What Hope Policy Institute does

Hope Policy Institute is a Jackson, Mississippi-based non-profit policy research and advocacy organization that operates as part of the integrated HOPE network, alongside Hope Credit Union and Hope Enterprise Corporation. Founded in 2006 as the Mississippi Economic Policy Center (MEPC) and rebranded to its current name in 2018, the Institute produces data-driven research, interactive data visualizations, policy briefs, and advocacy campaigns addressing financial inclusion, racial wealth gaps, affordable housing, small business capital access, and economic mobility across the Deep South (Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee, with recent expansion into Georgia). Its outputs include an interactive Data Library covering homeownership, mortgage denial rates, banking access, HBCU investments, and energy burdens; quarterly HOPENotes newsletters; annual impact reports; and signature events including Delta Fest (3,200+ participants from 20 countries) and Economic Mobility Forums in Cleveland MS, West Memphis AR, and Selma AL.

The Institute's analytical output is uniquely reinforced by proprietary operational data from the affiliated Hope Credit Union and Hope Enterprise Corporation, which together originate mortgages, small business loans, consumer loans, and community development financing under CDFI and MDI designations. The Affordable Housing Program (AHP) is the network's flagship mortgage product, featuring manual underwriting with non-traditional credit indicators, credit scores as low as 580, 100% loan-to-value with no down payment, deferred-student-loan accommodations, and no required mortgage insurance. In 2025, HOPE closed $94 million in mortgages to 497 borrowers (81% people of color, 60% women, 87% first-time homebuyers) and reported 125,271 members with 47% previously unbanked or underbanked.

The Institute operates as a non-profit funded through philanthropic grants, donations, and partnership support, with no commercial product revenue. Its go-to-market combines community-led grassroots engagement (member pulse surveys, lived-experience advocacy), event-driven convening (Delta Fest, Economic Mobility Forums, Rural Places Rural Spaces), and the affiliated credit union's direct lending distribution across a six-state footprint. Strategic partners include Yancey Consulting (Delta Fest co-sponsor), Inclusiv, the African American Credit Union Coalition, Partners for Rural Transformation, the African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs, and the Southern Center for Human Rights. The organization received a historic $88 million ECIP investment in 2021, the largest in credit union history.

Name

Hope Policy Institute

Legal name

Hope Policy Institute

Website

https://hopepolicy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Hope Policy Institute is a Jackson, Mississippi-based non-profit that conducts policy research and advocacy on financial inclusion, housing, and economic mobility for under-resourced communities across the Deep South, leveraging proprietary data from its affiliated Hope Credit Union.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Policy Research and Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit) (BPAGADAN), Public Health Strategy, Policy & Legislation (HLAJAMAA)

Keywords

• Policy research advocacy
• Financial inclusion research
• Community development finance
• Economic mobility policy
• Data visualization library

Headquarters

HQ city

Jackson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Donations: HOPE operates as a non-profit policy institute funded through grants, donations, and philanthropic support. The organization accepts donations through Hope Credit Union and partners with foundations to support research and advocacy programs.
2. Membership Fees: HOPE Credit Union offers membership with access to affordable financial services, loans, and banking products for community members in the Deep South.
3. Loan Interest Income: HOPE generates revenue through interest on mortgage loans, small business loans, and consumer lending products originated to serve under-resourced communities. In 2025, HOPE provided $94 million in mortgages to 497 borrowers.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Hope Policy Institute is a non-profit policy research and advocacy organization that informs policy and advances solutions to improve the financial health of under-resourced communities in the Deep South. It produces research publications, interactive data visualizations, newsletters, and impact reports, and hosts convenings such as Delta Fest and Economic Mobility Forums. Its work is grounded in lived experience and reinforced by lending data from affiliated Hope Credit Union and Hope Enterprise Corporation.

Product overview

Hope Policy Institute operates as a unified policy research and advocacy organization that produces publications (research briefs, blogs), maintains a Data Library with interactive visualizations, publishes newsletters and impact reports, and offers the Affordable Housing Program (AHP) mortgage lending product. The organization hosts Delta Fest and Economic Mobility Forum events, and supports programs through research, advocacy, and policy change to improve financial health in under-resourced Deep South communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hope Policy Institute Policy research and advocacy organization serving policymakers, community organizations, advocacy groups, and the public with work focused on financial inclusion, racial wealth gaps, and economic mobility in the Deep South.
• Affordable Housing Program (AHP) In-house mortgage product with manual underwriting using non-traditional credit indicators, accepts credit scores as low as 580, 100% LTV (no down payment required), discounts deferred student debt, and does not require mortgage insurance. Targets underserved homebuyers in the Deep South.
• Delta Fest Annual gathering of entrepreneurs, creatives, investors, and community builders strengthening the Deep South's economic ecosystem; the 2025 edition drew 3,200+ participants from 20 countries.
• Economic Mobility Forum Regional convenings held in cities such as Cleveland MS, West Memphis AR, and Selma AL that bring together community leaders, policymakers, and experts to discuss federal investment opportunities and economic mobility strategies.
• Research Publications Research briefs, blogs, and policy insights highlighting HOPE's work and policy recommendations to drive economic opportunity in underserved communities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 million+ people benefited since 1994 across five Deep South states
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Mississippi Center for JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006HOPE and the Mississippi Center for Justice worked together to secure initial funding for the Mississippi Economic Policy Center (MEPC) and collaborated on Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts and policy advocacy.
• Center on Budget and Policy PrioritiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHOPE was invited to join the State Fiscal Analysis Initiative (SFAI), now called the State Priorities Partnership (SPP), managed by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities to support state-level policy research and advocacy.
• Yancey ConsultingflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerYancey Consulting co-sponsors Delta Fest with HOPE, a major annual economic activation festival designed to strengthen the Deep South's economic ecosystem through entrepreneurship and community-centered investment.
• InclusivcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational trade association of community development credit unions. HOPE partners with Inclusiv on webinars and initiatives advancing economic opportunity for Black communities and MDI preservation programs.
• Partners for Rural TransformationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of six CDFIs including HOPE collaborating since 2014 to eradicate poverty in rural areas and advance community development in persistent poverty communities.
• African American Credit Union CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrade association partnership advocating for credit union access to pandemic relief funds and supporting minority depository institution preservation.
• National Association of Latino Credit Unions and Professionals (NALCUP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to advocate for Latino credit union participation in pandemic response funds and advance financial inclusion for Latino communities.
• African American Alliance of CDFI CEOscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance working with HOPE to affirm transparency in State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) 2.0 programs and advocate for CDFI accountability.
• Southern Economic Advancement ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership hosting webinars on criminal justice debt and economic opportunity in the Deep South, addressing intersection of financial inclusion and systemic barriers.
• Southern Center for Human RightscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on examining intersection of criminal justice debt and economic opportunity, advocating for policy changes to remove barriers for formerly incarcerated individuals.
• The Sycamore InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on webinar addressing criminal justice debt barriers to economic opportunity in the Deep South region.
• HOPE Credit UnionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerClosely affiliated credit union providing financial products and services. Data from HOPE Credit Union and Hope Enterprise Corporation reinforces policy institute's research and advocacy work.
• Hope Enterprise CorporationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated loan fund and community development organization. HOPE's lending data and community development expertise inform policy institute's research and advocacy agenda.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Opportunity Finance Network: National CDFI industry association and intermediary providing capital, policy advocacy, and research support; HOPE operates within and partners with this ecosystem, making it a closely aligned peer organization.
• Economic Policy Institute: Nonprofit think tank focused on economic inequality and policy research; comparable research-advocacy model to Hope Policy Institute with overlapping focus on economic mobility and structural inequities.
• Prosperity Now: National nonprofit focused on economic opportunity and asset-building for low-income households; comparable mission, advocacy focus, and data-driven research approach to HOPE.
• National Community Reinvestment Coalition: National coalition advocating for fair lending and community reinvestment; operates with similar research-advocacy-coalition model to HOPE and addresses overlapping mission areas around banking access and economic justice.
• Center for Responsible Lending: Nonprofit research and policy organization focused on predatory lending and consumer protection; comparable advocacy and research function to HOPE, particularly on fair lending issues affecting Deep South communities.
• Self-Help Credit Union: Community development credit union serving under-resourced communities with mission-aligned lending and alternative underwriting — directly comparable to Hope Credit Union's lending model, though operating in different geographies.
• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: National policy research organization focused on economic justice for low-income populations; HOPE is an active partner through the State Priorities Partnership, making it a directly comparable policy research and advocacy peer.

Broad incumbents

• Urban Institute: Major nonpartisan policy research organization that conducts economic mobility and racial equity research similar to HOPE's focus, but at a national scale rather than regionally concentrated in the Deep South.
• Enterprise Community Partners: National affordable housing and community development organization providing financing and policy advocacy; comparable to HOPE's HBCU, healthcare facility, and community development lending work but at a national scale.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): Major national CDFI providing community development financing and policy advocacy; comparable institutional model but with broader geographic and programmatic scope than HOPE's regional concentration.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HOPE_Policy
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC5EyyonukQ2L3ePypxVKP9A/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/MississippiEconomicPolicyCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hope-policy-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/hopepolicy?igsh=MWJxZTgwazZ2MjBrYQ==

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hope Policy Institute