In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the state of Louisiana has taken steps to make asset building a priority. The Louisiana Department of Social Services has embraced the concept of asset building, and is implementing programs that offer opportunities for asset building to low- and moderate-income residents.

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Welcome. The Integrating Savings & Credit Initiative is about increasing positive business outcomes for low income entrepreneurs by meeting their needs with the best mix of Individual Development Account (IDA) savings and Microenterprise Development (MED) loan tools.   Effective integration of savings and credit—when driven by market demand—increases the potential and capacity of entrepreneurs to build their business.
 
Pilot studies have shown that integration leads to cross-training, increased cross-selling, and integration of educational components that provide for a more holistic understanding of business and personal finance.  Participants learn that savings and credit (equity and debt) are tools that can be strategically used to achieve entrepreneurial goals.
 
The toolkit covers the critical steps to integrating MED and IDA programs.  A solid product development process is crucial for organizations to choose the most beneficial integration goals for their organizations and to successfully implement them. The major parts of the toolkit include: Determining Goals and Capacity, Market Research, Product Design, Pilot Testing, Product Launch, Training and Program Evaluation.

The Integrating Savings & Credit Initiative is funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the JPMorgan Chase Foundation.