Accion Opportunity Fund has deployed more than $1 billion in financing to over 37,000 small businesses. Now entering the Monitor 101, the nonprofit CDFI talks equipment, tech and teaching entrepreneurs to grow.

For Accion Opportunity Fund (AOF), equipment finance grew directly out of its founding mission: extending capital access to small businesses traditional institutions have historically passed over. The practice traces to 2012, when the company acquired Los Angeles lender Financiera Confianza, gaining trucking expertise built around drivers facing California’s tightening emissions rules. Today, AOF supports underserved small business owners with getting the critical infra- structure they need through equipment-related loans and leasing.

AOF supports owners across industries such as transportation, food and beverage, professional services and construction whose credit scores, time in business or loan size fall out- side a bank’s automated models. Borrowers largely arrive through a referral network, then work with AOF’s team through a holistic re- view. AOF primarily serves businesses at least two years old generating $300,000 or more annually, with an owner holding 20% or greater equity and a 680 minimum FICO score.

The product set continues to grow based on borrowers’ demands. AOF finances heavy, medium and light-duty trucks and trailers from $5,000 to $250,000 and offers financing for mobile food businesses, with loans up to $350,000. In 2025, it launched an equipment finance leasing program with leases up to $300,000 and became an approved SBA 7(a) lender, lifting its maximum loan size to $350,000. Whether it’s medical equipment, ovens, coolers or printers, AOF has the capabilities to support borrowers across asset types.

Underwriting runs on what the organization describes as a tech-and-touch model: a digital platform plus human advisors and personalized learning to combine data-driven lending with manual underwriting, education and coaching. As a certified Community Development Financial Institution, AOF borrows bank capital at below-market rates counting toward banks’ CRA obligations, supplemented by philanthropy and recycled loan revenue — deploying at least 60% of lending, 68% this past year, to low-to-moderate income borrowers.

The scale is considerable: over $1 billion de- ployed to 37,000-plus businesses since inception, roughly 14,000 jobs supported in fiscal 2025 and 273,000 owners reached through free advising, including a new digital accelerator with Ripple. One borrower, Dr. Mary Aboko-Cole of Southside Mobile Veterinary Services in Georgia, ran her practice from her SUV until AOF structured her financing around business trajectory over credit history; she picked up her mobile clinic months ahead of schedule. Looking ahead, AOF is leaning into SBA lending and new equipment partnerships.

“Every business deserves the opportunity to access the right capital and equipment at the right time. We’re proud to partner with underserved businesses to turn ambition into lasting economic impact.”