FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Contact: Kenneth J. Wolfe
(202) 401-9215
Over $9.6 Million Awarded for Individual Development Account Projects
‘Assets for Independence’ Grants Support Innovative Self-Sufficiency Strategy for
Low-Income Families and Individuals
Thirty four Assets for Independence (AFI) program grants totaling $9,630,655 to fund financial education and provide economic support for low-income individuals and families across the nation were announced today by the Administration for Children & Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
“This program can be used as a stepping stone for low-income families to reach self-sufficiency and acquire long term goals such as homeownership, higher education and launching or supporting a business,” said Daniel C. Schneider, HHS acting assistant secretary for children and families.
AFI grants are administered by the Office of Community Services at ACF. Non-profit organizations and state, local and tribal governments are eligible to receive five-year grants of up to $1,000,000. Grant recipients assist participants with saving earned income in special-purpose accounts called Individual Development Accounts (IDAs). Every dollar saved up to a certain amount is matched by the AFI project. Currently, nearly 400 AFI projects are underway across the country and close to 60,000 families have saved earned income in IDAs supported by the AFI program.
“The Assets for Independence program is plowing new ground by empowering low-income individuals to be active participants in our economic system. Providing them with money management skills and access to matched savings accounts will enable them to make better decisions about their economic future,” said Josephine B. Robinson, director of ACF’s Office of Community Services.
Grant Recipient |
City |
State |
Award |
---|---|---|---|
AAA Fair Credit Foundation |
Salt Lake City |
UT |
$350,000 |
Advocates for Homeless Families, Inc. |
Frederick |
MD |
$50,000 |
Belmont Shelter Corporation |
Buffalo |
NY |
$148,650 |
Broward County Board of County Commissioners |
Oakland Park |
FL |
$222,500 |
Choanoke Area Development Association of NC, Inc. |
Northampton |
NC |
$125,000 |
City of High Point |
High Point |
NC |
$47,000 |
City of San Antonio |
San Antonio |
TX |
$250,000 |
Columbus Housing Initiative, Inc. |
Columbus |
GA |
$160,000 |
Cook Inlet Lending Center, Inc. |
Anchorage |
AK |
$233,000 |
Community Housing Development Corporation of North Richmond |
Richmond |
CA |
$69,000 |
Covenant Community Capital Corporation |
Houston |
TX |
$400,000 |
Earned Assets Resource Network |
San Francisco |
CA |
$1,000,000 |
Four Bands Community Fund, Inc. |
Eagle Butte |
SD |
$63,529 |
Goodwill Industries of San Antonio |
San Antonio |
TX |
$100,000 |
ISED Ventures |
Des Moines |
IA |
$111,765 |
Kentucky Domestic Violence Association, Inc. |
Frankfort |
KY |
$300,000 |
Mercy Housing and Human Development Inc. |
Gulfport |
MS |
$380,000 |
Montana HomeOwnership Network |
Great Falls |
MT |
$250,000 |
New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities |
Albany |
NY |
$1,000,000 |
North Carolina Department of Labor |
Raleigh |
NC |
$287,500 |
Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency |
Pontiac |
MI |
$132,352 |
Ohio CDC Association |
Columbus |
OH |
$725,000 |
Partners For Self-Employment, Inc. |
Miami |
FL |
$317,000 |
Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development |
Harrisburg |
PA |
$1,000,000 |
San Diego Housing Commission |
San Diego |
CA |
$150,000 |
Santa Cruz Community Credit Union |
Santa Cruz |
CA |
$75,000 |
The Center for Working Families, Inc. |
Atlanta |
GA |
$250,000 |
Umpoqua Community Development Corporation |
Roseburg |
OR |
$200,000 |
United Way and Community Foundation of Northwest Iowa |
Fort Dodge |
IA |
$87,400 |
United Way of Kern County, Inc. |
Bakersfield |
CA |
$152,900 |
United Way of Tampa Bay, Inc. |
Tampa |
FL |
$350,000 |
United Way of Forsyth County |
Winston-Salem |
NC |
$400,000 |
Washington County Community Action Council |
Hagerstown |
MD |
$30,000 |
Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation |
Milwaukee |
WI |
$447,059 |
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