Advancing economic opportunity, Community engagement, Early childhood, Events, News, Opportunity Zones, Racial equity, Team

Thoughts from the Road: Small Business Drives Strong Communities Across the Country

Posted by Lauren Grattan
On May 23, 2019

David and I spent National Small Business Week on the road in New York; Columbus, Ohio; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We spoke with stakeholders from different walks of life who all recognize the transformative power of small business from varied angles. Let me tell you. It was wild. Mental gymnastics at its finest, switching gears…

Affordable housing, Community engagement, Events, Gender equity, News

Women Build the Future of Affordable Homeownership

Posted by Tyana Smith
On May 17, 2019

This month, we had the honor of hanging out with inspiring women leading change in our community during our Women Build the Future breakfast, co-hosted with San Diego Habitat for Humanity. It was an uncharacteristically cold and rainy morning for sunny San Diego, but that didn’t temper the enthusiasm of the women who turned out.…

Advancing economic opportunity, Borrowers, Gender equity, Racial equity, Sustainable systems

Supporting African Artisans at Work and Beyond

Posted by Tyana Smith
On May 16, 2019

In honor of the one-year anniversary of our official launch party, we’re catching up with one of our very first borrowers, All Across Africa. Since our investment in late 2017, All Across Africa has: Employed 400 new artisans. Provided solar lights to their artisans in Rwanda on a lease-to-own model, 37% below market price. This…

Affordable housing, Borrowers, Investors, News

New Financing Model Unlocks Millions to Build Affordable Homes

Posted by Tyana Smith
On May 16, 2019

Investors in non-traditional fund address San Diego’s housing crisis (San Diego)—May 16, 2019—Today, Mission Driven Finance announces that investors have contributed more than $1 million to a revolutionary fund that will support the construction of affordable homes for low-income families. Investors concerned about the region’s housing crisis contributed to Mission Driven Finance’s Homebuilding Investment Fund…