Give Hope

The Center for Economic Progress

The Center for Economic Progress is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping hard-working, low-income families move from financial uncertainty to financial security.

We are local in service. Founded in 1990, the Center provides free tax and financial services to improve the bottom line of Illinois’ families. Thanks to more than 1,000 volunteers, we operate the largest and most established free tax preparation program in Chicago and Illinois.

We have served more than 200,000 families, returning $300 million plus in refunds – more than any other organization of our kind. We also provide year-round financial counseling and tools that support and empower the residents of our communities.

We are national in voice. Leading a coalition of like-minded organizations from across the country, we find the solutions that work for working families. What we learn on the ground, we translate into best practices in the field and into workable policies at the federal and state levels.

For more information on the Center for Economic Progress, visit www.economicprogress.org.

The Community Builders, Inc.

The Community Builders, Inc. (TCB) is a mission-driven 501(c)(3) organization focused on building and sustaining strong communities. We achieve our mission by developing, financing, and operating high quality affordable rental and for-sale housing, coordinating access to support services and asset-building activities, and shaping community and economic initiatives critical to the communities we serve.

TCB has been planning, developing, and managing affordable housing for over 40 years. Over time, we have grown from a Boston neighborhood-based organization to a development consultant and finance partner to a full-service nonprofit developer specializing in large-scale redevelopment projects. We currently have over 3,000 units of affordable, mixed-income housing in various stages of development. We manage approximately 8,000 completed units in 99 developments, and coordinate community initiatives at more than 20 large assisted and public housing sites.

Since 1997, The Community Builders, Inc. has focused its real estate development, property management, and community initiatives capacities on the challenges of concentrated poverty in and around large public and assisted housing projects. Through HUD’s HOPE VI program, we are playing a leading role in public housing transformation. We bring a unique combination of experience, technical skills and problem-solving ability to each neighborhood revitalization project we take on.

For more information on The Community Builders, Inc., visit www.tcbinc.org.

Community Renewal International

Community Renewal International (CRI) has developed a working model which systematically initiates, grows and sustains safe and caring communities with concrete, measurable results. Community Renewal International works to restore the foundation of safe and caring communities by rebuilding the system of caring relationships. Founded in 1994 in Shreveport, Louisiana, and replicated in locations as disparate as Abilene, Texas and Western Cameroon, CRI is today an international model for all cities looking to bring renewal to their communities. The CRI strategy has three initiatives: The Renewal Team, which works citywide to connect and support over 43,000 We Care members with communication tools and relationship-building activities; Haven Houses, supporting and motivating over 1,100 block leaders to network and unite neighbors on a block-by-block basis; and Friendship Houses, which are homes built in low-income areas and lived in by CRI staff – families who help turn impoverished neighborhoods into havens of hope. Each house contains a large community room for tutoring, computer training, character-building and much more. Other agencies partner with us in this life-changing outreach to create a systematic, relational platform to bring necessary resources into low-income, high-crime neighborhoods.

For more information on Community Renewal International, visit www.communityrenewal.us.

EARN

EARN is an award-winning California-based nonprofit that gives low-income workers the power to create economic prosperity for their families for generations to come. Since 2001, EARN has helped tens of thousands of low-wage families through innovative financial products including matched savings accounts, checking accounts for the unbanked, micro-loans, and money management coaching. EARN’s powerful combination of lasting assets and financial know-how enables families to build wealth and achieve life-changing goals such as saving for college, purchasing first homes, or starting small businesses. Through its policy and research arm, EARN evaluates its impact and reports on new data regularly, sharing lessons learned and best practices in order to transform the financial services landscape and to champion effective public policies. EARN’s ultimate vision is that millions of well-informed, low-income American families will achieve financial success through proven strategies, fair public policy, and their own hard work.

For more information on EARN, visit www.earn.org.