Publications

New national survey demonstrates how small business owners provided jobs and protected their workers over COVID-19

New emissions standards in 2010 required many of California’s older big rigs to be upgraded or replaced with new, cleaner models. This law, while enormously beneficial to public and environmental health, meant that many independent truck drivers would have to cease operating if they could not afford to retrofit or replace their trucks. We launched…

Accelerating Opportunity is our first-ever research piece dedicated to the impact of our truck lending. In compiling our research and data, we found that our lending efforts in the transportation sector result in a compelling triple-bottom-line impact.

In collaboration with the Financial Health Network [formerly the Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI)], we are pleased to present the initial findings of our Small Business Financial Health Survey. Accion Opportunity Fund, including our lending arm Opportunity Fund, and FHN are committed to building a more robust financial marketplace for both consumers and small…

Income fluctuates when you’re an entrepreneur. Sales can change for a myriad of reasons, ranging from predictable seasonality to unexpected competition. With this, a business owner’s available cash and ability to re-pay debt inevitably change as well. We presented “The True Cost of Capital” – a webinar detailing just how much a typical small business…

Every business owner we lend to is on a journey—to turn their dream of a sustainable business into a reality. Many of our borrowers face obstacles on their journey toward success—such as a cash flow shortage or other financial setback—that may prevent them from seizing an opportunity to grow or maintain their business.

Today, we’re pleased to release new findings from our evaluation of the partnership between Opportunity Fund and LendingClub.

We recently concluded an evaluation to measure changes in the financial and credit profiles of nearly 2,000 small businesses funded by Accion Opportunity Fund

The Longitudinal Impact Study of Accion and Opportunity Fund Small Business Lending in the U.S. is a first-of-its-kind national, longitudinal, qualitative examination of these outcomes. It reports on a nationwide cohort of 350 Accion and Opportunity Fund borrowers who were followed for as long as three years post loan in order to understand the impact…

The partnership between Opportunity Fund, the lending arm of Accion Opportunity Fund, and LendingClub combines the mission focus of a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) with the online lending expertise of a fintech, creating a new model for transparent, responsible lending services that meet the needs of today’s small business owner.