Who We Are

Prosper helps low-income workers establish emergency savings. Our mission is to transform lives and give people financial security, hope, and long-term economic resilience.

Direct cash transfers are a powerful tool to fight poverty.

Giving cash recognizes low-income workers are capable of managing their own lives and empowers them with the dignity to make their own choices.

Cash has the largest and deepest evidence base of all anti-poverty programs (with over 1,000 studieson cash as a whole). Research confirms that direct cash transfers given to people in financial distress improves multiple dimensions of people’s lives.

Our cash giving focused on saving, investing, and asset accumulation, is a first of it’s kind matching program.

Why Matching Works

The hardest part of saving is starting.

A small reward can change a decision and a decision can change a life. Matching helps people take that first step.

Research shows that when people receive a match:

  • Participation in savings programs increases by ~4–6 percentage points

  • Total savings rise by hundreds of dollars per year

  • The biggest impact comes from helping people start saving at all

👉 Source: National Bureau of Economic Research,
https://nber.org/papers/w12447

👉 Source: Journal of Public Economics, https://sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004727270700031X

The problem with traditional matching

Most matching programs are tied to employers and retirement accounts.

That means:

  • Savings is locked up and unavailable until savers meet retirement age which could be decades away for young workers.

  • Traditional matching programs are not designed for emergency purposes. They are not liquid assets that can be accessed quickly.

  • Matching usually has a vesting schedule so all or part of match is is lost if workers resign and move jobs.

  • Low-income workers participate less than high income earners. Those who need it most are often left out.

👉 Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
https://bls.gov/osmr/research-papers/2008/ec080060.htm

Founder

Bryan Greenwood developed an interest in poverty and community service when he was a young missionary in South America. In 2020, he founded Sunday, a nonprofit organization helping small businesses in Africa and other low income communities with safe, affordable, zero-interest microloans void of usury. Previously, he worked as a banker specialized in commercial real estate.

Connect with Bryan on LinkedIn.