Operation HOPE, Inc. (HOPE) is a non-profit, public benefit organization, founded immediately following the civil unrest of April 29, 1992 in Los Angeles. HOPE is America’s leading provider of economic tools and services. HOPE is an effective facilitator, lender, advocate and educator for and on behalf of the other America.
Through a series of public/private partnerships and strategic alliances, HOPE has developed and implemented programs focused on connecting the minority community with mainstream, private sector resources, and empowering under-served communities. While HOPE is actively and directly involved in the communities it serves, the long range programmatic objective of HOPE is to literally “drive itself out of business.” HOPE desires to slowly transition out of direct program management, in areas such as lending, replacing the nonprofit with private sector providers. Further, HOPE desires to increase its direct support and involvement with community based non-profit organizations. HOPE brings together, under one organizational umbrella, some of the most talented, experienced and successful individuals that America has to offer, both from the minority and mainstream community.
HOPE seeks to bring true and sustaining “HOPE” to those living in the other America, reminding them always that they are important and necessary, advocating important positions on their behalf within City and State government, the halls of Congress, the Senate, and other government, legislative and regulatory bodies. HOPE seeks to create sustainable change within under-served communities by consistently promoting opportunity, self-esteem, self love, optimism and future aspiration. HOPE advocates the positive merits of inner-city communities to big business interests, encouraging them to, in the words of HOPE founder John Hope Bryant, provide “a hand up, and not simply a hand out,” and to “do well by doing good.” In communities it serves HOPE views the residents as customers, deserving of first class “customer service” and priority attention. In this regard HOPE believes that America has suffered far too long with two Americas; one served, bustling with economic, educational and social opportunity, utilizing all of the tools of a capitalist society (i.e. capital access, cutting edge technology, information services, and high level personal relationships), and one grossly under-served, overly dependent, and historically neglected by the private sector.
Operation HOPE seeks to make the development and “privatization of inner-city and under-served communities” a top priority; serving as a bridge and facilitator between mainstream and minority communities. The mission of HOPE is empowerment. The objective of HOPE’s work is life sustaining change, rooted in individual, vested interest. It does not promote either a “Great Society” or conservative bootstrap approach, but rather seeks to find the sensible middle ground in every situation, wherein both parties have an interest in the outcome. Over 3000 structures were burned or vandalized during the civil unrest of April, 1992 in Los Angeles, yet not one of those structures was a home. No doubt, society is at its greatest risk by those who have no participation in it. The mission of HOPE, through (1) partnership, (2) investment, (3) lending, (4) practical education, (5) technical assistance, (6) advocacy and outreach, is to “bridge the gap.
Operation HOPE is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
