Proving a program works at home is one thing. Proving it travels is another. This follow-up report from the César E. Chávez Institute at San Francisco State University examines what happened when MAF partnered with five Bay Area community-based organizations to pilot Lending Circles in their own communities — serving a more ethnically and economically diverse population than MAF’s Mission District base. The findings confirm that the model holds up beyond its origins, and offer an honest accounting of what it takes to replicate it well.
What’s inside- Credit score outcomes across five CBO pilot sites, compared to MAF’s Mission District results
- Client demographics at partner sites: African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino, and white participants across income and employment levels
- What drives credit improvement — and what gets in the way, including the role of financial education and prior financial behaviors
- Why community-based organizations outperform banks as Lending Circles hosts, and what trust has to do with it
- Barriers to sustainability: infrastructure, staff capacity, and funding challenges faced by partner sites
- Specific recommendations for improving program replication, from loan processing to technology to client screening
