Based in Dallas, The PLAN Fund is 501(c)(3) nonprofit microfinance institution that has been certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI).
The PLAN Fund practices a form of microfinance that is unique to Dallas — focusing on the most vulnerable members of our community, the organization provides both the financial capital and intellectual capital that its borrowers need to achieve self-sufficiency.
As our mission becomes more and more focused on using microfinance as a tool to combat poverty, we are clearly distinguishing ourselves from our peer organizations that concentrate on offering larger loans to more established business.
Our Mission
The PLAN Fund’s mission is to increase the economic self-sufficiency of low to moderate income entrepreneurs, especially women, in Dallas County by offering them access to loans, training and business development services that they could not otherwise receive. Working in partnership with our members, we are building strong businesses that create sustainable jobs.
Microlending as a Tool to Fight Poverty
We do not simply teach a person to fish rather than give them a fish; we help them to secure their own boat so that they can work towards “pond ownership.”
Our focus is on breaking the cycle of poverty that prevents the working poor from achieving self-sufficiency. Low-wage earners often labor long hours to support their families, but fail to accumulate savings or improve their quality of life. Although Dallas is a prosperous city, nearly 2 of every 10 Dallas residents live below the poverty line.
That is over 200,000 people . . . enough to fill Dallas Cowboys Stadium TWICE.
In South Dallas — where the PLAN Fund has traditionally focused its work — the poverty rate is nearly 1 in 2. For families with children, the rates are even higher . . . and they are highest among single mothers with children.
This same city is also home to over 9,149 registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits, many of which are dedicated to meeting the needs of the poor. However, very few are successfully equipping the poor to take care of themselves. At the PLAN Fund, we work in partnership with other best-in-class nonprofits to provide a combination of training, support services and low-interest loans that can work together to unlock opportunities in our borrowers’ lives.
Read more here.
