Good Faith Fund (GFF)
Public Policy Program
Asset Coalition Collaborative, and Career Pathways Pilot Project Collaborative
Location and Context: The Good Faith Fund (GFF) serves the communities of the Arkansas and Mississippi Delta region. This region is marked by extreme, persistent poverty, which is attributable to a complexity of factors. The mission of GFF is to help alleviate poverty in this region by increasing the incomes and assets of residents of the region. The variety of strategies GFF employs to achieve this mission are embodied in the four key programs GFF operates: Asset Builders, which offers asset purchasing savings programs for adults (Individual Development Accounts or IDAs) and children (SEED Accounts); Arkansas Women’s Business Development Center, which provides entrepreneurial training and technical assistance; Industry Partners, which provides workforce training for various careers; and the Public Policy program, which advocates for public policy change that supports GFF’s mission of increasing the incomes and assets of Delta residents.
Structure and Strategy of Collaboratives: The Public Policy program of GFF is actively involved in two collaborative partnerships. The first is the Arkansas Assets Coalition, which has over twenty members representing all of the state’s IDA program providers, several financial institutions, and several other interested parties including private businesses. The Coalition’s mission is to expand access to IDAs and other asset development strategies via federal and state public policy change. In particular, the coalition is focusing on working with a group of businesses from around the state to expand utilization of the state IDA tax credit, advocating for increased state funding for IDA programs utilizing existing and new revenues sources such as CDBG funds, and exploring policy changes that will allow IDA and SEED accounts to roll over into the state’s 529 college saving program. In addition to policy initiatives, the Coalition is exploring innovative practices that further the impact of IDAs, such as employer-based IDA programs. The Coalition is considering pursuing discussions with its private business contacts about the potential for piloting such programs.
The second collaborative partnership is the Career Pathways Pilot Project. The key partners in this collaborative are GFF, Southeast Arkansas College (SEARK), Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges (AATYC), and the Arkansas Department of Workforce Education. This collaborative is working to pilot a “Career Pathways” approach to helping low-income and low-skilled individuals access education and training opportunities at SEARK, a local community college, and ultimately, careers that pay enough to support their families. The pilot targets career pathways in the health care, information technology, manufacturing, business technology, and education sectors. Each pathway begins with adult education, if necessary, and includes certificates of proficiency, technical certificates, and associate’s degrees. In general, career pathways are a strategy for improving higher education enrollment and completion, particularly among low income and low skilled students, which many community colleges struggle to serve well. AATYC is interested in the pilot as a potential innovative post-secondary training delivery model for the state's 22 two-year colleges. GFF and AATYC, in partnership with the Governor’s Office, secured a National Governor’s Association grant in part to explore state policy changes that can facilitate the success of the SEARK pilot and expansion of the pilot to other two-year colleges in the state.
Leverage and Impact: Both of the collaboratives have leveraged a significant amount of funding from numerous private foundations, other non-profit organizations and government agencies including: Arkansas Department of Human Services, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Foundation for the Mid South, Corporation for Enterprise Development, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, National Governors Association, Lumina Foundation, National Network of Sector Partners, Annie E. Casey Foundation, William Randolph Hearst Foundation, Charles A. Frueauff Foundation, and Hitachi Foundation. Other private foundations are beginning to inquire about the work of both collaboratives, and both collaboratives will continue to leverage resources for their work.
Because the work of both collaboratives is in the early stages of development, their impact to date is hard to measure. However, the long-term impact of both collaboratives will be measured in the following ways: leveraged resources, numbers of asset purchases, college enrollment and completion rates, and state and federal policy change.
Lead Partners: Arkansas Asset Coalition: Good Faith Fund, Crowley’s Ridge Development Council, Corporation for Enterprise Development, Mississippi County Workforce Alliance, Central Arkansas Development Council, South Arkansas Community Development, Federal Reserve, Consumer Credit Counseling, Department of Human Services, Arkansas Development Finance Authority, FDIC, Entergy, EOA of Washington County, Healthy Connections, Coalition for Energy Efficiency, Foundation for the Mid South, Pulaski County Enterprise Community, Ozark Opportunities, U of A, School of Social Work, East Arkansas Enterprise Community.
Career Pathways Pilot Project: Good Faith Fund, Southeast Arkansas College, Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges, Arkansas Department of Workforce Education – Division of Adult Education.
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