Publications

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.

Today, Accion Opportunity Fund releases a new report “Building Technology for Cross-Sector Collaboration: A Case Study of Fintech-CDFI Partnership Success” about the recently launched partnership between Accion Opportunity Fund and LendingClub.

The purpose of this study is to aggregate these activities—the direct, indirect, and induced economic effects of microloans—to calculate the “ripple effect” or macroeconomic impact of Opportunity Fund’s lending on California’s economy. Opportunity Fund (the lending arm of Accion Opportunity Fund) commissioned TXP, Inc. to measure this impact using objective, verified research methods because we…

On the heels of the Great Recession, a new breed of “alternative” lenders has emerged to offer small businesses much-needed access to credit. These new lenders are filling a void created after banks dramatically cut back on their lending to small businesses.

We are excited to share the full results from the Start2Save pilot in this new report, the second in our Reporting on Impact series, which includes research findings, best practices, and lessons learned. Our evaluation revealed modest but meaningful changes in participants’ behavior and attitudes.

Ten years ago, the financing options for a small business, such as a salon or restaurant were fairly straightforward, though not always easily accessed. A business would go to a bank or credit union and apply for a loan. If the application was denied, for most businesses there was only a limited range of secondary…

In 2008, Accion Opportunity Fund launched Saving for Citizenship, a 5-year initiative to help low-income Silicon Valley residents develop financial skills while saving to pay the fees to become U.S. citizens.