Evaluation and Technical Assistance
Community-based programs have been effective over the years in stabilizing the lives of vulnerable individuals and families. These organizations increasingly recognize the importance of programs targeting asset building as part of a longer-term approach to addressing poverty. Engaging in development of pilot programs and evaluations of program effectiveness aid in the development of innovative new approaches to asset building.
Through evaluation, applied research, and technical assistance, the Institute promotes the capacities, resources, and leadership of community-based programs and nonprofit partnerships that seek to advance asset formation services. IASP's efforts assist programs in scaling up these efforts across communities, states, and regions. The Institute's recent partners include:
- Compass Working Capital
- Massachusetts Association for Community Action, Inc. (MASSCAP)
- Partnership for College Completion
Compass Working Capital’s Financial Stability and Savings Program
Compass Working Capital, a small innovative CBO, was selected for funding by Strategic Grant Partners of Boston, MA, to implement an experimental asset-building approach to the HUD Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program for recipients of housing vouchers in Lynn, MA. IASP is developing and implementing the process and outcome evaluations and the preliminary cost/benefit analysis for this pilot FSS program. The multi-year evaluation focuses on how families use this opportunity to move toward economic stability, positive impacts sustained after program graduation, and the cost-effectiveness of taking the program to scale.
Compass Financial Stability and Savings Program Pilot Evaluation, Year 1, November 2011
Compass Financial Stability and Savings Program Pilot Evaluation, Year 2, April 2013
Massachusetts Association for Community Action, Inc. (MASSCAP)
IASP has teamed up with MASSCAP to expand asset formation opportunities for low-income families across Massachusetts. The MASSCAP Asset Formation Initiative’s strategy is to expand free tax preparation assistance, financial literacy education, and other asset formation services for low-income people through its statewide network of community action agencies and other partners. The Institute has provided training for agency staff and is designing and implementing assessment processes at ten pilot sites that will provide ongoing feedback in the implementation phase and be used to report outcomes as the project progresses. Lessons learned from these assessments will aid MASSCAP in scaling up and replicating successful asset formation practices in the 24 community action agencies across the state. (See the most recent report, VITA – More than Tax Prep, July 2010.)
Partnership for College Completion
IASP and the Heller School’s Center for Youth and Communities are conducting a process evaluation and providing recommendations for a long-term evaluation of the Partnership for College Completion Pilot Initiative, an effort to increase college attendance and graduation rates among low-income and minority youth. Jointly sponsored by United Negro College Fund (UNCF), Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED), and KIPP Charter Schools, the pilot initiative combines college awareness and financial literacy education with establishment of college savings accounts and access to scholarships for middle and high school students in KIPP schools in four cities.