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Innovation Summits

Premised on the idea that innovation is propelled by collaboration, innovation@cfed convenes leaders in social innovation to interact with a common goal of expanding economic opportunity. This page contains upcoming Innovation Summits, as well as an archive of past convenings.

Upcoming Events

Check back soon for information on upcoming Innovation Summits!

Past Events

Financial Empowerment through Employer Engagement Webinar - June 15, 2011

Featuring highlights of the research conducted during Eugenie FitzGerald's 2009-2010 year as Innovator-in-Residence, this webinar explores the ways by which the employer payroll process is an essential delivery point for extending financial services to low- and moderate-income individuals.

For more information and instructions on how to view the recording of this webinar, click here.

Partnerships that Leverage Tax Time Webinar - October 20, 2010

Hosted by the Self Employment Tax Initiative and innovation@cfed, in partnership with the National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders and Friedman Associates.

This webinar discussed of how microenterprise-serving organizations can leverage tax time to partner with organizations that provide self employment tax preparation services to empower and increase opportunities for their clients.

Click here for more details and to watch the recorded webinar.

Innovation Marketplace - September 23, 2010

The Innovation Marketplace is a unique virtual and in-person platform designed to bring together leaders at the cutting edge of social innovations that expand economic opportunity for all Americans.

The Innovation Marketplace will

• Create a window into the future of economic opportunity through next-generation innovators.
• Showcase dozens of innovation leaders and innovative ideas.
• Foster global idea exchange and lively interaction among conference attendees and U.S. and international innovators.
• Feature planet-friendly products and services from innovative entrepreneurs.

The virtual Innovation Marketplace will go live on July 19, while the in-person installment at the 2010 Assets Learning Conference will take place Thursday, September 23 from 4:30-6:30PM (EDT) in Salons 1 & 2 of the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. For more information, please email innovation@cfed.org.

What is innovation@cfed? Webinar - August 24, 2010

On August 24, 2010, innovation@cfed presented the second installment of its Innovation Summits Webinar Series. The webinar, titled What is innovation@cfed?, served as a resource for members of the innovation@cfed learning community interested in optimizing their use of the dynamic platform.

The discussion included information about the innovation@cfed theory of change - explaining how the program operates and increases the visibility of solid concepts that have the potential to significantly impact economically vulnerable people. CFED staff also introduced the 2010 Innovation Portfolio.

To download the recording from What is innovation@cfed?, click here.

College Success Webinar – July 6, 2010

innovation@cfed hosted this dynamic Webinar that examined best practices and innovative approaches for confronting barriers that block access to postsecondary education. Speakers focused especially on the creative ideas in development in the upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest regions. Speakers addressed the lack of financial access, present innovative approaches to attract funders to this issue, and articulate the importance of innovation in the region overall.

Presenters included Thomas Jensen, CASA of Oregon; Karla Miller, Northwest Area Foundation; Kim Pate, CFED; Maggie Reilly, CASA of Oregon; and Brent Wilder, Oregon Independent College Foundation, Inc.

The webinar also included a lively Q&A session, led by Peter Blanchard, Youth Development Coordinator at Reach CDC in Portland, Oregon. Blanchard was named a CFED Innovator in 2009 for a concept that promotes accessibility to college through a student loan vehicle that would be built into an Individual Development Account (IDA) for repayment through matched savings.

Click here to download the recording from Innovative Approaches to College Success.

Have questions for the panelists? Email them to innovation@cfed.org.

2009 Innovation Summit – October 29, 2009

Premised on the idea that innovation is propelled by collaboration, the 2009 Innovation Summit was a convening of over 260 individuals excited about developing innovative approaches to expand economic opportunity for all Americans. The Summit featured the unique Innovation Exchange where CFED Idea Champions presented their innovations to participants who gave valuable feedback to help build these fresh ideas. Click here for the 2009 Innovation Summit Archive.