Key Partners

Americorps*NCCC

AmeriCorps is a national service movement with its roots in the Peace Corps and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). AmeriCorps provides teams of volunteers during the tax season.

Annie. E. Casey Foundation

The Annie E. Casey Foundation launched the National Tax Assistance for Working Families Campaign in January 2003 to put the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and other tax credits to work for low-income families across the nation as part of an asset building strategy. In more than 45 communities, thousands of volunteers provide families with free assistance in filing tax returns, claiming the EITC and other tax credits, and learning ways to build assets and financial stability.

AssetBuilding.org

Designed to pull the assets field together in one place—research, policy, news, events, initiatives—AssetBuilding.org is a resource for those interested in learning more about asset building and how it relates to the EITC and free tax preparation services. A project of the New America Foundation.

The Aspen Institute, Economic Opportunities Program

The Economic Opportunities Program at the Aspen Institute advances strategies that connect the poor and underserved to the mainstream economy. It provides practical tools, training and research-based information to organizations that help low-income individuals start a business, find a better job and build wealth. The program works with funders, policy makers and nonprofit leaders on research projects and evaluation initiatives designed to build knowledge and judge the impact of efforts to help people escape poverty. With support from Annie E. Casey Foundation and in partnership with the NCTC, Aspen EOP launched EITCplatform.org in 2007, to provide tools to enable the EITC field to provide high-quality tax preparation and asset building services at greater

Brookings Institution

The Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program publishes an ongoing series of research articles that describe the importance of the EITC to neighborhood, local, regional and state economies and their lower-income workers. Researchers at Brookings also have studied how high-priced tax preparation and refund loan fees reduce the benefits of the EITC at the local level. At their website, users can view and download several years worth of IRS data on EITC receipt and use of refund anticipation loans by zip code, city or town, county, metro area and state.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

CBPP manages a nationwide effort to engage agencies, employers and community groups in outreach efforts to inform low- and moderate-income families and individuals about the EITC benefits they have earned and how to file the proper tax forms to claim them. CBPP distributes community tax outreach campaign kits, including English and Spanish posters and fliers, fact sheets and a guide to outreach strategy, and has helped create hundreds of state and local outreach campaigns across the country. CBPP closely monitors policy developments regarding the EITC and other tax benefits for families.

CFED

CFED (formerly the Corporation for Enterprise Development)CFED is one of the major informational resources for Individual Development Accounts (IDAs). Extensive policy background, operational information and an IDA program design handbook can be found at their website. CFED also sponsors an interactive IDA listserve with over 1,000 participants.

Children's Defense Fund

The Children's Defense Fund launched a national initiative to ensure children and working families receive the EITC, child tax credit and other benefits for which they are eligible. The CDF Tax and Benefits Outreach initiative seeks to ensure children and poor and near-poor working families improve their living standards, health and opportunity by connecting them with federal and state benefits that already exist.

IRS Stakeholder, Partnership Education and Communication (SPEC)

The Stakeholder, Partnership Education and Communication (SPEC) organization is the outreach and education arm of the IRS's Wage and Investment Division. SPEC leverages partnerships with other national and community organizations, combining resources and goals for a greater community impact. SPEC's customer base includes all taxpayers that file individual income tax returns or Form 1040 with special emphasis on efforts to reach the elderly, disabled, low-income and taxpayers with limited English proficiency. SPEC administers and assists in the implementation of many outreach and education programs including Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) and Understanding Taxes for Students.

National EITC Outreach Partnership

The National EITC Outreach Partnership was formed in 2004 to provide networking opportunities for national organizations, including federal government agencies, that consider it important to promote EITC outreach, free tax preparation alternatives and asset development strategies.

National League of Cities

The NLC, through its Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Institute), helps municipal leaders take action on behalf of children and families in their communities by connecting eligible low-income families to federal and state tax credits and other benefits. To this end, the Institute provides resources, such as Helping Working Families, an action kit for municipal leaders.

The National Consumer Law Center

The NCLC is the nation's consumer law expert, helping consumers, their advocates and policy makers use powerful and complex consumer laws on behalf of low-income and vulnerable Americans seeking economic justice. The NCLC publishes a series of legal manuals and handbooks for advocates on consumer law and also has brochures and newsletters available at its website on topics such as Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs), checking cashing, credit reports and high cost credit that can be used to educate tax preparation clients.

National Disability Institute, Real Economic Impact Tour (REI Tour)

The National Disability Institute’s REI Tour is a national, public/private initiative assisting low-income persons with disabilities with asset building strategies, free tax preparation and filing assistance. The mission is to channel asset development strategies, financial education and tax filing assistance into self-directed economic security for low-income working Americans with disabilities and their families. The REI Tour brings together over 500 organizations (federal, state and local) to advance its mission and works with local communities to provide workers with disabilities access to mainstream financial and tax services and promote self-determination, economic advancement and social well being. In the 2008 filing season, Tour partners prepared over 90,000 tax returns in 62 cities. Over $81 million in refunds were received by persons with disabilities.

National Employment Law Project

The National Employment Law Project (NELP) has advocated for over 30 years on behalf of low-wage workers, the poor, the unemployed and other groups that face significant barriers to employment and government systems of support. NELP’s Justice for Immigrant and Low-Wage Worker Project seeks to protect and promote employment rights of low-wage workers.

Office of the Taxpayer Advocate of the IRS

An independent office within the IRS, the Taxpayer Advocate Service helps taxpayers resolve problems with the IRS and recommends changes to mitigate recurring problems. In addition, when the TAS identifies procedural problems within the IRS or the tax code that inhibit its ability to help a taxpayer, TAS may propose administrative solutions or legislative changes, as appropriate, to remedy the problems.

Points of Light Foundation

The Points of Light Foundation and Volunteer Center National Network (POLF/VCNN), in partnership with other national organizations, is developing a “Community-Based Partnership” model that utilizes volunteers to effectively connect low-income families to EITC initiatives and other financial programs that will enable EITC recipients to accumulate assets and move toward self-sufficiency. Locally, an increasing number of Volunteer Centers are taking the lead in expanding local EITC/Asset Development Initiatives through effective utilization of volunteers.

United Way

United Way of America (UWA) is committed to advancing the role of the United Way system in EITC and asset building initiatives across the country. As part of that commitment, the organization is exploring local United Way involvement in community-based EITC campaigns and is working to increase the number of local United Ways that engage in EITC outreach, education and free tax preparation. Currently, more than 100 local United Ways participate in EITC initiatives in their communities and more than 50% of those lead or are a core member of their community’s EITC collaborative.