Financial Opportunity in East LA

The Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF) is one of four LA LISC Financial Opportunity Centers (FOC). The LISC FOC model is an integrated service delivery model that integrates the following three core components: Financial Coaching, Workforce Development, and Access to Income Supports. MAOF began operating the FOC in January 2018 and have been excited to shift the way their programs have been delivered.

MAOF’s mission is to provide for the socio-economic betterment of the greater Latino community of California while preserving the pride, values, and heritage of Mexican-American culture. This is accomplished through programs in early and senior lifestyle development throughout the community. The Foundation works throughout the state of California but LA LISC is partnering with them on their work throughout Southeast LA.

MAOF is excited about integrating financial coaching with their other programs, including their childcare program. They recently received an award from Union Pacific to begin their Bridges to Career Opportunities career pathway in the Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics sector. This organization has a long history of serving Latinos throughout California through their important work but the FOC model has allowed them to provide higher quality and more comprehensive services to their clients.

We are proud to work with MAOF because through their hard work of implementing the FOCs, they see how their clients are better equipped with the tools to go into a living wage job while enhancing their financial stability to grow their assets. Providing the tools to build wealth while growing an individual’s skills are all crucial to closing the racial wealth divide.

For all our FOCs, LA LISC provides financial capacity, technical assistance, data tracking through Salesforce, and a network of over 80 FOCs across the country. Click here to learn more about financial opportunity centers.

As a framework for income and wealth building programs in low-income communities, the Financial Opportunity Center model is designed to help low-income families increase their earnings and income, reduce financial transaction costs, and generate new wealth for themselves in their communities. The FOCs provides a point of entry to a broad range of employment services, income supports, and financial and asset building services. It seeks to fill vocational, educational, and financial service gaps, which help families earn more, keep more of what they earn, begin to build savings and assets, and move up the economic ladder. It provides three core services: employment services, financial education and coaching, and public benefit access to the surrounding community.

This work is made possible by the support of JP Morgan Chase.