Strengthening Vulnerable Families Teleconference: Helping Working Families Climb Out of Poverty
Date: March 18, 2008
Time: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT (
Each year, the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) lifts more than 4 million people out of poverty by putting thousands of dollars back in the pockets of working families. The EITC has been called one of the largest and most effective poverty-reduction programs in the nation.
In addition, today more than a quarter of U.S. families are asset-poor -- meaning if their income were disrupted, they would quickly fall below the poverty level without public assistance. While programs like EITC are important, to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty, asset poverty must be addressed.
On Tuesday, March 18, foundation trustees and staff, as well as representatives from nonprofit organizations, regional associations of grantmakers and philanthropic advisors joined a teleconference to learn how foundations work to ensure more low-income families receive the Earned Income Tax Credit and how they support strategies which promote asset creation, accumulation, retention and protection.
Our presenters were Amanda Feinstein, Senior Program Officer for Economic Security at the The Walter & Elise Haas Fund and Mary Hunt-Lieving, Senior Program Officer at the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.
Here are some highlights of what they shared:
Lessons Learned about funding EITC Outreach and Asset-Building
- A little funding can go a long way. A grant of any amount can translate into meaningful results for an EITC outreach campaign.
- Measure outputs even if you can’t measure outcomes. You’ll get a sense of the impact of your investment
- Don’t forget public policy. We started with programmatic grants, and then added public policy to get the bigger bang for our dollars and extend our reach.
- It is important to have a broad view of the range of asset-building strategies we need in our communities to move families out of poverty.
Three ways to get involved in this issue at an entry level
- Find out how many people are eligible vs. how many people are receiving the Earned Income Tax Credit in your area – What is the gap?
- Research how people spend their Earned Income Tax Credit. It can help in our understanding the broader issues low-income working families face.
- Join the Asset Funders Network or the EITC Funders Network to get connected to others working on these issues.
- Click here to read 10 Ways to Get Involved in Family Economic Security
How can funders integrate EITC/Asset building into grant portfolio?
- Find the EITC/Asset niche in the areas you fund: whether it be economic development, collaboration, education, job training, or children, EITC and asset-building strategies can be integrated.
- Examine the partnerships you already have. If you work with women in the workforce or immigrants, you can fund an EITC outreach campaign targeting them.
- Find the person or people in your communities who are passionate about this field – a workforce developer, an EITC campaign leader, a family service provider - and invest in their work.
This teleconference was co-sponsored by the Asset Funders Network and the EITC Funders Network.
Return to Strengthening Vulnerable Families Events