Prior Initiatives
| Economic & Community Development
Newsletters
| Economic & Community Development, Featured, Housing, Workforce Development
- Newsletters
- | Economic & Community Development, Featured, Housing, Workforce Development
As the “Safer at Home” orders went into effect in Los Angeles in mid-March, Accelerator for America, in partnership with the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles, and Mastercard City Possible, created and implemented a direct financial assistance to serve Los Angeles residents whose livelihoods were hardest-hit by the pandemic, including low-wage hourly workers who had jobs in homes and restaurants, seasonal workers, day laborers, street vendors, and self-employed individuals.
Since its inception, the “Angeleno Card” program has distributed more than $36 million in assistance via 37,000+ prepaid debit cards — “Angeleno Cards” — to help more than 100,000 Los Angeles residents. The program facilitates local fundraising and delivers the donations directly to families most in need, ensuring the rapid deployment of aid and secure access for the unbanked.
Interested in learning more about how this model could be adapted in your city? Let us know!
Based on the success of the the Angeleno Card program in Los Angeles, the model is now being adapted in 10 additional communities — two states and eight cities — thanks to funding from the Open Society Foundations. This expansion project was highlighted during John Legend and Family: A Bigger Love Father’s Day special that was broadcast nationally on ABC.
