Assets for Independence Program Experiment, 2011-2015

In the fall of 2011, ACF launched a random assignment evaluation of the impact of participation in the Assets for Independence (AFI) Program on savings, savings patterns and asset purchase by low-income individuals and families at selected AFI grantee sites. The AFI Experiment will build on the previous quasi-experimental evaluation of the AFI program, as well as various studies of other non-AFI funded Individual Development Account projects. Using a random assignment design, the AFI Experiment will further understanding of the AFI program by addressing unanswered questions regarding the program's overall impact on early participant outcomes, as well as the impact of AFI program design features on these short-term outcomes. The study will feature random assignment of participants to a treatment or control group in two AFI grantee sites. In addition to the impact analysis, the evaluation will also feature an implementation study in each site. Sites have been selected for the study, and sample enrollment and data collection will begin in January 2013. This study is being conducted by the Urban Institute and its partners, MEF Associates and RTI.