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Racial equity, Resources, Team

Storytelling for Change: Going Beyond Diversity to Create Belonging at Work

  • Posted by Tyana Smith
  • On June 13, 2019
Recently, our communications team completed the Storytelling for Change course, a free eight-week online course led by global changemakers +Acumen. We expected to learn strategies to better communicate with the public, but we walked away with so much more than that. We ended up with a stronger understanding of our own personal stories and how…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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Community engagement, News

NPR: Breaking The Cycle Of Disinvestment In Lower-Income Communities

  • Posted by Tyana Smith
  • On April 11, 2019
Recently, our co-founder and Director of Community Engagement Lauren Grattan sat down with NPR to talk about discrepancies in access to capital for lower-income communities and how we can level the playing field. We’re delighted that national media is looking for bright spots of what’s working so we can scale inclusive community growth with sensible…
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Community engagement

Milken Opportunity Zone Takeaways

  • Posted by David Lynn
  • On March 5, 2019
This last week of February I was lucky enough to be able to participate in two days of Milken Institute convenings in Oakland. Our conversations centered around affordable housing, opportunity zones, and how local and statewide policies in California can be structured to influence positive outcomes. Milken’s Financial Innovation Lab discussions are held under confidential…
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Community engagement

Optimistic about Opportunity Zones in San Diego

  • Posted by Lauren Grattan
  • On February 24, 2019
On the first Saturday of this month, Black History Month, I had the privilege of joining Indivisible WATU for their annual Women of Color Roar breakfast celebrating, encouraging, and empowering each other to step into leadership and public service. With a panel of powerhouse elected officials, and more seated in front of them, for many…
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Borrowers, News

Collaborative Approach Unlocks $12MM Project Transforming Youth Lives 

  • Posted by Lauren Grattan
  • On December 26, 2018
Mission Driven Finance, Civic San Diego, and Alliance Healthcare Foundation provide critical funding for nonprofit Access Youth Academy’s new athletic and academic facility in Southeast San Diego FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: Lauren Grattan | 858-880-0252 | lauren@missiondrivenfinance.com (SAN DIEGO)—January 15, 2019—Mission Driven Finance recently announced a coordinated investment with Civic San Diego and Alliance…
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