Making the Invisible Visible: A Strategy for Inclusion (Innovations Case Narrative: Mission Asset Fund)

She passed away when I was nine, too young to understand the complex and dangerous nature of life in poverty. At that time, I had to muster everything inside of me just to survive the avalanche of sorrow and change in our family life. It was only as an adult that I came to terms with my painful childhood. I see it now as the source of the deep empathy I have for people who suffer and struggle in the world. That is why I’ve dedicated my life to working against poverty, and it is how I became the founding CEO of Mission Asset Fund (MAF), a nonprofit organization that strives to create a fair financial marketplace for hardworking families. When I joined MAF in 2007, the organization was a nonprofit start-up with plans to help low-income immigrants in San Francisco’s Mission District. Eight years later, MAF is nationally recognized for developing Lending Circles, a social loan program based on people coming together to lend and borrow money. With cutting-edge technology, we transformed this invisible practice into a force for good. Program participants are freeing themselves from the grasp of predatory lenders by opening bank accounts, building credit histories, paying down highcost debt, and increasing their savings. They are investing in businesses, buying homes, and saving for a better future. Lending Circles brings to light what’s already good in people’s lives. And within that light, participants are forging a sure path into the financial mainstream, unlocking their true economic potential every step of the way. The program’s success is serving as a model in the fight against poverty, demonstrating new and effective ways of helping low-income people without belittling them in the