Frank E. Crump is a CEO, entrepreneur, and advocate dedicated to empowering communities of color. He has been involved with over 30 nonprofits, including Fathers & Families Coalition of America, 100 Black Men, Wall Street Bound, and We Rise – Local First Arizona. With a diverse career spanning international defense, telecoms, startups, and nonprofits, he has worked tirelessly to create positive change. As the founder of UPI Education and UPI Loan Fund, he has focused on financial literacy, compassionate lending, and community empowerment, ensuring underserved communities gain access to the resources they need to thrive.
Tell us about your life before the venture/leading up to your venture?
Over several decades, I built a career in both the American and Asian business communities: from international defense and telecoms to start-ups and nonprofits. After living overseas for two decades, I moved back to the States in 2003 to fulfill a promise I made to the late, great football legend Jim Brown.
I joined his nonprofit, the Amer-i-Can Foundation, and helped him broker peace between rival Los Angeles gangs. I was able to revise his foundation’s curriculum to steer prison inmates and their families out of intergenerational cycles, but I found myself limited in the amount of positive change I could effect. This was because our programs were reaching individuals only after they became gang members and were locked up. It’s incredibly challenging to change negative behaviors and build new life skills for men and women in their mid-20s and beyond, so I became focused on proactive ways to reach at-risk youth earlier in life—before they’d become gang members and gotten arrested.
After a year at Amer-i-Can, Jim gave me his blessing to move on and start what became UPI Education (UPIE). In 2004, I launched UPIE with a talented board of advisers and turned it into an accredited school program that prepares fifth- through 12th-grade students to navigate life’s challenges and lead a purposeful life. On average, students who complete UPIE’s Life Skills Solutions program increase their GPA by 16.4% and reduce their absenteeism by 23.6%. While the program today is operated by UPIE’s partners, its mission continues to instill self-motivation, financial literacy, accountability, and other life skills in Gen Alpha and Gen Z.
Tell us something about your organization. What is it about, and how is it helpful for people?
In 2019, I learned that my sister had taken on four payday loans with interest rates and fees over 300%. I suddenly realized the need for compassionate lending in the Black community, so I explored how to equip my nonprofit, UPI Education, with a lending capability. Using the Jewish Free Loan program business model, I founded UPI Loan Fund (UPILF) in 2020 as an alternative to predatory lenders. Since then, we’ve partnered with community-minded organizations across America to provide not only financial wellness training but also much-needed low or no-interest loans to underserved communities and people of color nationwide.
What has been the response of the consumers towards your venture? (Please talk about your recognitions/achievements here.)
From families to entrepreneurs, we’ve seen the demand for our services grow year over year. We’ve enabled folks to buy their first home or start their first business—but we’ve also helped provide essentials like food, clothing, and medical services. While “compassionate lending” may just be a concept to some, for the single mom and two children who were able to move into a home or the Black female entrepreneur whose energy drink line is now on the shelves of Walmart—UPILF has changed their lives for the better.
Our track record of providing low- or no-interest consumer and business loans to underserved communities has led to our certification by the U.S. Department of Treasury as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). Receiving this designation is an important milestone that validates our team’s hard work and commitment to the compassionate-lending cause.
How has your life changed because of your venture?
I’ve long believed that equity begins where inequality ends, so it’s enormously gratifying to lead an organization that provides access to capital for women and communities of color. While my for-profit career evolved into a nonprofit path years ago, I never imagined how meaningful my work would become at this life stage. On any given day, you’ll find me leading a business seminar for the nonprofit We Rise in Arizona, meeting with potential donor-lenders for UPILF, or advocating for debt relief on behalf of America’s Black farmers. My life is equal parts rewarding and busy.
What are you working on right now?
As a founder, I’m constantly looking for new community-minded partners to expand UPILF’s capabilities across America. This year, we’ll officially announce our new partnership with MMG Capital Group (MMG) to underwrite and service our business loans of $50,000 and above. I’m especially proud of this strategic partnership because MMG is a minority-owned firm with 30 years of experience providing affordable business loans to small-, minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses in underserved communities.
Give a motivational message for the audience/women who are reading this.
Consider taking the path of servant leadership, which is all about listening, empowering, and growing your team. Whether you’re in the role of CEO of a multimillion-dollar company or leading a community program, schedule time to roll up your sleeves and help handle behind-the-scenes tasks. The most authentic leaders are all about giving credit and taking blame—not the other way around. Seeing your teams succeed in conditions that you’ve helped to nurture will bring you a sense of fulfillment that’s hard to match.
Social Links:
📷 Instagram: @upiloanfund
💼 LinkedIn: UPI Loan Fund
📘 Facebook: @upiloanfund
