Beyond Direct Services
We don’t just help families survive. We change the systems that help them thrive.
MEDA is more than a direct-services organization—we are a backbone institution working alongside community residents and partners to transform the systems that shape economic mobility.
For decades, our place-based work in the Mission has shown what’s possible when families, nonprofits, public agencies, and cross-sector leaders unite around a shared vision for economic mobility.
MEDA activates community voice, aligns partners, and leverages data and lived experience to redesign how housing, education, capital access, and economic opportunity work. By doing so, we help ensure that working-class families can remain, thrive, and lead in the neighborhoods they call home.
Partner with us to drive change.
Connect with us at development@medasf.org to start the conversation.
Transforming communities, together
Lasting impact requires shifting systems. MEDA builds the models and partnerships that strengthen whole fields and catalyze economic mobility at scale beyond the Mission.
Collective impact in San Francisco
Through the Mission Promise Neighborhood, MEDA convenes and supports more than 15 organizations around prenatal-to-college-and-career success. Together, we advance a coordinated, results-driven approach that integrates family economic security with student achievement. Our Youth and Workforce programs complement this ecosystem—developing the next generation of leaders and professionals through leadership training, paid internships, and pathways to quality careers.
Building on this success, Promise City extends the Promise Neighborhood approach into additional San Francisco neighborhoods—aligning partners, public systems, and community leadership to strengthen local ecosystems and expand economic mobility for even more families.
Policy & Advocacy Rooted in Community Leadership
MEDA turns lived experience into systems change.
Through resident organizing, coalition work, and policy advocacy at the local, state, and national levels, we advance community-driven solutions in affordable housing, small-business development, education, and financial services. Our policy leadership centers the voices of Latino and immigrant families, ensuring they help shape the rules and protections that affect their daily lives.
Field Building
MEDA’s experience in the Mission has generated proven models that communities across the country are now adapting to strengthen economic mobility. Our place-based work in community real estate, small-business lending, Promise Neighborhood implementation, and cross-sector alignment has become a blueprint for organizations seeking to build stronger local ecosystems.
We collaborate with national partners and learning networks that drive systems change and support communities working to replicate proven approaches:
UnidosUS – informing a national Latino policy agenda on housing, financial inclusion, and economic opportunity.
NALCAB – contributing to national strategies that expand Latino economic mobility, asset building, and culturally rooted community development.
California Promise Neighborhood Network – aligning communities statewide around cradle-to-career outcomes and shared accountability for family success.
National Promise Neighborhoods Coalition – elevating place-based models that center children and families and advancing supportive federal policy.
StriveTogether – participating in a national movement for data-driven, cross-sector systems change that improves child and family outcomes.
Rewriting the playbook
We don’t just run programs. We build models that shift systems.
In the Mission, we’ve built place-based solutions that are reshaping how housing, education, and economic opportunity work—creating lasting change for our community.
Bringing affordable housing back to the Mission
In just 15 years, we’ve developed a portfolio of 2,500 affordable homes—preventing displacement, keeping small businesses open, and securing space for 12 community organizations to continue serving their neighbors.
Changing how capital reaches community businesses
We’ve built the capacity to lend capital to small businesses—deploying over $16.1 million in loans to 525 entrepreneurs since 2015. This investment has fueled new business creation, helped existing businesses stay open, and supported good-paying jobs across the Bay Area.
Empowering families to build assets and plan ahead
Every year, we provide asset-building services and financial education to over 10,000 clients—promoting economic security and long-term wealth in our community. We’ve also expanded access to affordable rental and homeownership opportunities for Latino families across San Francisco.
Powering a community ecosystem from cradle to career
We are advancing collective impact through the Mission Promise Neighborhood—aligning partners around a common agenda, shared outcomes, and coordinated strategies. We provide funding and capacity support for 15 organizations to expand services, strengthen their ability to meet community needs, and create career pathways for youth from the Mission.
Advancing community-led policy and civic participation
Through grassroots organizing, coalition-building, and policy advocacy, we advance community-led solutions in housing, education, financial services, and small business development. By amplifying local voices and championing protections for our most vulnerable community members, MEDA drives lasting policy change that enables working-class families to live, thrive, and lead in the Mission District.
“Our time at MEDA was truly inspiring and deeply impactful. The insights we gained have motivated us to implement meaningful programmatic and systemic changes within our organization. ” — Trent Aldridge, CEO of Self Enhancement, Inc.