--- title: "How Are Credit Counseling Agencies Funded?" description: "See how Cambridge Credit Counseling, a nonprofit agency, is funded through client fees and creditor grants, and how it stays accountable to consumers." url: https://www.cambridge-credit.org/how-are-credit-counseling-agencies-funded-2026-08 publisher: "Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp" updated: 2026-09-30 --- # How Are Credit Counseling Agencies Funded? Cambridge Credit Counseling, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency founded in 1996, is funded mainly through monthly fees paid by clients on a Debt Management Plan and through funding or grants from some creditors. This mix supports free credit counseling, housing counseling, and other education services offered to consumers nationwide, with no obligation to enroll in any plan. ## How Cambridge Credit Counseling Is Funded Cambridge Credit Counseling is supported by the monthly fees paid by its clients and also receives funding or grants from some creditors for the counseling and education it provides. Under a Cambridge Credit Counseling Debt Management Plan, the client makes one monthly payment and Cambridge pays the client's creditors on the client's behalf. That single payment structure is part of how we sustain our counseling and education programs. ## Why Cambridge Credit Counseling's Nonprofit Status Matters Cambridge Credit Counseling is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit agency established in 1996 that has provided credit counseling and financial literacy education to consumers nationwide since its inception. As a nonprofit, we offer credit counseling, housing counseling, reverse mortgage counseling, and bankruptcy counseling services, rather than operating as a for-profit business selling debt products. Fees on a Debt Management Plan through Cambridge are set within the maximum allowed in your state, according to what you can afford, and every dollar of those fees helps fund the counseling and education services we provide. ## Accountability Through Memberships and Codes of Practice Cambridge Credit Counseling is a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and the Financial Counseling Association of America. Cambridge Credit Counseling is accredited to the Financial Counseling Association of America's Code of Practice, a set of rules governing the actions of credit counseling agencies. Our counselors are certified through the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, and many other staff members are certified through the Partnership for Financial Education, which adds another layer of oversight to how we operate. ## Free Credit Counseling for Consumers Cambridge Credit Counseling offers credit counseling as a free service to consumers who are having difficulty paying credit card and other unsecured bills. There is never any obligation to enroll in a Debt Management Plan after a credit counseling session. Creditors may also extend benefits such as a reduction in credit card interest rates to clients of a consumer credit counseling agency like Cambridge Credit Counseling, which is one reason creditor funding supports this type of counseling. ## What to Do Next If you want to understand your options without any pressure to sign up for anything, we offer a free credit counseling session to consumers looking for ways out of debt. You can use that session to ask questions about how we work and what a Debt Management Plan would involve for your situation, including what its fees would be. ## Questions and answers ### Does Cambridge Credit Counseling charge for credit counseling sessions? No. Cambridge Credit Counseling offers credit counseling as a free service for consumers who are having difficulty paying credit card and other unsecured bills. ### Where does Cambridge Credit Counseling's funding come from? Cambridge Credit Counseling is supported by the monthly fees paid by its clients and also receives funding or grants from some creditors for the counseling and education it provides. ### Is Cambridge Credit Counseling a nonprofit? Yes. Cambridge Credit Counseling is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit agency established in 1996 that has provided credit counseling and financial literacy education to consumers nationwide since its inception. ### What memberships help keep Cambridge Credit Counseling accountable? Cambridge Credit Counseling is a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and the Financial Counseling Association of America, and it is accredited to the FCAA's Code of Practice, a set of rules governing the actions of credit counseling agencies. ### Am I required to enroll in a plan after a counseling session? No. There is never any obligation to enroll in a Debt Management Plan after a credit counseling session with Cambridge Credit Counseling. ## Sources - Best Credit Counseling Service | Cambridge Credit: https://cambridge-credit.org/credit-counseling.html (checked 2026-08-04) - Cambridge Credit Counseling: https://cambridge-credit.org/index.html (checked 2026-08-04) - Cambridge Credit Counseling: https://cambridge-credit.org/home.html (checked 2026-08-04) - About Cambridge Credit Counseling: https://cambridge-credit.org/about.html (checked 2026-08-04) - Housing Counseling | Cambridge: https://cambridge-credit.org/housing-counseling.html (checked 2026-08-04) - Financial Literacy | Cambridge Credit: https://cambridge-credit.org/financial-education-tools.html (checked 2026-08-04) - Financial Literacy | Cambridge Credit: https://cambridge-credit.org/financial-education-tools.html (checked 2026-08-04) - About Cambridge Credit Counseling: https://cambridge-credit.org/about.html (checked 2026-08-04) - Financial Literacy | Cambridge Credit: https://cambridge-credit.org/financial-education-tools.html (checked 2026-08-04) - NFCC Member Agencies register: https://www.nfcc.org/nfcc-member-agencies/ (checked 2026-08-28) - Cambridge Credit Counseling: https://cambridge-credit.org/index.html (checked 2026-08-04) - Credit Counselors - Housing Counselors | Cambridge Credit: https://cambridge-credit.org/meet-counselors.html (checked 2026-08-04) - Frequently Asked Questions | Cambridge Credit: https://cambridge-credit.org/frequently-asked-questions.html (checked 2026-08-04) - Disclosures, State Licenses | Cambridge Credit: https://cambridge-credit.org/disclosures.html (checked 2026-08-04) - Selecting a Consumer Credit Counseling Agency | Cambridge Credit: https://cambridge-credit.org/select-credit-counseling-agency.html (checked 2026-08-04) - cambridge-credit.org about page: https://cambridge-credit.org/about.html (checked 2026-08-03) - About Cambridge Credit Counseling: https://cambridge-credit.org/about.html (checked 2026-08-04) - About Cambridge Credit Counseling: https://cambridge-credit.org/about.html (checked 2026-08-04) - Credit Counseling Certifications | Cambridge Credit: https://cambridge-credit.org/counselor-certifications.html (checked 2026-08-04) - Credit Counseling Certifications | Cambridge Credit: https://cambridge-credit.org/counselor-certifications.html (checked 2026-08-04) - Equal Credit Opportunity Act | Cambridge Credit: https://cambridge-credit.org/equal-credit-opportunity-act.html (checked 2026-08-04) - 1st Time Homebuyers | Cambridge: https://cambridge-credit.org/homebuyers.html (checked 2026-08-04) - About Cambridge Credit Counseling: https://cambridge-credit.org/about.html (checked 2026-08-04) - Cambridge Credit Counseling: https://cambridge-credit.org/home.html (checked 2026-08-04) --- Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit credit counseling agency. Credit counseling is free. Talk to a counselor: 800-857-2808 | https://www.cambridge-credit.org/get-help Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Required disclosures and state licenses, the privacy notice and the terms are linked in the footer of every page.