FHLBank San Francisco

Member Spotlight | 2024 Impact Report

Axos Bank: Leveraging Membership to Augment Support for Community Partners

Axos Bank, a member of FHLBank San Francisco since 2000, is committed to establishing partnerships with organizations, businesses, and individuals within their communities. Their philosophy of community involvement is demonstrated in the time and energy their employees devote each year to community service activities.

Among the benefits of membership at FHLBank San Francisco for Axos Bank is being able to access AHEAD economic development grants to augment their own support for local community organizations.

Kitchens for Good is using food as the driver to change lives through culinary education, job training, social enterprise, and food business entrepreneurship. The nonprofit's training programs help people overcome barriers to employment by equipping them with skills for careers in the culinary and hospitality industries, as well as the life skills they need to launch meaningful careers and move forward in life. The organization’s microenterprise program supports individuals build and grow small businesses.

“Access to the AHEAD grant program allows us to support our community in creating economic development through job opportunities for unemployed individuals facing barriers to employment, such as prior mental health issues or history of foster care.”

Manuel Cardoso

SVP, Fair Lending Officer, Axos

Axos Bank’s partnership with Kitchens for Good for more than 10 years is part of the institution’s robust CRA program, through which Axos has provided both grants to the nonprofit and volunteer hours. In 2024, Axos Bank delivered $75,000 in AHEAD grant funding that will enable Kitchens for Good to provide stipends and training wages for apprentices and support staff salaries.

Axos is tracking the impact of the AHEAD grant on a quarterly basis, to measure how the funding is enabling Kitchens for Good to reach specific goals. As of its second quarterly reporting, the nonprofit has directly served 48 individuals, and even more people are served indirectly, because the entrepreneurs in that cohort have the potential to create 63 jobs by building microenterprises employing three more people.

Looking at those results broadly, already the economic boost generated by the AHEAD grant is helping 60 families, which, in turn, helps to stabilize and revitalize a local community.

Read more of our Member Stories in our 2024 Impact Report.