click to return to the Institute on Assets and Social Policy homepage Informing policies and practices that broaden wealth, reduce inequality, and improve the social and economic well-being of American households.

"I sat at my kitchen table every other week.  I make a list.  I never have enough to pay for everything on time.  I try to prioritize and rotate.  If I pay something, they will not turn me off.  I do this week after week, year after year."

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"For me financial stability is the comfort of knowing I have money to take care of any medical situation and put money into a college fund for my kids."

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"Being rich is not the same as being financially stable.  Being stable means you have a balance in your life."

 

--  Responses from discussion group participants

Research and Projects

Building State Asset Initiatives

Across the country, state and local collaborative initiatives are being formed to offer a multi-facet approach to asset building and generate support for a comprehensive asset policy agenda. These initiatives are building an infrastructure of understanding, commitment, and support backed by research and practical experience. Coalitions are forming and unifying diverse stakeholders such as elected officials, public agency staff, policy advocates, provider agencies, foundations, businesses, financial institutions, and community leaders behind a message with bi-partisan appeal.

RECENT PROJECTS
Massachusetts Asset Building Coalition (MassABC)

The Institute worked closely with key Massachusetts organizations and constituencies to launch the legislatively created Massachusetts Asset Development Commission. IASP served on the Commission, which presented its final recommendations for promising policy and programmatic changes to move families up the economic ladder in June 2009. With support from the Hyams Foundation, IASP conducted research and data analysis, coordinated community engagement, and prepared the Progress and Final Reports of the Commission. 

Through the efforts of the Massachusetts Asset Development Commission, groundwork was laid for an asset building agenda for Massachusetts. This agenda will continue to be an iterative process, combining administrative action, legislative proposals, stakeholder pressure, and advocacy where needed. IASP currently serves on the Steering Committee for the Massachusetts Asset Building Coalition (MassABC), a network of organizations working to transform the recommendations of the Commission in to a reality that promotes asset building opportunities for low and moderate income families in Massachusetts. 

The Institute's efforts in Massachusetts draw on it's prior experience launching an assets initiative in Illinois and on lessons learned from other states. Research documents developed by IASP summarize the activities of state level asset building initiatives in other states and analyze the asset formation role of over 40 policies in Massachusetts. 

For more information about this project, please contact Sandra Venner or phone 781-736-8688.

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State Asset Learning Project

The Institute is engaged by the C.S. Mott Foundation to support the development and implementation of the State Asset Building Coalitions Initiative. IASP is assisting the facilitation of an interactive process for the sharing of knowledge and advances in practice to strengthen the capacities of asset building practioners and advocates. The leaders of nine statewide coalitions are working with IASP and other research partners to analyze the effectiveness of practices and strategies in their states to help inform state and local asset building activities across the country and to address issues of scale and sustainability. IASP is analyzing and documenting the impact of these coalitions to assess the initiative's performance as well as the contributions of state coalitions to creating sustainable asset building policies. 

For more information about this project please contact Janet Boguslaw or phone 781-736-3738.

Related Research