History & Highlights
1981
CFED convenes its second conference: "Expanding the Opportunity to Produce: Revitalizing the American Economy through New Enterprise Development."
Expanding the Opportunity to Produce: Revitalizing the American Economy through New Enterprise Development—CFED's first major publication.
1982
CFED launches the State Entrepreneurial Economy Strategy Development and Demonstration Project to study policies and programs in Ohio, Michigan, and South Carolina.
CFED launches its first periodical, the Entrepreneurial Economy Review, describing what works in economic development and who can do it.
1983
CFED starts the HUB Project on Women's Enterprise which influences the development of the microenterprise field.
1984
CFED conducts a study tour of Europe which brings to the U.S. new ideas on self-employment and job creation in the wake of plant closings.
1985
CFED refines its mission to "focus on new enterprise development specifically in terms of the poor and unemployed with the goal of influencing local and state policy."
1986
CFED launches the Self-Employment Investment Demonstration to test if self-employment can offer a route out of poverty. With 1,300 welfare recipients enrolled in eight microenterprise programs (many of which are still operating today) in five states (IA, MI, MN, MS, MD), CFED proves self-employment is a viable option for some people on welfare, and provides the policy framework to build the microenterprise field.
CFED conducts research on economic climate that critiques existing scorecards and policies, and frames the need for new measurements.
Building the New Economy: States in the Lead—the first model agenda for what states should be doing to foster healthy economic development.
1988
CFED launches the Development Report Card for the States, a broad-based report that uses multiple indicators to rate the economies of all 50 states.
1989
Women & Self-Sufficiency: Programs that Work, Policy that Might analyzes some of the more successful programs that specifically seek to aid low-income women in transition from economic dependence to economic self-sufficiency.
1990
CFED broadens its mission to include "all economic development and human investment strategies that help people enter the economic mainstream."
Congress considers the Freedom from Want Act—the first comprehensive microenterprise capacity-building legislation.
CFED kicks off the Ford Rural Project—resulting in the opening of CFED's NC office—to identify innovation in rural development.
CFED conducts the Seed Capital Survey—the first of eight annual efforts to capture data on microenterprise loan fund performance.
CFED and the Progressive Policy Institute publish the first Individual Development Account (IDA) policy reports.
Playing by New Rules outlines a new framework for state development agencies to achieve more equitable, accountable and sustainable economic success.
1991
The Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis publishes Assets and the Poor—Michael Sherraden's seminal book outlining the conceptual framework for IDAs.
U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Hunger hosts first federal hearings on IDAs.
The Aspen Institute launches the Self-Employment Learning Project—a five-year longitudinal study of low-income entrepreneurs.
Microenterprise development becomes an eligible activity under the Job Training Partnership Act, which launches a grant program for state microenterprise training and technical assistance.
With help from CFED, the Small Business Adminstration (SBA) launches its Microloan Program to assist microentrepreneurs.
The Assets for Independence Act (AFIA) is introduced in Congress.
CFED incubates the Association for Enterprise Opportunity—microenterprise trade association.
1992
The Nature Conservancy partners with CFED to facilitate a community-wide, environmentally compatible development plan in Virginia. CFED trains activists and opinion leaders on the importance of equity, accountability and quality of life in making economic decisions.
Hard Times, Smart Choices provides guidance about how to manage effective economic development in the midst of recession.
1993
Community-based organizations implement the first IDA initiatives.
Iowa enacts the first state IDA law.
The federal Community Development Financial Institutions Act passes, expanding access to credit, investment capital and financial services for underserved communities.
CFED develops, tests and promotes an economic analysis tool to create a benchmarking system for regional development.
Rethinking Rural Development reports CFED's work with development practitioners in sparsely populated areas to test ideas, tools and policies to promote economic investment outside urban centers.
Regional Performance Benchmarks System: Policymaker's Guide and User's Manual provides a methodology and database to support state and local economic planners and policymakers in their efforts to stabilize and develop rural regions.
1994
CFED presents policy alternatives to tax-based business incentives.
CFED publishes the first edition of the newsletter "Assets: A Quarterly Update for Innovators," which highlights developments in the IDA field.
Bidding for Business: How Cities and States Sell Themselves Short provides a critical analysis of how cities and states can erode quality of life when led astray by tax-based business incentive competition.
1995
Microenterprise development is included as an eligible activity in the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act (known as welfare reform).
CFED hosts the first national IDA conference.
Massachusetts and North Carolina seek assistance from CFED in examining the practice of tax-based business incentives and work to make public investments more equitable and cost-effective.
CFED releases the first edition of the IDA Program Design Handbook: A Step by Step Guide to Designing an IDA Program.
1996
Microenterprise development is included as an eligible activity in federal welfare-to-work legislation.
Federal welfare reform law includes IDAs as a permissible use for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds, protecting families from asset penalites if they are in an approved IDA program.
CFED launches Counting on Local Capital, a national research project to survey and evaluate the Revolving Loan Fund industry to assess the opportunities and challenges for growth. CFED prepares a national census and researches five state RLFs.
CFED begins creation of the State Microenterprise Association (SMA) Initiative to promote practitioner networks.
CFED is contracted by The Nature Conservancy to work with citizen-based task forces in different regions to develop action agenda for environmentally compatible economic development. CFED publishes Building Healthy Communities: Resources for Compatible Development.
Realizing the Promise of Microenterprise for Welfare Recipients provides guidelines for states to harness welfare reform in support of low-income entrepreneurs.
Improving Your Business Climate: A Guide to Smarter Public Investments in Economic Development provides a definitive state model for economic development that includes a healthy state business climate.
CFED launches the State TANF-Microenterprise Initiative, a three-year, five state demonstration with state leaders who advocate for the use of TANF funds for microenterprise as a path out of poverty.
CFED, the Center for Social Development, and 11 funding partners launch a national IDA policy demonstration—the American Dream Demonstration (ADD)—with 13 sites.
Building Healthy Communities: Resources Compatible Development promotes environmentally compatible economic development.
Rethinking Urban Economic Development provides policymakers with the basic understanding and tools necessary to create more dynamic and inclusive local and regional economies.
1998
The Assets for Independence Act (AFIA) becomes law, establishing a five year, $125-million federal IDA demonstration.
The Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs Act (PRIME) becomes law, providing funds to support low-income entrepreneurs.
The White House presents the first Presidential Awards for Excellence in Microenterprise.
CFED hosts the first annual State Microenterprise Association Initiative convening in Washington, D.C.
CFED launches the IDAnetwork—an online community to foster information exchange on IDAs.
Building Assets for Stronger Families, Better Neighborhoods, and Realizing the American Dream—a report on research related to assets and asset-building policies.
Enterprising Youth in America: A Review of Youth Enterprise Programs in the United States considers the ways in which entrepreneurship can be used to engage the energies and talents of young people in America.
1999
CFED celebrates its 20th birthday at the CFED at 20 celebration, which combines a party with the Ideas in Development conference.
President Clinton presents CFED with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Microenterprise.
President Clinton discusses the IDA-like savings accounts in his State of the Union address.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement makes funds available to establish and manage IDAs for refugees.
Local Capital Markets Investment Fund (LCMIF) is created—a research and development fund which invests in products and services that enhance the financial performance, social impact or operating efficiencies of development finance institution.
The Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Data Project is started to create and implement a sustainable data collection and management system for the nation's CDFIs.
CFED works with the Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration to revamp the strategic planning process used by several hundred economic development agencies throughout the U.S.
2000
CFED starts its endowment with a $2 million grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and $1.5 million in donations.
Approximately 250 U.S. IDA initiatives are in operation.
Center for Social Development publishes Savings and Asset Accumulation in Individual Development Accounts, the first comprehensive report on data generated by the ADD.
Congress considers the Savings for Working Families Act—a multibillion-dollar tax legislation to promote IDAs.
CFED creates the National Fund for Enterprise Development (NFED), a certified community development financial institution (CDFI) subsidiary to support work at the state and regional levels to leverage resources for low-income entrepreneurs.
2001
CFED leads the Microenterprise Anti-Poverty Consortium through the reauthorization of the PRIME Act and a $5 million federal microenterprise appropriation.
CFED advises the California state legislature on global policies of specific concern to the state and, in particular, its low-income communities.
IDA State Policy Guide: Advancing Public Policies in Support of Individual Development Accounts is an informational tool kit for developing state policy in support of IDAs.
Individual Development Accounts for Youth: Lessons from an Emerging Field is the first attempt to document the activity in and lessons learned from the emerging youth IDA field.
2002
The Savings for Working Families Act passes the Senate Finance Committee.
CFED hosts the first international IDA Learning Conference, in Windsor, Canada.
CFED creates the IDA Training Institute.
The American Dream Demonstration (ADD) ends.
State Asset Development Report Card is a groundbreaking benchmarking tool that considers 68 socioeconomic and policy measures—including wealth data never before available at the state level—to compare states on how assets are accumulated, distributed, and protected among their citizens, particularly among those often left out of the economic mainstream.
2003
The Savings for Working Families Act passes the Senate.
CFED publicly launches the Local Capital Markets Investment Fund's Integrating Savings and Credit initiative at a half-day gathering of financial institutions and practitioners in NYC.
CFED surveys and creates an online directory of the IDA field.
The Savings for Education, Entrepreneurship, and Downpayment (SEED) Policy and Practice Initiative is launched.
Community Development Financial Institutions provides a brief overview of the community development financial field
Community Development Financial Institutions: Providing Capital, Building Community, Creating Impact provides an in-depth analysis of data collected from 512 community development financial institutions for fiscal year 2001
2004
CFED turns 25.
REAL (Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning) merges with CFED.
CFED publishes Hidden in Plain Sight: A Look at the $335 Billion Federal Asset-Building Budget.
2005
CFED collaborates with the Federal Reserve System to develop and implement a regional forum series on asset building.
In July, Senate Appropriators create a $1.5 million earmark for Marriage Development Accounts - matched savings accounts for married couples and youth in the District of Columbia.
The Assets and Opportunity Scorecard is released.
2006
CFED hosts 2006 Assets Learning Conference—A Lifetime of Assets: Building Families, Communities & Economies. Over 1,000 people attend.
CFED and the community affairs offices of the Federal Reserve System convene two forums on asset building in Kansas City and Atlanta.
Native IDA trainings are held in Albuquerque, NM; Minneapolis, MN; Fairbanks, AK; and Raleigh, NC.
Native IDA Training Training begins.
CFED and partners in California present Integrating Savings and Credit: A Training for Microenterprise and IDA Practitioners.
2007
CFED releases 20th edition of the Development Report Card For The States.
CFED releases the 2007-2008 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard
2008
CFED convenes the 2008 Assets Learning Conference - Advancing America's Assets Agenda: Expanding Opportunity, Promoting Prosperity and Mobilizing Communities.
CFED announces innovation@cfed
2009
CFED launches the 2009 - 2010 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard. The Assets & Opportunity Scorecard is a comprehensive look at wealth, poverty and the financial security of families in the United States.
30th Anniversary
CFED celebrated three decades of expanding economic opportunity with the Future of Economic Opportunity Awards presented at our Anniversary Gala
1200 G Street, NW