What is the price of freedom?

When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech at the Washington Monument, he saw a country seared with painful injustices and hate. But he also recognized the great potential for equality, love, and freedom. Now more than 45 years later, how are we doing as a nation in realizing […]
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Eight impactful San Diego businesses for all your gift-giving needs

Are you still finishing your holiday shopping list? Don’t worry, we waited until the last minute, too. Luckily, these local San Diego businesses are here to save the day. The following handpicked businesses are sure to satisfy everyone on your list while supporting local business owners who care about our community. For that friend who […]
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Changing the face of finance through the Community Finance Fellowship

To build an inclusive economy, we must transform the world of finance. Communities need good businesses, and good businesses need access to affordable capital. But our financial systems, structures, and policies have restricted access to capital and opportunity—whether intentionally or not. We believe the lack of diversity in finance perpetuates unequal access to capital and […]
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Making Funding Accessible in the Asian Pacific Islander (API) Community

AdvanceAPI: A Partnership with the Asian Business Association of San Diego Doing your taxes. Buying a house. Raising a family.  Some things are, by nature, challenging. Entrepreneurs in underestimated communities would also add finding investors and accessing startup capital to this list. As an entrepreneur, sourcing start-up capital can be time-consuming. Add in the factor […]
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Community Finance Fellowship

Changing the Face of Finance One of the fairy godmothers of impact investing Morgan Simon likes to say, “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good—we all know that one. But also, don’t let good be the enemy of perfect. Keep striving to do better.” We take that advice to heart. We started with a […]
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B Corp: Best For the Best Customers

  • Posted by Lauren Grattan
  • On September 22, 2019
  • In News
A year ago, nonprofit B Lab certified Mission Driven Finance as a B Corporation–akin to organic or fair trade certification but for our whole company. We were delighted to join the B Corp movement with other folks using business as a force for good. Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of […]
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How One San Diego Philanthropist is Using Impact Investing to Create a Better Future [Interview with Kara Ballester]

  • Posted by Tyana Smith
  • On August 28, 2019
  • In Investors
As lead investors in our Homebuilding Investment Fund, Kara Ballester and her husband Andy were instrumental in jumpstarting our efforts to accelerate affordable housing with San Diego Habitat for Humanity. We wanted to know–what motivated Kara to invest in affordable homeownership and what her experience with impact investing has been like. We like to kick […]
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5 Things to Know About Getting an Impact-Based Loan for Your Business

There comes a time for many small businesses and nonprofits when you’re ready to grow and expand, but find yourself in an awkward, in between space–you’ve outgrown microfinance and often SBA loans, but don’t quite fit bank financing criteria.  That’s where we come in. While you have great plans, you might need customized transaction structures […]
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How Can We Make Investing in Our Community a Great Investment? Flip the Traditional Finance Model on Its Head.

When we first launched Mission Driven Finance, we developed the Advance Fund with one primary question in mind: how can we make investing in our community a great investment?  The answer we found is to reimagine and reinvent finance to put the community’s needs first. We discovered incredible businesses and nonprofits committed to their communities […]
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