A Note from the Coordinator
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Dear EITC Funders Network,
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As the global pandemic lays bare the racial disparities that are woven into the fabric of our country, we join the many organizations, community leaders, and philanthropic partners in grieving and calling for justice in the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Rayshard Brooks - and too many other Black Americans.
But grieving and voicing support are not enough. It is long past time to dismantle our country's deep, systemic inequities - including those embedded in budget systems and tax codes. Tax policy is not and has never been race neutral, and has contributed to an unjust economic system that disadvantages Black families. A few years ago, we put together a series of
video interviews on the intersections between equity and the tax code. Here are just a few resources that we are continuing to find helpful in thinking through these intersections.
- Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity: Working Toward Economic and Racial Justice: A Conversation with Darrick Hamilton (June 2020)
- PolicyLink: Fighting Anti-Blackness Through Budget Justice (Marc Philpart and Chione L. Flegal, June 2020)
- CBPP: 3 Principles for an Anti-Racist, Equitable State Response to COVID-19 – and a Stronger Recovery (Erica Williams and Cortney Sanders, May 2020)
- CBPP: How the Federal Tax Code Can Better Advance Racial Equity (Chye-Ching Huang and Roderick Taylor, July 2019)
- ITEP: The Illusion of Race-Neutral Tax Policy (Misha Hill, Jenice Robinson, Alan Essig, Meg Wiehe, Steve Wamhoff, and Carl Davis, February 2019)
- Prosperity Now and ITEP: Race, Wealth, and Taxes: How the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Supercharges the Racial Wealth Divide (Meg Wiehe, Emanuel Nieves, Jeremie Greer, and David Newville, October 2018)
- Roosevelt Institute: Hidden Rules of Race are Embedded in the New Tax Law (Darrick Hamilton and Michael Linden, May 2018)
Please continue to reach out with your thoughts and questions.
Sincerely,
Ami Nagle
Coordinator
EITC Funders Network
ami@eitcfunders.org
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We Stand in Solidarity
The EITC Funders Network’s mission includes advancing equitable economic opportunity. As a nation we cannot achieve economic equity and opportunity without racial equity and justice. We stand united with those calling for the systemic reforms necessary to end structural racism, and deepen our commitment to showing up, speaking out, and doing the work.
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VITA, Economic Impact Payments, and the Future of Tax Prep: A conversation with United Way Worldwide
United Way Worldwide (UWW)
supports, funds, and helps to grow VITA networks across the country. We recently spoke with
Laura Scherler,
Senior Director of Economic Mobility and Corporate Solutions;
Barbara Saverino
, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, and
Bryndan Stueve
, Manager, Community Impact and Economic Mobility about United Way Worldwide’s program and policy strategies in light of COVID-19, the new Economic Impact Payment Access outreach campaign, and looking ahead to next year’s tax season.
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New Research & Resources from the Field
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State EITCs are Part of an Equitable Policy Response to COVID-19
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- Target aid to those most in need due to the COVID-19 and consequent economic crises.
- Advance anti-racist and equitable policies — both short- and long-term — to dismantle persistent racial, gender, and economic inequities and other barriers that non-dominant groups and identities experience.
- Protect state finances to preserve the foundations of long-term economic growth and opportunity.
As part of a slate of policies that work toward dismantling persistent inequities, the report describes ways states can adopt and expand state EITCs, including expansion of the state tax credits to workers without social security numbers.
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A New Public Health Action Guide on EITC and Health
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The CDC Foundation recently published its
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Public Health Action Guide
for public health care professionals. This guide includes information on EITCs, ways EITCs keep more families and children above the poverty line, and tax credits' links with positive health outcomes, especially among mothers and children.
The goal for this guide is to educate public health practitioners on the benefits of EITCs and provide them with the data to inform families, partners, advocates and legislators. In today’s economic climate, now more than ever, the EITC is an effective policy that could have a positive impact on low-to-moderate-working families and their children.
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Research on EITC and other Safety Nets for Young Adult Parents
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New Hampshire's Carsey School of Public Policy published a paper finding that the EITC is especially successful in poverty reduction among young adult parents. This research was done prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the authors note that the utility of safety net programs linked to work - like the EITC - are likely impacted as lost earnings affect credit values. The authors suggest potential strategies to protecting the value of tax credits.
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Resources for Tax Filers and the Community Tax Preparation Field
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The COVID-19 crisis continues to alter the VITA landscape and tax preparation in this extended tax season, and likely beyond. As the VITA community retools to meet this moment for its existing clients, reaching non-filers eligible for stimulus checks has become an additional challenge and opportunity. Resources include:
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by Annie Harper, PhD, Program for Recovery and Community Health, Yale School of Medicine
With the goal of inspiring increased philanthropic attention, exploration, and replication, this new AFN spotlight elevates responsive philanthropic strategies that support both health and wealth and builds on the ideas presented in AFN’s 2017 brief,
The Health and Wealth Connection: Opportunities for Investment Across the Life Course. The report focuses on the in utero-toddler stage of the life cycle (0-3 years) and discusses supports - including the EITC - that can bring higher, more stable, and more secure incomes to provide a foundation to build wealth and a healthier environment in which to raise children.
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Stabilizing Children's Lives During Crisis Webinar Series
What Funders Can Do to Stabilize Children's Lives Now
Wednesday, June 17
(today!)
* 2:00-3:00 pm eastern
During this follow-up funder discussion, we'll talk about funding strategies that build stability for children. Featuring:
- Jennifer Ng'adnu, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- Jennifer Stavrakos, William Penn Foundation
We know that stability is critical for children's healthy development and well-being, but how can we, as funders, build supports for children during this health and economic crisis during which everyone's lives are upturned? A new tool from the Urban Institute visualizes the web of supports that buttress stability in children's lives - from meeting basic needs to shoring up positive relationships to building support for family-friendly policies. Join us as we learn more about how this crisis has affected children and discuss different funder strategies for building stability during a time of uncertainty.
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From the Margins to Center: Responding to COVID-19 with an Equity and Gender Lens
June 30, 2020 I 1:00 - 1:40pm EDT
Join AFN for its spring Expert Insights briefing on what it takes to center women of color in the relief, recovery, and rebuilding plans for the current health and economic crisis and beyond.
Join AFN to learn why women of color are suffering severely from the COVID-19 public health and economic crisis, opportunities to advance gender economic equity in near-term recovery efforts, and possible strategies to prevent wealth extraction and foster long-term economic security for women of color.
How have longstanding inequities put women of color in a precarious position during the COV-19 public health and economic crisis? Given the unacceptably disparate impacts on women of color, what can be done in the near-term and long-term to safeguard their economic well-being?
This high-level briefing will address these questions and provide:
- An overview of the root causes of financial security for women of color.
- An analysis of recent COVID-19 relief packages and their implications for women of color.
- A list of opportunities for long-term policy reform that could bolster financial insecurity for women of color through this crisis and beyond.
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About the EITC Funders Network
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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:
Entergy
The Piton Foundation
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Anonymous
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