Ripple and Accion Opportunity Fund win Bronze Anthem Award for "Unlocking Opportunity Together" campaign

Campaign sharing small business owners' stories recognized in the Campaign (Non-Profit) - Humanitarian Action & Services category by the 6th Annual Anthem Awards

SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Accion Opportunity Fund (AOF), a leading national nonprofit lender and advocate for underserved small businesses in the United States, and Ripple, the leading provider of blockchain-based enterprise solutions, today announced that "Unlocking Opportunity Together," a campaign sharing the stories of small business owners across the country, has won a Bronze Anthem Award in the Campaign (Non-Profit) category for Humanitarian Action & Services by the 6th Annual Anthem Awards.

"Unlocking Opportunity Together" shares, in small business owners' own words, what affordable lending and the Ripple Digital Leap Forward Accelerator have meant for their businesses. The integrated campaign spans a dedicated partnership website, video, social, email, earned media, and live events. It grew out of the AOF and Ripple partnership, which began with the largest donation ever from a fintech to a CDFI: Ripple's $15 million contribution to AOF, made in its RLUSD stablecoin. The partnership supported 1,568 loans, $104.2 million in funding, 3,943 jobs, $208.4 million in economic output, and 67,868 learners engaged.

"Before the program, I was just guessing at things," said Shandra Turner, founder of The Bougie Grazer in Atlanta, Georgia. "Now I can look at analytics and I know where to find them, and how to pivot. The accelerator really helped me with that."

Other small business owners featured on the campaign website include Sandwich Girl Cafe, TheraMotive, Bencasso, Apollo Office Systems, and Southside Mobile Veterinary Services.

"The most powerful way to show what access to capital makes possible is to let small business owners tell it themselves. We're grateful to Ripple and everyone on the team who worked so hard to bring their voices forward," said Elizabeth Ross-Ronchi, Chief Marketing, Product Strategy & Communications Officer at Accion Opportunity Fund.

Anthem Winners are selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. The 6th Annual Anthem Awards received more than 2,500 submissions from 43 countries worldwide, the organization's largest competition to date. Judges include Heather Malenshek, SVP & Chief Marketing Officer, Land O'Lakes, Inc.; Jonathan Adashek, SVP, Chief Global Affairs Officer, IBM; Megan Ranney, Dean, Yale School of Public Health; Mariko Silver, President and CEO, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; and Gwynne Gauntlett, Global Lead, Digital Giving + Engagement, United Nations Development Programme, among others. Honorees in the Campaign (Nonprofit) category for Humanitarian Action & Services include Doctors Without Borders, Habitat for Humanity International, World Food Program USA, and Petco Love.

"The work of social impact doesn't pause when conditions get harder, and this year's Anthem Winners proved it," said Anthem Awards General Manager, Patricia McLoughlin. "Facing new challenges, they kept building, kept organizing, and kept delivering for the people and causes they serve. They set a new standard for good, one defined as much by persistence as by results."

AOF and Ripple extend their thanks to the small business owners who shared their stories, the teams across both organizations, and the consultants, agencies, and supporters who helped bring the campaign to life.

To learn more about the campaign and the AOF-Ripple partnership, visit aofund.org/partnerships-ripple.

About Accion Opportunity Fund

As a leading national nonprofit small business lender and Treasury Department-certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), Accion Opportunity Fund provides affordable loans, free business advising, educational resources, and support networks to fuel long-term success. More than a lender, the organization champions underserved small business owners who are ready to grow, thrive, and build a better future. For over 30 years, Accion Opportunity Fund has expanded access to economic opportunity by creating pathways to both financial and knowledge capital.

About Ripple

Founded in 2012, Ripple is the leading provider of blockchain-based enterprise solutions across traditional and digital finance. Its solutions span global payments, custody, liquidity, and treasury management, serving as a one-stop shop for moving, storing, exchanging, and managing value. Ripple's stablecoin, RLUSD, and the cryptocurrency XRP underpinning these solutions allow Ripple and its customers to shape the modern financial system.

About The Anthem Awards

Launched in 2021 by The Webby Awards, The Anthem Awards recognizes impactful brands, nonprofits, and individuals that are setting the standard for good worldwide. The Anthem Awards honors work across seven core causes: Belonging & Inclusion; Education, Art & Culture; Health; Human & Civil Rights; Humanitarian Action & Services; Sustainability, Environment & Climate; and Technology. This season's partners and sponsors include NationBuilder, Sustainable Brands, NationSwell, The Bloom, the Social Innovation Summit and The Nonprofit Alliance. The Awards were founded in partnership with the Ad Council, Born This Way Foundation, Feeding America, GLAAD, Mozilla, NAACP, NRDC, WWF, and XQ.

About The Webby Awards

Hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites and Mobile Sites; Video & Film; Advertising, Media & PR; Apps, Software & Immersive; Social; Podcasts; Games; Creators and AI. Established in 1996, The Webby Awards received over 13,000 entries from all 50 states and over 70 countries worldwide this year. The Webby Awards are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include Adobe, WP Engine, Patreon, ElevenLabs, Framer, Meta, NAACP, KPMG, The Wall Street Journal, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, SXSW, The Podcast Show, and Authentic.

Media Contact

AOF: [email protected]

Ripple: [email protected]

SOURCE Accion Opportunity Fund