Welcome to Asset Funders Network
Announcing our July 22nd Webinar
Financial Coaching: A New Approach to Building Prosperity for Low Income Workers
Are you curious to learn more about financial coaching? There is a growing national conversation about the promise of financial coaching as a tool that can help low income workers build wealth. Join the upcoming Asset Funders Network webinar to learn about some of the leading thinking behind financial coaching, and how this methodology is being implemented on the ground.
The webinar held on July 22nd from 10am-11am PST will focus in particular on the financial coaching model developed by EARN, a California nonprofit that is one of the pioneers in the burgeoning coaching field. The presentation will help distinguish the difference between financial coaching, and other tools like financial education and financial counseling, as well as how these tools can all work together successfully.
The webinar will be led by Ben Mangan, EARN President, CEO + Co-Founder and moderated by Rick Williams, Asset Funders Network Coordinator.
Join Us!
July 22nd
10am-11am PST
Register on-line HERE to save your spot
If you experience difficulties registering, please contact Siobhan Mulvey at Siobhan@assetfunders.org
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Stay Informed On The Latest Topics In The Field Of Asset-Building
AFN Spring Meeting was held in Washington, DC April 20th-21st
The Asset Funders Network held its spring meeting this past April. The presentations stimulated engaging conversation around asset building and grantmaking in turbulent economic times. The meeting received overwhelmingly positive responses. We hope to see you at the 2010 spring meeting!
Presenters and Power Point Presentations:
William Gale - Vice President, Brooking Institution discussed the current economic and political landscape for grantmaking.
Gale Power Point PresentationWilliam Bynum - CEO, Enterprise Corporation of the Delta discussed opportunities created from the current economic crisis.
Dory Rand - President, Woodstock Institute discussed growing and protecting savings.
Jeff Lubell - Executive Director, Center for Housing Policy discussed shared ownership strategies.
Jennifer Tescher - Director, Center for Financial Services Innovation discussed financial services.
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Important Asset-Building Articles
Paying More for the American Dream III: Promoting Responsible Lending to Lower-Income Communities and Communities of Color
The Paying More for the American Dream series is a collaborative effort of seven state and regional research, policy, and advocacy organizations. This is the third annual report focused on examining systematic inequalities in the housing finance system and the impact of these inequalities on lower- income and minority families and communities.
The current report examines the impact that the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) has on the higher- cost lending patterns of different types of financial institutions. It shows that where lenders are covered by the CRA, they are far less likely to originate risky higher-cost loans to lower-income borrowers and communities than lenders not covered by the CRA.
The authors hope these reports inform the debate around fair lending policy and access to responsible mortgage credit for lower-income and minority families and communities. >> Read More
Using the Community Reinvestment Act to Promote
Checking Accounts for Low-income People
As governments move toward electronic transfer of benefits and more welfare recipients move into the labor force, low-income people increasingly need to be informed about money management and opportunities to use traditional bank checking accounts. A Chicago example shows how advocates can use the Community Reinvestment Act and other strategies to help bring low-income people into the financial mainstream. >> Read More
Expanding Asset-Building Opportunities through Shared Ownership
When supporting families to transition from savings to investment, the asset-building movement has typically targeted individual ownership through affordable homeownership and microenterprise strategies. But these strategies don't represent the full list of opportunities. In January 2008, Beadsie Woo of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Heather McCulloch of Asset Building Strategies began to explore ways to expand the menu of asset-building opportunities through shared ownership. The resulting paper, Expanding Asset-Building Opportunities through Shared Ownership framed a discussion hosted by the Casey Foundation and the Asset Funders Network in December 2008. The discussion focused on the intersections between the asset-building field and various shared ownership movements and explored ways that the various movements could work together towards common goals. >> Read Full Paper
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