Financial Inclusion

Spacing: small

Financial inclusion is a cornerstone of John and Sue Sobrato’s impact investing, grounded in their belief that access to affordable, convenient capital is essential for fostering upward mobility and long-term opportunity. Globally, 1.4 billion adults remain unbanked, including 5.6 million in the U.S. alone. These individuals are often the hardest to reach – disproportionately women, people of color, and those living in rural or underserved communities.

Without basic financial tools like credit, small business loans, savings accounts, payment services, remittances, and insurance, people are locked out of opportunities to invest in their homes, health, education, and businesses. Access to these products enables consumers and business owners to build assets, manage risk, grow their enterprises, and weather financial setbacks.

John and Sue are committed to closing this gap, making financial systems more inclusive, equitable, and responsive to the needs of historically underserved populations. Their family’s entrepreneurial legacy drives their belief that access to capital is a vital lever for economic mobility.

Through more than $75 million in financial inclusion-focused impact investments, they support intermediaries in the U.S. and globally that deliver quality financial products and services to help small businesses and individuals meet their needs, grow their ventures, and create quality jobs.

In the U.S., John and Sue invest in nonprofit community lenders known as Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) — trusted, mission-driven organizations that provide affordable capital and technical assistance to low-income communities. These lenders draw on deep local knowledge to reach borrowers traditionally excluded from the financial system. Internationally, they anchor microfinance and small business lending funds that extend capital to entrepreneurs who would otherwise lack access to credit.

Key Partners

Spacing: small

One Acre Fund

$10M loan to One Acre Fund, an agricultural service provider that supports Africa’s smallholder farmers to build resilient communities. One Acre Fund supplies the financing and training the farmers need to grow their way out of hunger and build lasting pathways to prosperity. Instead of giving handouts, they invest in farmers to help them increase yields and profits. In 2024 alone, One Acre Fund served over 5 million farm families in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Accion Opportunity Fund

$10M loan to Accion Opportunity Fund (AOF), a leading non-profit small business lender that provides affordable loan capital and free educational resources and networks to small businesses. As a community lender, they serve underserved small businesses who are often left behind by the mainstream financial system and lack access to financial services they need to build and grow their businesses. AOF has deployed over $1 billion in loan capital to more than 35,000 small businesses, and over 4 million small business owners have accessed AOF’s free Business Resource Library. Nearly 90% of AOFs customers are underserved and/or low-income.

MCE Social Capital

$8M loan to provide flexible financing to microfinance institutions (MFIs) and small and growing businesses (SGBs), focused on generating economic opportunity for people living in poverty across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. MCE’s portfolio companies have reached 3.5M end stakeholders, primarily women and individuals in rural communities, across 34 countries; all while maintaining high repayment.

Grameen America

$8M loan to Grameen, America Inc. (GAI), a non-profit community lender that provides microloans, starting at $2,500, to women entrepreneurs across the U.S. Through a group-lending model that enables strong peer networks, GAI equips low-income and underserved women small business owners with affordable business capital and financial literacy training. GAI envisions an inclusive society in which all entrepreneurs, regardless of race, gender, or income, have access to fair and affordable financial services to support upward economic mobility. Since inception, GAI has disbursed more than $5 billion, impacting over 220,000 women across the US and maintaining an exceptional repayment rate of 99.8%.

International Rescue Committee’s Center for Economic Opportunity

$5M loan to IRC-CEO, a non-profit CDFI Loan Fund providing fair, flexible, and affordable consumer and business loans to low-income working families and newcomers to the United States with little access to traditional financing. Loans are available through trusted local community organizations and paired with culturally responsive training, support, and services. IRC-CEO helps borrowers build credit and transition into the financial mainstream, unlocking opportunity and promoting economic mobility.