Center for Accelerating Financial Equity Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- Only 40% of its spending went to programs.
- Raising each dollar of donations cost 86 cents.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
CAFE ADVANCES FINANCIAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS FOR LOW- TO MODERATE-INCOME (LMI) INDIVIDUALS BY SUPPORTING FINTECH INNOVATION AND PARTNERSHIPS. THROUGH OUR FLAGSHIP CAFE FINTECH ACCELERATOR AND STRATEGIC INITIATIVES, WE EMPOWER TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS AND COMPANIES THAT UPLIFT FINANCIAL WELL-BEING, UNLOCK MARKET POTENTIAL, AND HELP TO BUILD A FINANCIAL SYSTEM THAT EMPOWERS INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES TO THRIVE.
- Income
- $188,250
- Spending
- $492,888
- Spent on programs
- 40%
- Reserves
- 13 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 98%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 3
- Highest pay
- $200,004, managing director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 55 out of 100. Higher than 25% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, under $250k).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 13.0 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 162% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 79% on the year before.
Spending floor
0 of 1540% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 86 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 92 out of 100. Higher than 86% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, under $250k).
Independent board
18 of 253 of 4 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $197,939 spent. CAFE HAS A MISSION TO ADVANCE FINANCIAL WELLNESS FOR LOW- TO MODERATE- INCOME (LMI) PEOPLE THROUGH SUPPORTING FINTECH INNOVATION AND PARTNERSHIPS.SUPPORTING TECHNOLOGY STARTUPS - CAFE DELIVERED ACCELERATOR AND ECOSYSTEM PROGRAMMING DESIGNED TO CONNECT FINTECH STARTUPS WITH FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, INDUSTRY LEADERS, AND INVESTORS. THESE PROGRAMS HELP EARLY-STAGE COMPANIES REFINE THEIR SOLUTIONS, ACCESS POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS, AND SCALE TECHNOLOGIES THAT IMPROVE FINANCIAL OUTCOMES FOR LMI INDIVIDUALS. CAFE RECENTLY LAUNCHED A FOUNDERS CIRCLE PROGRAM FOR EARLIER STAGE COMPANIES AND HAS AN ALUMNI NETWORK TO CONTINUE SUPPORTING STARTUP COMPANIES FOR THEIR FULL JOURNEYS AS THEY GROW THEIR BUSINESSES AND IMPACT. IN 2025, CAFE SUPPORTED 18 ADDITIONAL COMPANIES, FOR A TOTAL OF 30 COMPANIES SUPPORTED THAT HAVE PRODUCTS IN MARKET ESTIMATED TO REACH 16.7M PEOPLE.THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT - CAFE LED INITIATIVES TO INCREASE AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE FINANCIAL CHALLENGES FACING LMI POPULATIONS. THROUGH CONVENINGS, PARTNERSHIPS, AND CONTENT, CAFE PROMOTED THE ADOPTION OF INNOVATIVE FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS AND STRENGTHENED COLLABORATION ACROSS THE FINANCIAL SERVICES ECOSYSTEM. CAFE HOSTED MULTIPLE EVENTS AND A CONFERENCE TO BRING TOGETHER THE COMMUNITY BUILDING THE FUTURE OF FINANCIAL SERVICES THAT WORK BETTER FOR LMI PEOPLE.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since July 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.