Prosperity Now text with a family at a park

From the Editor

Dear friends and partners,

We’re looking forward to the arrival of spring in Washington, D.C. During this time of year, many people like to focus on growth and renewal. The same is true for us at Prosperity Now as our work is in a constant state of evolution given our steadfast mission to advocate for the economic opportunity of low- to moderate-income families in an everchanging landscape.

I’m extremely excited about our new initiatives that place a microscope on America’s deeply rooted economic inequality, while providing promising solutions ahead. This month’s newsletter explores how language can be a powerful agent for change, introduces our exciting new mortgage reserve accounts initiative, and so much more!

As always, we thank you for your continued partnership as we foster new ideas.

Sincerely,

Kristin Lawton
Senior Director of Communications

Featured Resource

A Birthright to Capital: Equitably Designing Baby Bonds to Promote Economic and Racial Justice

#MyVITAStory

VITA Awareness Day is March 18! To celebrate, we’re encouraging VITA volunteers to collect video stories from their VITA sites and share them on social media using the hashtag #MyVITAStory. Watch this video or download the transcript to learn more!

Introducing HomeReserve: A Prosperity Now Mortgage-Match Savings Initiative

Research has found that increased short-term liquidity is a key driver of mortgage default. That's why Prosperity Now launched HomeReserve, a mortgage-match savings initiative aimed at reducing mortgage defaults in low- to moderate-income homeowners by increasing their savings through incentivizing repetitive long-term saving habits coupled with financial capability services. Read more

Announcing the Emergency Matched Savings Pilot: Helping Families Weather Financial Emergencies

Many families are one emergency away from a true financial crisis. This situation is not the result of individual choices but rather of a complex set of barriers that hinder financial stability. Emergency savings provide a critical buffer that allows families to weather financial emergencies that could otherwise become unmanageable. To this end, Prosperity Now, in partnership with the Wells Fargo Foundation, is launching the Emergency Savings Pilot to support four community-based organizations for one year in starting or expanding their own emergency matched savings program. Read more

It Starts With Community: St. Louis College Kids is Helping Students Achieve Their College Dreams

The St. Louis College Kids CSA program has already helped over 16,000 St. Louis public school students start college savings accounts, with about $1 million saved to help more city children get a higher education. Learn more about how the program has been so successful in its mission to strengthen communities, develop a college-going culture, provide financial support for families and give children a head start to save for college. Read more

How Effective Collaboration Can Foster Healthy Neighborhoods

Improving the alignment of community development, public health, healthcare and financial well-being sector programs creates conditions that are more likely to foster healthy neighborhoods and more effectively build neighborhoods that support health and financial well-being. To boost this collaboration, Build Healthy Places Network, Prosperity Now and the Financial Health Network, with the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, have released Fostering Healthy Neighborhoods, a new report that explores how to foster alignment across the community development, public health, healthcare and financial well-being sectors. Read more

Leveraging the Power of Language for Change

As advocates, practitioners and policymakers, we have a tremendous responsibility and a significant amount of power to change the social and political narratives in our communities. Our words are some of our most powerful tools, but the significance of the language we use is often overlooked, leading to adverse interactions within our daily interpersonal communication. Read on the explore how language shapes reality and how you can make sure you're using it effectively. Read more

Take Action on Our Comment Letter to HUD

On January 14, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a proposed rule to amend its Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) regulations. This proposal will not improve the implementation or enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. Rather than build on and work to improve the 2015 rule, which would have advanced fair housing, the Administration eliminates it and instead will undercut enforcement, public participation, accountability and access to housing. Join our sign-on letter as we urge HUD to scrap the proposed rule and revisit the 2015 final rule and allow local governments to address residential segregation and to implement the rule as intended. Review our comment letter and visit our Action Center to add your organization before 12 p.m. ET on Monday, March 16.

Mark Your Calendar

The 2020 Prosperity Summit | September 30 - October 2, 2020 | Save the Date

President Trump’s Budget Prioritizes the Wealthy—Here’s Who It Should Prioritize Instead

Capitalism for an Inclusive Economy

We Have a New Resource! The Communicating on Race and Racial Economic Equity Guide

Empowering Communities of Color in the South to Eliminate Debt Disparities