Good Credit is Good for Everyone.
Credit impacts all our lives: it can determine where we live, where we work, what we can buy, and even how much we pay for goods and services. This is especially true in neighborhoods that have historically faced systemic discrimination. The first city-wide initiative focused on credit, Boston Builds Credit is empowering families to build credit, create wealth, and remove barriers to success. For us, credit building is more than raising individual scores: it’s a movement to advance racial and economic justice. Learn more about how credit works and how it can work for you.
The Need in Boston
Boston has one of the highest inequality rates in the country. If we're going to close that gap, we have to improve access to credit. As the first city-wide initiative that's focused on credit, Boston Builds Credit is building a movement to bring financial justice, equal opportunity and economic dignity to all.
Learn about how credit works
Understanding credit can give us power over our lives and our futures. Credit is about more than just building wealth, it’s about caring for our families. But how does it really work? What factors go into creating a credit score? Find out.
Connect with a Financial Coach
Our network of financial coaches will work with you to build your credit, fix any problems you might have, and create a plan to help you reach your goals. Book an appointment and get started now!
Find the Resources You Need
Our 25+ community partners have helped bring together all of the credit-building resources you need to do everything from accessing and understanding your credit report to keeping your credit safe during COVID-19. Learn More.
Get Started
Credit building can make a positive difference in your life and the lives of your neighbors, so let's get started.Boston Builds Credit is mobilizing a movement
to make credit work for everyone.
Drawing together partners from all sectors of the community, we’re helping Boston residents achieve a prime credit score, build wealth, and remove barriers to success. And we’re working with the credit system to level the playing field and improve the financial health of every community in Boston. Below are a few things that can help you get started quickly on your journey to good credit. To see our complete collection of free credit-building resources, visit our Resources section.
Credit disparities increase racial wealth gap.
A recent article entitled Giving Credit Where It’s Due by Kimberly Atkins Stohr of Boston Globe’s The Emancipator, states ” with credit scoring, a system developed in the 1970s and implemented in the 1980s ostensibly as a neutral way of weighing credit worthiness, its impact on the racial wealth gap is crystal clear”
Boston’s unique coaching network.
Did you know that in Boston, there’s a network of nonprofit agencies that offers free or low-cost coaching to help you set and achieve your financial goals? It’s all part of our goal to ensure that everyone in our city has a shot at the life they want. Get started with a coach here.
Learn the basics of credit.
The pandemic has created many challenges for Boston residents, from job losses to food insecurity to fraud and identity theft. Here are some credit basics that can help keep you protected during these uncertain times.
Attend a workshop.
At an introduction to credit building workshop, you will learn the basics of why credit matters, what a credit score is, how it is calculated, and how to start building your credit. Our partners also offer workshops on related topics like homebuyer readiness, budgeting, and student loans. Find a workshop that works for you.
Our Stories
Boston Builds Credit is a Joint Initiative of
