News & Events
August 2, 2010
GreenLight Fund Selects
Family Independence Initiative for Support
The GreenLight Fund (GreenLight) has selected the Family Independence Initiative (FII) as its fifth portfolio organization. GreenLight will provide major funding and other support to FII over four years and joins a coalition of funders behind the program’s move to the city, including Boston Rising and The Boston Foundation.
Founded in Oakland, Calif., in 2002, FII’s mission is to create an opportunity rich environment that invests resources in low-income communities based on the strengths and initiatives families demonstrate to improve their lives and the lives of others in their communities.
FII’s work is based on the belief that this country can reduce poverty by helping very low-income working families move to a more stable middle class status if the responsibility and resources for change are shifted to the very families who experience poverty.
FII provides families computers, access to small amounts of capital and connections to opportunities they choose in order to improve their economic circumstances. FII challenges low-income families to come up with their own solutions and pursue their own paths out of poverty, with the support of family, friends and each other.
“FII is one of the most innovative approaches we’ve seen to how our community and country can address poverty,” said GreenLight Fund Executive Director Margaret Hall. “We believe FII has huge potential for how we, other funders, nonprofits and policy-makers work to help low-income families make lasting economic progress.”
In FII’s first eight years working in Oakland, Hawaii and San Francisco, families have demonstrated resilience and resourcefulness, and have made significant progress in helping themselves and creating a positive ripple effect in their greater community. In Oakland, FII’s first site, average household income increased by 26%, savings increased 144% and nine of 25 families purchased homes. In San Francisco, average household income increased 20.9% over the first 15 months of the program. Among 36 adults, six new businesses were started. Out of 16 families, two bought homes.
