EITC Funders Network eNewsletter
Issue 53| December 2021
A Note from the Coordinator
Dear EITC Funders Network,
This has been a great year for the EITC Funders Network! The passage of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in the Spring of 2021 provided us with an incredible opportunity to work closely with our members and partners to expand the number of individuals and families who learn about and claim tax credits that put money back into their pockets. For many, the tax credits were transformational and used to pay for basic needs as we all continue to live through a global pandemic that is disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable families.

All year, we have been working with our partners to maximize the impact of the expanded tax credits. Our network members have been working hard to support implementation through advocacy, communications, infrastructure development and outreach. And while we have much to be proud of, there is still much more work to do!

Some of the EITC Funders Network accomplishments for this year include:
  • Expanded Membership & Network Coordination- We have grown our membership and worked together to coordinate communications, develop strategy, fill gaps in communities, pool resources for funding and connect the dots across the economic security through tax credits ecosystem. We hosted dozens of calls to gather information from funders and field partners as we worked together to maximize the opportunities presented by this important year in the world of tax credits.
  • Network Programming- We hosted four webinars focused maximizing the tax credits through policy, raising awareness, outreach strategies and state expansions of the EITC
  • Publishing Resources and Tools- We published several new resources and tools funders can use to advance their work related to tax credits. Links to the handouts can be found below in the Resources section of this newsletter or on the CTC & EITC Resources page on our website.
  • Tax Credit Roadshows- We hosted several state-specific Tax Credit Roadshows for funders working to improve access to tax credits in their states.
  • The Community Foundation Community Outreach & Opportunity Fund- We are so proud of our newest pooled fund that was developed and launched in record time to support the work of community foundations who are working with field partners to get as many eligible people as possible to claim the Advanced CTC. More information about the COOP Fund can be found here.

We are grateful to have worked with our partners on short-term strategies that were focused on spreading awareness, standing up a portal and signing up as many newly eligible filers as possible. We are now focused on the upcoming tax season and medium term strategies that will support communications and narrative change work as well as outreach and enrollment for young adults and older workers who are newly eligible for the EITC. In the long term, we will be supporting advocacy and policy efforts that are centered on state expansions and making these tax credits permanent. Visit the ARPA page on our website to learn about these strategies and others you can support that will help us to maximize and keep permanent these poverty-reducing tax credits for families.
    
Thank you all for your continued commitment to expanding access to tax credits across the country and for your membership in the EITC Funders Network. This has been a BIG year for us. We wish you all a joyous and restorative end of the year and look forward to continued partnership with you in 2022.
 
Sincerely,
 
Ami & Deneisha
EITC Funders Network
Interview with a Field Leader
Community Foundation Opportunity Network (CFON) is a national leadership and action network of community foundations committed to narrowing the youth opportunity gap in their communities.


Through CFLeads, hundreds of community foundations from all across the country come together to strengthen their community leadership muscle, share field innovations, and tackle the key issues of our time.
Amy Daly-Donovan
Community Foundation Opportunity Network
Angela Brown
Community Foundation Leading Change
Community Foundations play an important role in supporting local economic security initiatives across the country. CFON and CFLeads worked closely with the EITC Funders Network to connect community foundations to ARPA-related opportunities. We are very excited that Amy Daly-Donovan and Angela Brown agreed to a joint interview to share more about their work in this edition of Interview with a Funder.
Question #1

Why do community foundations play such an important role in maximizing the opportunities presented to the field due to the expansions of the CTC & EITC?
 
Community foundations have a unique role to play in this work. With more than 750 community foundations across the country, the majority of U.S. residents have access to the work of a community foundation which positions them as valuable local resources for residents. Community foundations are uniquely positioned as the “last mile” between policy and implementation. They have existing relationships with community organizations, local leaders and partners that are trusted and well connected to residents living in underserved neighborhoods which can help to maximize opportunities like the CTC and EITC expansion. 
 
There are three important touch-points that community foundations and their partners can work on at the local level:
 
1)   reaching out to residents about enrollment
2)   sharing stories on how these funds are benefiting children and their families
3)   providing support with tax preparation
 
Together, these three touch-points can help communities make the most of these expanded tax credits and ensure the greatest amount of people can benefit from them.
 
At a national level, as public charities, community foundations are uniquely positioned to take a public policy advocacy role to further support these types of initiatives. Recently, a group of community foundations from across the country wrote a joint letter to Congress advocating for the expansion of the CTC and EITC tax credits. Coordinated by CFLeads, this letter highlighted the significant benefits these tax credits have brought to families and the incredible reduction in child poverty rates already being seen across the country.


Research & Reports
ARPA Can Help States Invest in Workers and Meet Their Employment Goals- A new report by the Center for American Progress details how provisions in the American Rescue Plan Act "funding allows state and local governments to invest in employment solutions for their residents, including skills training, career pathways in educational settings, child care, and other basic needs."

Read the report here
Using ARPA to Advance Equitable State Childcare Policies"During a time of historic COVID-related federal investment in child care and early education, states are working to leverage this opportunity to provide significant relief and recovery to providers and families." CLASP has published a Fact Sheet to share how states are leveraging this opportunity to the benefit of children, families and providers.

Read the Fact Sheet here
Getting Cash into the Pockets of Foster YouthJohn Burton Advocates for Youth has published "the results of a pilot project with Santa Clara County Social Services Agency and other local partners to increase foster youth receipt of state and federal tax credits."

Read more here
CBPP continues to do the great work of publishing blogs, reports and articles about the importance and impact of tax credits on the lives of millions of individuals and families who are trying to make ends meet during this ongoing global pandemic. Take a look at the pages below to get information you can use for helping to assist with your internal strategy development and policy advocacy efforts.


Helpful Information & Resources


Toolkit for Building Power Through Personal Stories- Gathering stories and storytelling is a critical aspect changing negative and dishonest narratives related to poor, low and moderately income people. This toolkit shares helpful information on collecting and using personal stories to advance policy goals.
The EITC Funders Network has updated the Resource pages on our website. Take a look at these pages to find helpful information and resources that you can use or share with your grantee partners.
EITC Flyer for Young Adults- Our friends at Young Invincibles are working on engaging young people about taxes and tax credits. They have developed this flyer to help explain this complex topic to young adults.
Network Events
Expansions in the federal Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit mean that millions of workers and families with low-incomes have access to expanded tax credits – which will translate to cash in their pockets when they file their taxes. However, too many of these workers and families do not know they are eligible or how to get their taxes completed in non predatory settings. 

With EITC Awareness Day being celebrated on January 28th, local and community foundations have a critical opportunity to seize the moment, raise awareness of the tax credits among grantee partners, and work collaboratively in local communities to ensure that every worker and family member receives the tax credit benefits they have earned. Join us for a strategy conversation on ways to maximize the EITC for millions of people this tax season.

This webinar will be open to staff of philanthropic organizations and philanthropic advisors.
Announcements
EITC Awareness Day is on
Friday, January 28, 2022

The EITC Funders Network will be hosting programming and sharing helpful information and resources in the run up to EITC Awareness Day. Keep an eye out for notifications from us throughout the month of January.

The EITC FN Roadshow

The EITC Funders Network is hosting our Roadshows all over the country to share information about the CTC & EITC with funders interested in work related to tax credits. We are happy to put together state-specific information for any organization or funder network who would like more information about how tax credits intersect with their grant-making priorities.


You can now request an EITC FN Roadshow. Invite your guests and let us put together a presentation for you! For more information, contact Ami Nagle at ami@eitcfunders.org.

About the EITC Funders Network
The EITC Funders Network brings together funders interested in the Earned Income Tax Credit, free- and low-cost tax preparation, and asset building. The Network seeks to increase awareness of EITC-related projects, foster collaboration, share information about the current status of EITC-related work, and help shape the future of the field. 

The EITC Funders Network is generously funded by: 
The Piton Foundation
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation
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