What's New
Announcements from OFA
Assets for Independence, October 2009. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announces funds to support programs that empower low-income families to become economically self-sufficient for the long-term. Grantees provide financial education training on money management issues, and they assist participants with saving earned income in special matched savings accounts called Individual Development Accounts (IDAs). Participants use the IDAs to accumulate funds with the goal of acquiring a first home, postsecondary education, or starting up or expanding a small business. State governments, nonprofit, faith-based and community-based organizations, and DC government agencies are eligible to apply, and awards range up to $1,000,000. The deadlines to apply are January 15, 2010, March 25, 2010, and June 25, 2010. For additional information, please call the AFI Resource Center at (866) 778-6037 or email info@idaresources.org.
Research and Resources from the Field
Extending the EITC to Noncustodial Parents: Potential Impacts and Design Considerations, May 2009. From the Urban Institute, with funding from the Assistant Secretary for Planning, Research, and Evaluation, authors review the effects of extending the EITC to noncustodial parents. Currently, New York and D.C. have started to make the EITC available for low-income noncustodial parents who are working and paying child support, with the goal to encourage employment and consistent child support payments. This article outlines policy implications if a national noncustodial parent EITC was implemented.
A Prosperity Grid for North Carolina: Connecting Households and Communities to Economic Opportunity, June 2009. The North Carolina Assets Alliance authored this report on the state of North Carolina families and economic stability. Asset building can be a way to improve opportunities for families across the country. Specifically, in North Carolina, three million families are not banked or under-banked, and this paper outlines how communities and households can be strengthened through asset building.
Building Native Communities: A Tribal Leader’s Guide to Launching an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Campaign, 2009. From the First Nations Development Institute, with funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, this resource was developed to help tribal leaders build EITC campaigns in their communities. Authors provide an overview of the EITC, how the EITC can help support tribal communities and families, strategies that can be implemented to promote EITC uptake for this population, a timeline for EITC campaign implementation, and additional resources to support tribal leaders.
Evaluating Mentoring Programs, September 2009. From Public/Private Ventures, this resource brief is designed to provide program operators and researchers with advice about how to assess a program's implementation and impact with a focus on mentoring programs, in general. However, the information can be applied across social programs. Authors provide an overview of issues that can arise in implementation as well as evaluation of a program.
Poverty Numbers: Historical Rates by States and by Age, October 2009. The Urban Institute released these numbers, which include historical poverty rates nationally and State by State with an interactive map of poverty over the past 20 years. This Web page also provides an overview of poverty by age overtime.
Helping in Crisis: Government Assistance in Recession and Beyond, July 2009. This page provides an overview of the 49th National Association for Welfare Research and Statistics conference in Albany, N.Y, which was co-hosted by the Rockefeller Institute and the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. The conference included representatives from federal, state, and local government, from universities, and from the private and nonprofit sectors to discuss efforts to reduce poverty and increase self-sufficiency.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities Among Low-Income Families, August 2009. Across the country, low-income status varies significantly by race and ethnicity. Currently, 13.4 million families with children are below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, and 30 percent are Hispanic, 22 percent are black or African American, and 6 percent are other nonwhites. From the Urban Institute, this fact sheet provides statistics on racial and ethnic differences in family structure, work effort, nativity or immigration status, earnings, and education.