslim and refugee ban, sanctuary cities, an uncertain future for DREAMers: under the cur…

Mission Asset Fund (MAF) and the Mexican Consulates of San Francisco and San Jose have joined forces to support the economic empowerment of Mexican nationals across northern California and the Stat…

Building Credit & Confidence in LGBTQ Communities of Color Carla’s first experience with a lending circle came long before she began working with Brown Boi Project, and long before she’d hea…

These fabulous #LCHeroes took home prizes at the Lending Circles Summit When MAF was founded in the Mission District of San Francisco in 2007, the vision was always to grow. MAF’s leadership and…

16 reasons why you can’t miss the next Lending Circles Summit Call me biased, but here are 16 reasons why the LC Summit was not only beautiful but hands-down one of the most excit…

A Financial Coach, a scholar, and a philanthropist on what Lending Circles mean to them One of our favorite parts of the Lending Circles Summit was hearing from wise members of our community on …

Isabel joined a Lending Circle to help grow her business. This summer, her restaurant “El Buen Comer” opened in Bernal Heights. Isabel is a MAF client and entrepreneur who used Lending Circles t…

Lending Circles round out the Game Theory Academy Experience Jasmine and Pasha’s friendship began during childhood, when the two girls were elementary school classmates. Eventually they were ass…

The visionary Lending Circles program brings low-income communities out of the shadows. Today, the MacArthur Foundation announced this year’s class of MacArthur Fellows. Among the short list of …

Building Credit and Community through Lending Circles at The Resurrection Project Sonia arrived in Chicago from Puerto Rico one year ago with hopes to turn over a new leaf. As a result of a…