Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Dave's ExtraCash product is characterized as exploitative payday lending with triple-digit APRs, with an example of 913% on a $50 advance and average APRs for similar California EWA providers between 315% and 348%.

ExtraCash accounts for 81% of the company's 1Q24 revenue. Dave's bank partner, Evolve Bank & Trust, received a Consent Order for discriminatory lending and a cease-and-desist order for deficient risk management and compliance. Tips comprised 22% of 2023 revenue, and the company's charitable donation scheme, which promotes meals for the hungry, is criticized for low actual donation amounts (10 cents per meal). The company's interface design is noted for using "dark patterns" that make it difficult to avoid fees and tips.

Honest & Fair Business

Dave Inc. has a Whistleblower and Complaint Policy, adopted July 30, 2025, which is available on its internal website and applies to all directors, officers, employees, independent contractors, and consultants.

The policy includes a non-retaliation clause for good faith reporting and states that reported violations will be investigated and appropriate action taken. The Board of Directors is comprised of a majority of independent directors, as per Nasdaq listing standards. Dave Inc. has an Anti-Corruption Policy, adopted July 30, 2025, which applies to all directors and employees and requires compliance with laws prohibiting bribery and corruption, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. However, the articles do not specify the frequency or effectiveness metrics of the anti-corruption training.

Kind to Animals

Dave Inc. (DAVE.US) operates as a financial services company, offering banking, credit, and cash advance services. Its core business model does not involve animals, animal products, animal testing, animal husbandry, or animal agriculture. Therefore, all KPIs related to these activities are not applicable to the company's direct operations, resulting in a tier of 0. While Dave Inc. partners with Trees for the Future, a nonprofit focused on reforestation

, the provided evidence does not include measurable biodiversity impact or species recovery metrics required for a positive score in wildlife conservation. Additionally, Dave Inc.'s public policy engagement is focused on consumer financial health , not animal welfare. The extensive animal welfare philanthropy by the company's founders, Dave and Cheryl Duffield, through Maddie's Fund and The Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation , is attributed to the founders and their foundations, not directly to Dave Inc. as a corporate entity.

No War, No Weapons

The provided articles explicitly state that no sustainability data, or information relevant to arms sales, peacebuilding, or conflict-related metrics, is available for Dave Inc.

Therefore, it is impossible to assess the company against any of the defined KPIs for the 'No War, No Weapons' ethical value.

Planet-Friendly Business

No sustainability data for DAVE.US (Dave Inc.) is available in the provided articles.

explicitly states that sustainability data is currently unavailable for DAVE. The other articles discuss general industry trends or provide data for different companies (Dave & Buster's, H5 Data Centers), which are not applicable to DAVE.US.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

Dave Inc. has established 3 formal partnerships with non-profit organizations focused on community support: Feeding America, Baby2Baby, and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

The company has made over $21 million in lifetime contributions to charitable causes, with more than $21 million directed to Feeding America over the past five years. A $1 million donation was made to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank in April 2025. Dave operates as a fully virtual company, with employees working from anywhere in the U.S. (excluding Hawaii).

Safe & Smart Tech

Dave Inc. experienced a significant data breach in June 2020, which exposed the personal data of approximately 3 million individuals, including names, emails, birth dates, phone numbers, physical addresses, passwords, and social security numbers.

This breach occurred through a former business partner's network, and the exposed data was subsequently published on a hacking forum. While this incident falls outside the 3-year window for negative scoring, the company has not reported any further breaches affecting its direct systems within the past three years. Dave states it uses industry-standard encryption for data in transit and at rest. Its information security program includes administrative, technical, and physical measures, and systems are periodically audited for security flaws. The company maintains applicable PCI DSS requirements. Following the 2020 breach, Dave reset all customer passwords and advised users to enable two-factor authentication (2FA), which is available for its services. However, the company agreed to implement additional data security measures for at least five years following a settlement approval related to the 2020 breach. Dave collects sensitive personal information, including social security numbers and biometric data, and uses third-party providers like Plaid and Galileo to gather financial data. While it states it does not currently sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising as defined by CCPA, it retains personal data for at least the time required by applicable laws. Users have rights to deletion, correction, and to know about data handling under CCPA, but personally identifiable financial information is subject to GLBA. The company's privacy policy was last updated in September 2025. There is no evidence of specific cybersecurity investment percentages, comprehensive privacy certifications beyond PCI DSS, or detailed information on AI ethics, audits, or algorithmic transparency.