As we turned the corner into 2015 our economy was thriving — on paper. Since the end of the Great Recession, almost 12 million jobs have been created. But, average wages working Americans have dropped 23 percent. The strongest job growth these past few years has all been in low-wage work, at places like strip malls and fast-food restaurants. We hit a tipping point: middle-income households have become the minority in America for the first time since World War II. And communities of color fare even worse.
Frankly, as a nation, we’re better than this. It’s frustrating – but we’re not powerless here. We can do something about it.
In 2015, PCV continued to increase its small business lending over the year before, and began lending outside the Bay Area. We supported 50% more small businesses than in 2014. PCV Business Advising also continued on its massive national growth trajectory in 2015. We enabled 280 new matches between small business owners and pro bono advisors, breaking through 1,000 total enrolled businesses for the first time while improving participant satisfaction to the highest rates in the program’s history. We also had a high-profile partnership with Super Bowl 50.