Financial Independence After Abuse: How FinAbility Is Changing the Game for Survivors
Real change occurs when we listen, truly listen, to survivors and those working alongside survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) every day. That’s the heart of our Ask the Expert series: a chance to tell the stories, insights, and hard-won wisdom of people working to combat IPV in all its forms.
In this feature, we hear from our friend and partner Stacy Sawin, FinAbility Founder and CEO, about economic empowerment being the key to lasting safety after abuse.
Stacy Sawin
Founder + CEO, FinAbility
What if budgeting could be a form of healing? What if the path to safety required more than just escape, but real economic freedom? And what if survivors didn’t have to choose between rebuilding their lives and hiding their truth?
For most survivors of intimate partner violence, financial abuse is not just a byproduct of other forms of harm. It is a deliberate, central tactic of control.
Job opportunities sabotaged. Bank accounts emptied. Dreams delayed or destroyed.
That’s where Stacy Sawin and her organization, FinAbility, come in.
A survivor herself, Stacy founded FinAbility to remove one of the most powerful tools an abusive person can use: financial control. Based in Portland, Oregon, Stacy is the Founder and CEO of FinAbility, working to scale trauma-informed, low-barrier financial tools and education for survivors nationwide. Her goal? Support 500,000 survivors annually by 2030, and build a financial system that no longer leaves survivors behind.
“It’s your story. Feel free to hit ’em with a plot twist.”
One of Stacy’s favorite quotes is about rewriting your narrative, no matter who told you it had to go a certain way.
“It can take so much courage to leave what no longer serves you and venture into the unknown,” she says. “Whether it's leaving an abusive relationship or launching a new business, I love the idea of everyone feeling empowered to defy expectations in order to realize the best life for themself.”
How FinAbility was born
“As the CEO of FinAbility, it's my job to ensure FinAbility's mission to financially empower survivors of domestic abuse is carried out effectively and in alignment with our values of humility, integrity, and courage.”
What drew Stacy to this work is personal, and then became public. In 2021, at FinAbility’s launch party, she stood in front of her family, friends, and future FinAbility partners and said something out loud for the first time:
“I gave a speech and publicly identified as a survivor.”
“I knew I was ready, but it took everything in me not to break down in tears as I said the words. Later, I realized what I was feeling was immense relief. I no longer felt like an imposter – questioning whether my experience ‘was bad enough’ – or like I had to hide in shame. It was healing, freeing, and it continues to shape the way I show up for other survivors.”
That moment affirmed for Stacy that “trust, healing, and empowerment are essential foundations for building financial stability”. These are the values centered in everything FinAbility does.
Survivor-led, survivor-built
The FinAbility team isn’t just serving survivors, they’re building with them.
Their team includes:
An 8-person Survivor Advisory Board (100% survivors)
A 3-person staff (100% survivors)
A 10-person Board of Directors (60% survivors)
Partner financial institutions, direct service providers, and volunteers
“Together, we're building bridges between the financial sector and domestic violence nonprofits to strengthen our collective capacity to end abuse.”
When budgeting becomes self-care
One survivor’s wisdom still echoes in Stacy’s mind:
“Self-care isn’t just massages, bubble baths, or candles — it’s anything that’s healing and restorative, even if it doesn’t feel easy or relaxing in the moment.”
“For her, budgeting became a form of self-care. Sitting down with her finances gave her clarity, a sense of control, and hope for the future. While it wasn’t always enjoyable in the moment, it was exactly what she needed to support her healing that day. That reframing has stuck with me—and continues to shape how we talk about financial wellness with survivors.”
Innovation meets integrity
Leading a survivor-focused nonprofit isn’t without tension. Stacy shares that one of the more challenging parts of her role is the balancing act:
“Balancing the role of change agent while honoring and uplifting the critical services that have supported survivors for decades. Driving innovation while respecting the foundation built by others requires care, humility, and ongoing collaboration.”
One of the most rewarding aspects is creating opportunities for healing.
“Staff, volunteers, and members of our Survivor Advisory Board have shared that using their lived experience to empower others has been deeply meaningful and healing — and I’m so grateful to help create those spaces.”
Why Stacy believes in myPlan
FinAbility and myPlan share a core belief: meet survivors where they are — emotionally and logistically.
“We love how low-barrier myPlan is! For someone who isn’t ready to share their story, having a free, safe, and anonymous tool they can access online is a complete game changer.”
“It meets survivors where they are—both literally and emotionally—and we’re so grateful for that thoughtful, trauma-informed approach.”
What Stacy wants everyone to know about intimate partner violence
“Intimate partner violence can happen to anyone,” Stacy says. “And there's no shame in being a survivor. It doesn't mean you're dumb, gullible, or weak.”
“Abuse is about power and control, not personal failure.”
Final words from myPlan
Every survivor deserves tools that are respectful, empowering, and actionable. FinAbility is building exactly that, pairing financial education with compassion and a clear commitment to systemic change. Stacy Sawin’s work is not just about improving credit scores or balancing budgets. It is about restoring choice, expanding opportunity, and making freedom tangible.
Learn more about Stacy Sawin and her company FinAbility
Stacy Sawin is the CEO and Founder of FinAbility, a survivor-led nonprofit working to financially empower people impacted by domestic abuse. Based in Portland, Oregon, she draws on her lived experience and background in social innovation to create low-barrier, trauma-informed financial tools. Stacy leads a team committed to bridging the gap between the financial sector and survivor support systems nationwide.
Learn more about FinAbility and how to get involved:
Learn more or download the myPlan app:
