Mission Asset Fund
Mission Asset Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and CDFI that delivers zero-interest credit-building loans, immigration fee loans, business loans, and guaranteed income programs to low-income and immigrant communities across 17 states and DC via a national nonprofit partner network and the MyMAF mobile app.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Mission Asset Fund does
Mission Asset Fund (MAF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and U.S. Department of the Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), founded in 2007 in San Francisco's Mission District with initial funding from the Levi Strauss Foundation. MAF operates a multi-product financial inclusion platform that converts traditional community lending practices (tandas, susus, cundinas, paluwagan) into structured zero-interest credit-building instruments. Its core products include Lending Circles ($300–$2,400 social loans reported to all three major credit bureaus), Immigration Loans covering USCIS filing fees (California-only), and Business Loans up to $2,500 (Bay Area-only), complemented by the MyMAF mobile web app, the MAF Learning Hub, the Resources Finder tool, the Immigrant Families Recovery Program (IFRP) guaranteed income program, and the in-development MIJA immigration navigation app. MAF has cumulatively disbursed 21M+ in small-dollar loans, with annual originations of $8 million, a 99% loan repayment rate, and an average 168-point credit score lift for participants.
The organization distributes its services through a hybrid model that combines direct delivery via the MyMAF web app in California with a national network of 50+ nonprofit partner organizations across 17 states and DC. Technology infrastructure includes a cloud-based Lending Circles platform for partner program management, a Salesforce-based client intake and partner management system, the MyMAF web application with a December 2025-launched AI chatbot, and a virtual payment card system that loads exact USCIS filing fee amounts for immigration loans. MAF serves five named customer segments: immigrant communities, low-income entrepreneurs, unbanked/underserved populations, immigrant families excluded from federal support, and the nonprofit partners themselves.
MAF's revenue model is grant-dependent: philanthropic grants and donations from foundations (Citi Foundation $1M in 2024, MetLife Foundation $250K in 2023, Levi Strauss Foundation as founding funder) and government sources, supplemented by platform fees paid by nonprofit partners to access Lending Circles, implementation support, training, and credit reporting services. All client-facing loan products are 0% interest and offered free to end users. The organization employs 11–50 staff across Programs & Partnerships, Narrative & Impact/Philanthropy, Innovations and R&D, Tech, and Finance & Operations, and is led by MacArthur Fellow and CEO José Quiñónez.
Mission Asset Fund firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mission Asset Fund
- Legal name
- Mission Asset Fund
- Website
- https://missionassetfund.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Mission Asset Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and CDFI that delivers zero-interest credit-building loans, immigration fee loans, business loans, and guaranteed income programs to low-income and immigrant communities across 17 states and DC via a national nonprofit partner network and the MyMAF mobile app.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mission Asset Fund industry classification
Industry- NAICS
- Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (52231), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159), Loan Brokers (6163)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Microloans & Working Capital Loans (FSAKAGAA)
Keywords
Where Mission Asset Fund is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Mission Asset Fund business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Philanthropic Grants and Donations: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, MAF is primarily funded through grants from foundations, government grants, and individual donations. They partner with foundations like Citi Foundation ($9M Community Progress Makers grant) and receive support from various philanthropic organizations.
- Lending Circles Program Fees: Nonprofit partners pay fees to access the Lending Circles platform, implementation support, training, and credit reporting services. The program enables partners to deliver zero-interest social loans to their communities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Lending Circles - 0% interest credit-building loans |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Business Loans - 0% interest up to $2,500 |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Immigration Loans - 0% interest for USCIS fees |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Mission Asset Fund product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mission Asset Fund is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution that provides zero-interest credit-building loans (Lending Circles), zero-interest immigration fee loans for USCIS applications, zero-interest small business loans, and a guaranteed income program for immigrant families excluded from federal relief. Its services are delivered directly via the MyMAF app and through a national network of 50+ nonprofit partners, with payments reported to all three major credit bureaus and supported by multilingual financial education courses.
Product overview
Mission Asset Fund (MAF) operates a multi-product financial empowerment platform combining zero-interest lending programs with technology-enabled education and support tools. The core product portfolio includes Lending Circles (credit-building social loans), Immigration Loans (USCIS fee financing), and Business Loans, all structured as 0% interest products reported to credit bureaus. These are complemented by the MyMAF mobile web app providing personalized financial planning, action tracking, educational content, and AI-powered chatbot support. MAF also offers the Immigrant Families Recovery Program providing guaranteed income plus financial coaching. The Resources Finder tool extends reach by connecting users to external community resources. All products share a common workflow requiring financial education course completion and leverage credit reporting as a core mechanism for financial empowerment. The organization functions as both a direct service provider (in California/Bay Area) and a national network operator enabling 50+ nonprofit partners to deliver Lending Circles across 17 states and DC.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MyMAF: A free web-based app providing personalized financial action plans, learning resources, credit tracking, and AI-powered chatbot support for financial journey.
- Lending Circles
- Immigrant Families Recovery Program (IFRP)
Quantifiable outcome
- 90% of clients without credit scores establish one for the first time
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Mission Asset Fund
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Mission Asset Fund technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability2 records
Feature5 records
Mission Asset Fund partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- UpValley Family Centers (St. Helena, CA)corePartner in the Lending Circles network providing credit-building programs to communities in Napa Valley.
- Pathfinders (Fort Worth, TX)corePartner in Lending Circles network serving immigrant communities in Texas.
- CLUES (Minneapolis, MN)corePartner in Lending Circles network serving Latino communities in Minnesota.
- Center for Changing Lives (Chicago, IL)corePartner advisory council co-chair and Lending Circles provider serving Chicago communities.
- Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement (HCCI)coreBecame first MAF partner to circulate $1 million through Lending Circles in Harlem.
- Yale UniversitycoreAcademic research partner studying effectiveness of MAF's Lending Circles programs.
- San Francisco State UniversitycoreAcademic research partner that conducted evaluation showing Lending Circles had significant impact on low-income borrowers.
- Canal Alliance (San Rafael, CA)corePartner providing Lending Circles and financial services to immigrant communities in Marin County.
- Casa Familiar (San Ysidro, CA)corePartner serving border communities in San Diego area.
- Asian Resources, Inc. (Sacramento, CA)corePartner serving Asian American communities in Sacramento region.
- Annie LeibovitzminorRenowned portrait photographer captured image of MAF founder and CEO Jose Quinonez for organizational branding.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Mission Asset Fund competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Accion Opportunity Fund: Community development financial institution offering small business loans to underserved entrepreneurs, including immigrants and people of color. Comparable CDFI structure and credit-building loan products for small business owners.
- DreamSpring: CDFI providing microloans and small business loans to entrepreneurs of color, women, and immigrants. Comparable mission and product structure, with broader geographic coverage in the Southwest.
- Grameen America: Nonprofit microfinance organization providing small-dollar loans to low-income women entrepreneurs in the U.S. Directly comparable to MAF as a community-rooted, zero-interest micro-lender serving financially excluded populations with a credit-building mission.
- Kiva US: Crowdfunded zero-interest microloan platform serving borrowers excluded from traditional credit. Comparable 0% interest model and credit-building mission; Kiva's crowdfunding mechanism differs but the end-client experience is similar.
- Lendistry: CDFI fintech providing small business loans and SBA loans to underserved minority and immigrant business owners. Comparable mission and target market (small-dollar lending to low-income entrepreneurs), with a stronger technology and SBA delivery layer.
Broad incumbents
- Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): Major national CDFI providing financing and capacity-building to community development organizations across the U.S. Comparable CDFI structure and community-partner network model; LISC operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope (housing, real estate, small business).
Others
- UnidosUS (formerly NCLR): Largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, operating parallel financial empowerment and immigrant integration programs. Comparable target audience and community-trust position; serves as both a potential partner and adjacent nonprofit in the Latino financial inclusion space.
Emerging players
- Self (formerly Self Lender): Credit-builder loan fintech that helps thin-file consumers build credit history through small installment payments reported to credit bureaus. Comparable credit-building outcome mechanism (168-point lifts) but commercial, not nonprofit, and not immigrant-targeted.
- Stilt: Fintech providing loans specifically to immigrants and visa holders who lack traditional credit history. Comparable immigrant-focused lending mission; commercial lender with higher loan amounts versus MAF's nonprofit 0% structure.
- SeedFi: Credit-building and savings platform for underbanked Americans, offering credit builder loans and small-dollar credit. Comparable thin-file consumer target and credit bureau integration model; venture-backed fintech versus MAF's nonprofit structure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Mission Asset Fund social profiles
Digital presenceMission Asset Fund compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Mission Asset Fund financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mission Asset Fund leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Mission Asset Fund funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mission Asset Fund M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mission Asset Fund
What does Mission Asset Fund do?
Mission Asset Fund is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution that provides zero-interest credit-building loans (Lending Circles), zero-interest immigration fee loans for USCIS applications, zero-interest small business loans, and a guaranteed income program for immigrant families excluded from federal relief. Its services are delivered directly via the MyMAF app and through a national network of 50+ nonprofit partners, with payments reported to all three major credit bureaus and supported by multilingual financial education courses.
Is Mission Asset Fund a public or private company?
Mission Asset Fund is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was Mission Asset Fund founded?
Mission Asset Fund was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Mission Asset Fund based?
Mission Asset Fund is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Mission Asset Fund make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Philanthropic Grants and Donations are the primary driver. The others are lending Circles Program Fees.
Who are Mission Asset Fund's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Accion Opportunity Fund, DreamSpring, Grameen America, Kiva US and Lendistry. Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is listed as a broad incumbent. UnidosUS (formerly NCLR) is listed as an others. Emerging players are Self (formerly Self Lender), Stilt and SeedFi.
Does Mission Asset Fund have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mission Asset Fund.
What industry is Mission Asset Fund in?
Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKAGAA, Microloans & Working Capital Loans. Its NAICS code is 52231 and its SIC code is 6159.