This working paper from the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research examines the effects of receipt of the federal Pell Grant on future earnings of low-income students and a cost-benefit analysis for the program. Researchers found that Pell Grant…

This IMPAQ study for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy identifies trends in entrepreneurship programs in low-income communities by comparing the characteristics of self-employed workers and of small businesses (such as…

This Prosperity Now brief describes how three types of housing organizations have started to integrate financial capability services into their housing programs. Those housing organizations include affordable housing developers, public housing…

The Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund released the results of an evaluation of a three-year investment in free, one-on-one financial counseling to residents in five cities. This project was based on a model that originated in New York City, in…

This blog post from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau highlights recent research regarding teens in the U.S. and their level of financial literacy. The research results did show room to improve financial literacy among teens, but it also…

Almost half of American families are financially insecure, and financial capability programs have the potential to provide solutions. This brief from The Pew Charitable Trusts analyzes four different types of financial capability programs for…

Many American families experience significant shifts in income from one year to the next. These shifts, known as income volatility, make it difficult for families to balance paying expenses and planning for the future. This report from The Pew…

Many States offer low- and moderate-income families an additional Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in addition to the Federal EITC. In this brief from the University of New Hampshire Carsey School of Public Policy, the effect of these additional…

This report from Brookings discusses the impact of tax refunds—primarily the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Additional Child Tax Credit—on helping families out of poverty. Research indicates that the EITC benefits recipients in a variety of…

Commonwealth, an Annie E. Casey Foundation grantee, recently launched an incentive program to help Americans build savings through a program called Prize Savings. Prize Savings allows Walmart MoneyCard customers to enter monthly sweepstakes that…