Eric Weaver founded Opportunity Fund (now Accion Opportunity Fund) in 1994. Under Eric’s leadership Opportunity Fund grew to become the nation’s largest non-profit microlender to small businesses, with $250 million in loan originations and a loan portfolio under management exceeding $100 million. Opportunity Fund also led a pioneering microsavings program, successfully deployed over $285 million in New Markets Tax Credit allocations, and $110 million in affordable housing loans.
Beginning in September 2017, Eric moved into a new role as a Senior Advisor to Opportunity Fund’s CEO, in which he continues to work on forging partnerships, attracting new investments and charting overall strategy.
Eric received the inaugural James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award for his innovative approach to eliminating poverty in California. Prior to starting Opportunity Fund, Eric served as a relief worker in El Salvador, and as a community organizer and affordable housing developer in Washington, D.C. He has an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Eric and his wife Sarah are raising their two children San Francisco.
Eric Weaver is a member of the Job Quality Fellowship Class of 2018-19. To learn more about the Job Quality Fellows, visit as.pn/jobquality.
The Job Quality Fellowship is part of the Economic Opportunity Fellows Network, a network of leadership and fellowship programs run by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program. Within this Network, EOP connects national and local leaders from across sectors — nonprofit, government, business, philanthropy, academia, and more — to advance policies and practices with the potential to help low- and moderate-income Americans thrive in today’s economy. Learn more at as.pn/eofn.
Bio updated September 2018.