Programs

EITC Information

MASSCAP Executive Director Joe Diamond discusses EITC and the Massachusetts EITC Campaign with NNN host Chris Lovett.
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To read an April 10 Boston Globe Editorial on research conducted by the Institute on Assets and Social Policy, Heller School, at Brandeis and MASSCAP about the value of the ETIC and financial education, click here (PDF). For the full text of the research study, click here (PDF).

Also to read a Globe Op-Ed about Asset Development by Joe Diamond, MASSCAP Executive Director, and Sandra Venner, program director for the Institute on Assets and Social Policy at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, click here (PDF).

The EITC program (free tax preparation) that Community Action Agencies provide is one of several programs that fall under the broad category of Asset Development—programs that help people to acquire, grow, and protect assets like homes, small businesses, and higher education. Other Asset Development Services include:

• Individual Development Accounts are programs in which participants save money that is matched by public or private resources for up to 5 years. At the end of that time, the participant can use the resources to buy a home, start a business, or seek higher education.
  
  
• Financial Literacy Education programs help people use and save their money wisely, improve their credit score, and focus on important topics like basic budgeting and productive use of banking services.

Taken separately or in combination, Asset Development Services can help low- and moderate-income working people achieve long-term and sustainable economic independence. MASSCAP is a member of a new coalition that develops and advocates for asset development policy, programs, and practice. For information about the Massachusetts Asset Building Coalition, click here.