Support Financial Security for Families

Rents have gone up. Foreclosures are at record highs. Jobs and homes are being lost. We are all living through the Great Recession, but some in our communities are closer to falling through the cracks than others. You can help by supporting our economic security fund.

Report on the Status of Payday Lending in California Commissioned by the community foundation, this new report by the Public Interest Law Firm provides a thorough analysis of current polices and proposals and suggests steps for policy makers, funders and others who want to curb abusive lending practices. Download the Payday Lending Report

In Silicon Valley, we see a region of great economic contrasts. There are growing disparities between those who enjoy financial security and well-being and those who do not.

• One in five San Mateo and Santa Clara County residents do not have enough cash reserves or equity in their home or business to meet basic needs for three months during a period of unexpected financial hardship.
• In San Mateo County, the percentage of residents with no formal banking relationship is estimated at 15 percent. In the city of San José, it may be as high as 26 percent.
• Predatory lending practices of payday lenders who charge up to 400 percent on a short-term loan are helping to keep those without sufficient assets trapped in a cycle of debt.

Join us and donate to our economic security fund. Our region’s most vulnerable families can be better equipped to build long-term financial security. Your gift to the Economic Security Fund will help the community foundation invest in:

• Increasing the availability of financial education and asset-building programs for adults
• Promoting policy advocacy to curb predatory payday lending by increasing public awareness and promoting local change
• Providing housing and legal counseling to homeowners and renters caught in the foreclosure crisis

Please give today to the economic security fund. It’s never too late to help. No gift is too small. Thank you for being a partner with us – together we are making a difference in our region.

Download the Economic Security Factsheet >>