Scaling Financial Development: Improving Outcomes and Influencing Impact

High-performing anti-poverty public sector programs and nonprofits are constantly improving services that address challenges faced by our nation’s poor and vulnerable populations. From volume-driven workforce development services, to case management-based domestic violence prevention programs, quality programs often examine their results against the investment it is making to achieve its mission.

All Work and No Pay

The Appleseed report highlights the chronic problem that New York's cash earners have in documenting their income for tax purposes. Because they cannot adequately document their income, these cash earners are too often denied the tax refunds and credits, including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), to which they are entitled. The Clinic estimates that each year, at least 90,000 New York City residents are denied the EITC because they cannot document their income to the satisfaction of the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. With the average New York State and New York City EITC being $596, this means that at least $53.64 million in tax credits are withheld from New York City residents each year.

Cash Value: How The Financial Clinic Puts Money into the Pockets of Working-Poor Families

How does one track the monetary quantification--"cash value"--of financial development services? The Clinic explores how its valuation of financial development strategies for the working-poor illustrates successful movement along their tractories and closer to achieving financial security.