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LOCAL PARTNERSS
AARP Tax-Aide
AARP Tax-Aide helps taxpayers with middle and low-incomes, with special attention to those age 60 and older. It offers tax counseling, frequently asked tax questions, program information, volunteer opportunities, and, from February 1 to April 15, the locations of free Tax-Aide tax filing sites nationwide. AARP Tax-Aide provides 24-hour year-round Internet tax counseling service at its web site. Taxpayers can pose questions online and get quality-reviewed answers back within a few business days. Interested volunteers with web access can sign up online at the website.
Associations for Community Reform Now (ACORN)
ACORN, in partnership with the IRS, provide free tax prep sites around the country. Their website includes site locations and FAQs about free tax preparation.
National Community Tax Coalition
Drawing on the experience and materials developed by the Center For Economic Progress’ Tax Counseling Project in Illinois and hundreds of community tax preparation programs, this site features a resource library to assist organizations to operate free tax preparation programs, carry out EITC outreach, and serve immigrant taxpayers. A “Program Locator” provides state-by-state information on free tax preparation programs. Sign up for the listserv to receive regular updates on the EITC.
National League of Cities, An Action Kit for Municipal Leaders: Helping Working Families
This online action kit describes steps that mayors, city council members, and other municipal leaders can take to help working families by developing outreach campaigns to claim federal benefits like the EITC. It suggests how to get started, describes proven outreach strategies, and offers background information and additional resources.
RESEARCH / TOOLS
Annie E. Casey Foundation, National Tax Assistance for Working Families Campaign
The Annie E. Casey Foundation established the National Tax Assistance for Working Families Campaign. The campaign seeks to build the capacity of participating local campaigns and to increase national attention to the importance of the EITC, free or low-cost tax preparation services, and asset development for low-income working families. This website provides valuable information and resources to campaign site leaders, volunteers, policymakers, advocates and the general public .
Brookings Institution, Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy
Available state and local data on the number of EITC claims filed and refund dollars received can be used effectively to generate support for EITC initiatives. Several reports using such data that can assist outreach efforts are available at this website. It includes an "Interactive Site," from which data on EITC claims by zip code can be obtained for tax years 1997 through 2003. It provides guidance on calculating local estimates of the number of eligible tax filers who don't claim the EITC and the amount of EITC refund dollars communities may be missing.
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "Make Tax Time Pay" Community Outreach Kit
This Kit provides a guide to outreach strategy on the EITC and Child Tax Credit, fact sheets and outreach tools such as flyers, posters and envelope stuffers to organizations planning to conduct community outreach efforts on tax credits for low- and moderate-income workers. The Kit is updated each year and distributed to over 20,000 organization. A free hard-copy of the Kit will be mailed to any organization which requests it. Requests for the Kit can be made at the website, which also provides translations of an outreach flyer in 19 languages other than English and Spanish.
They also have a list of EITC partnership organizations from the National EITC Partnership Website. The state list highlights the coalitions that are near each of your own organizations; additional information about the coalitions are available through the ‘state link’ on the web site.
Corporate Voices
The Corporate Voices for Working Families provides an EITC toolkit, electronically or available for print. The toolkit includes information on the actual program, EITC, promotion of the program, talking points and the best practices. The website also includes pamphlet, signs, paycheck stuffers and calendars available for order or to download. This information is primarily for the use of employers wishing to educate themselves and employees.
The Hatcher Group, State EITC On-Line Resource Center
The State EITC On-Line Resource Center provides ready access to research, resources and updated information about state Earned Income Tax Credits and efforts to enact the credit in particular states. It features a “50 State Resource Map”, providing a quick status report on each state's EITC or efforts to enact one, as well as a state contact for more information.
FINANCIAL LITERACY & ASSET BUILDING
The Benefit Bank
The Benefit Bank® (TBBTM) is a tool that connects communities to resources by providing a practical technological solution to the complex and cumbersome process by which low income households gain access to tax credits and public benefit programs. Developed for use by a wide range of community based, faith-based, governmental, job-training, healthcare or social service agencies, TBB can be part of a community-wide response to poverty. The Benefit Bank is currently available in Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, District of Columbia, and Maryland.
Corporation for Enterprise Development – CFED
CFED is a nonprofit organization that expands economic opportunity. Established in 1979 as the Corporation for Enterprise Development, CFED works to ensure that every person can participate in, contribute to, and benefit from the economy by bringing together community practice, public policy, and private markets. Access tools, resources and policy reports on IDAs and asset building strategies.
Center for Social Development
The Center for Social Development (CSD) is part of the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. The central theme in CSD’s work is research and policy development that will enhance the capacities of families and communities. Find resources on Individual Development Accounts and other asset building tools and policy here.
Consumer Action
In partnership with Capital One, Consumer Action provides the MoneyWi$e series which combines free multilingual financial education materials with community training seminars. The resources include: leader guides, PowerPoint presentations, training outlines, and attendee booklets. These tools are available to order or a PDF version is available in English online. In addition, there is a MoneyWi$e Best Practices Online newsletter, a quarterly publication, designed to bring you news, expert tips and success stories from financial educators nationwide who have used the MoneyWi$e materials in creative and innovative ways. Moneywi$e is a great resource to turn your free tax preparation service into a year-round asset development volunteer program. In addition, Consumer Action offers many more free publications that range from Health Care education to legal materials. Check out www.consumer-action.org for a complete list.
Go Direct
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Banks are sponsoring Go Direct, a campaign to motivate people who receive federal benefit checks to use direct deposit. The Treasury’s Financial Management Service and the Federal Reserve Banks are working with partners to implement the campaign. Partnerships with banks, credit unions, volunteer tax preparation sites, social service agencies, community-based groups, and other organizations are vital to the campaign’s success in communicating the Go Direct message. Learn how you can participate by visiting the Go Direct website.
MoneySmart
Developed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Money Smart is a training program to help adults outside the financial mainstream enhance their money skills and create positive banking relationships. The Money Smart curriculum helps individuals build financial knowledge, develop financial confidence, and use banking services effectively. The curriculum includes 10 modules on topics such as managing a checking account, key to savings, and owning your own home and is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.
National Consumer Law Center
The National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) is a national organization focused on helping consumers, their advocates, and public policy makers use powerful and complex consumer laws on behalf of low-income and vulnerable Americans seeking economic justice. The link provided leads to consumer guidebooks on financial literacy issues, including information on predatory lending and surviving debt.
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