“I feel so much better about my kids’ chances in life. I’m better able to provide what they need to thrive” says Erica, a single mother who lives in Boston with her two sons. Nick, grade 10, loves art and Alex, grade 7, plays every sport from baseball to hockey to tennis.

Read full story >
Read all stories >

Donate to CFED >

Summary report of the 2007 IDA Program Survey findings now available!

Not sure if you've filled out the survey already? Click here.

2007 IDA Program Survey Questions

1. Organization Information
Organization Name:
IDA Program Name (if different):
Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
IDA Program Contact Person:
Title:
Phone:
Fax:
Email:

2. Year IDA program started:

3. Are you an AFI (Assets for Independence, a program of the Department of Health and Human Services) grantee? Yes/No

Please answer the following questions using data from ALL of your IDA programs.

4. Please indicate the number of accounts for each category.
___ Accountholders who have graduated from your program (over the lifetime of the program)
___ Accountholders who are saving (currently)
___ Potential accountholders on a waiting list (currently)
___ Open slots (currently)

5. Please indicate TOTAL number of asset purchases for each allowable use, over the lifetime of your program (please count assets purchased, not individual transactions (i.e., multiple purchases for one business would count as 1 asset purchase))

___ Home Purchase
___ Small Business Start-Up and/or Expansion
___ Post-Secondary Education (for accountholder and/or their dependent)
___ Job Training
___ Home Repair
___ Automobile Purchase
___ Land Purchase
___ Other

6. Please indicate the TOTAL dollar amount (rounded to the nearest $100) for ALL accountholders over the lifetime of your IDA program for each of the following:

___ Total personal savings of participants
___ Total match dollars distributed by program (please count those that have been allocated/”earned” by the saver even if they have not actually been spent)
___ Average estimated sales price of homes purchased by participants
___ Average estimated home mortgage amount obtained by participants
___ Average estimated dollar value of loans leveraged for business by participants
___ Average estimated student loans/grants leveraged for education by participants
___ Estimated average increase in annual wage due to additional educational attainment made possible by an IDA (give it your best guess!)

7. Please check the names of all financial institutions that work with your IDA program. (Select all that apply.)

___ Bank of America
___ Bank One/JPMorgan Chase
___ BB&T
___ Citigroup
___ Citizens Bank
___ Comerica
___ Fifth Third Bancorp
___ MBNA/Providian
___ National City
___ PNC Financial
___ SunTrust
___ US Bancorp/US Bank
___ Wachovia
___ Washington Mutual
___ Wells Fargo
___ Other (Please specify):_________________________

Indicate ALL sources of funding that have supported your IDA activities during your ENTIRE program history. Designate whether this funding was for operating expenses, match dollars, or both.

8. Public Funding: Operating & Matching  (Select all that apply.)
___ HHS (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) - AFI (Assets for Independence) 
___ HHS - ORR (Office of Refugee Resettlement) 
___ HHS - CSBG (Community Service Block Grant) 
___ DOJ (U.S Department of Justice) - Weed and Seed 
___ HUD (U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development) - (HOME Investment Partnerships Program, FSS (Family Self-Sufficiency/Public Housing Escrow), HOPE VI, CDBG, Other HUD funding) 
___ Social Security Administration 
___ Department of Labor 
___ State Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) 
___ State Discretionary Spending 
___ State Tax Credits 
___ Local Discretionary Spending

9. Private Funding: Operating & Matching  (Select all that apply.) 
___ Foundations 
___ Banks/Financial Institutions 
___ Federal Home Loan Banks 
___ Businesses and Corporations 
___ United Way 
___ Faith-Based Organizations 
___ Civic or Fraternal Organizations 
___ Educational Institutions 
___ Individuals 
___ Earned Income

10. Please list any other sources of funding not listed above.
Operating: _______________________
Matching: ________________________

11. Would/does your IDA program serve accountholders under age 18? Y/N

12. To assist us in directing potential accountholders to IDA programs that serve them, please indicate your program’s eligibility requirements:

· Please briefly indicate your service area (i.e., name of state(s), counties, cities, regions)
· Does your program have other eligibility requirements? (i.e., age, refugees, income, etc.)
· Is your program open to the public? If not, how are participants referred to your program?

Thank you to the over 400 practitioners who took the time to fill out the past IDA Program Surveys. We have already had the chance to use the performance data in federal advocacy work around the Savings for Working Families Act, and to update the online IDA directory. Please let Emily Appel know if you have any data needs. See link to the summary report above.

Highlights from the 2004 IDA Program Survey were published in our most recent Assets Newsletter. It features charts and graphs about accountholder demographics, IDA program management, and the growth of the field. It also has articles about how to use the survey data, including 'Making the Case to Financial Institutions' and 'Using Performance Data to Leverage Funding.'

CFED has also used the response to develop a new, interactive IDA Directory which provides the most comprehensive list of IDA programs in the country.

When CFED first surveyed organizations offering IDAs in 2003, more than 300 programs responded. Questions covered a range of topics, including the impact of IDA programs, the make-up of IDA participants, programs rules and policies, funding sources, supportive services offered, and information about the organizations offering IDAs. 

A Report based on the 2003 survey is now available for free download in PDF format.