Corporation for Enterprise Development

Corporation for Enterprise Development
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Name	Corporation for Enterprise Development
Formation	1970s
Type	Nonprofit
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Leader title	President

Corporation for Enterprise Development is a nonprofit organization focused on promoting economic mobility through asset building, financial capability, and equitable policy. Founded in the 1970s, the organization has influenced national debates on workforce development, tax policy, and community development by producing research, advising policymakers, and operating demonstration programs. It works at the intersection of philanthropic initiatives, federal programs, and local pilot projects across the United States.

History

The organization was established amid debates following the Great Society initiatives and the 1970s energy crisis when philanthropic leaders sought institutional approaches to asset-building and poverty reduction. Early engagements connected with programs influenced by leaders from the Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Rockefeller Foundation, and collaborated with policy offices within the Carter administration and the Reagan administration on antipoverty strategies. During the 1980s and 1990s it partnered with federal agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Labor while contributing to dialogues sparked by reports from the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution. In the 2000s its work intersected with initiatives associated with the Community Reinvestment Act debates and the policy responses to the 2008 financial crisis, aligning with think tanks like the Aspen Institute and advocacy groups such as the Center for Responsible Lending.

Mission and Programs

The organization’s mission emphasizes expanding economic opportunity through policies and programs that increase household assets, financial stability, and upward mobility. Its programmatic portfolio has included asset-building strategies like matched savings accounts, models for child development accounts linked to proposals in the Child Trust Funds debates, and workforce initiatives echoing practices from the Job Training Partnership Act era. Programs have coordinated with municipal efforts seen in cities like Baltimore, New York City, and San Francisco, and state efforts influenced by legislatures in California, New York (state), and Massachusetts. Technical assistance programs have worked alongside community development intermediaries, credit unions such as Navy Federal Credit Union affiliates, and nonprofit service providers modeled on Local Initiatives Support Corporation practices.

Research and Publications

The organization produces research reports, policy briefs, and data products that inform stakeholders including members of the United States Congress, state legislatures, and municipal authorities. Research topics have covered the distributional effects of tax policy examined alongside analyses from the Tax Policy Center, the role of savings in retirement security paralleling studies by the Pension Rights Center, and the impact of financial capability interventions studied by groups like CFED contemporaries. Publications have addressed household balance-sheet measures, poverty indicators used by the Census Bureau, and evaluation methodologies consistent with standards from the National Bureau of Economic Research and randomized controlled trials exemplified by Abt Associates. The organization has released indices and scorecards that have been cited in briefings at the Federal Reserve and in testimony before congressional committees such as the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Policy Advocacy and Impact

Advocacy work has targeted federal legislation on tax credits, savings incentives, and workforce supports, engaging with legislation influenced by proponents of the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit. The organization’s recommendations have been considered in policymaking conversations alongside reports from the Government Accountability Office and scholarly input from the Harvard Kennedy School. It has testified before panels convened by the Senate Committee on Finance and supported state-level reforms aligned with initiatives from governors’ offices like those of California Governor administrations. Impact has included influencing design elements of subsidy programs and informing regulatory discussions involving the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and banking oversight dialogues at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

Organizational Structure and Funding

The nonprofit is governed by a board of directors comprised of leaders from philanthropy, academia, and the private sector, drawing on expertise similar to trustees at the Brookings Institution and corporate boards modeled after practices at JPMorgan Chase. Leadership has included executives with prior roles in foundations such as the MacArthur Foundation and policy posts in federal offices like the Office of Management and Budget. Funding sources have combined foundation grants from entities like the Kresge Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, corporate philanthropy from firms in the Silicon Valley and Wall Street finance sectors, and project-specific federal grants administered through agencies such as the Administration for Children and Families.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Collaborations span national research centers, local community organizations, and multilateral initiatives. The organization has partnered with the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco on regional work, collaborated with nonprofits such as United Way of America and ACLU-adjacent networks on policy coalitions, and worked with academic partners at institutions like University of Michigan, Columbia University, and Princeton University on evaluation studies. International dialogues have connected its staff to conferences hosted by the World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development while domestic coalitions have included alliances involving the National League of Cities and state housing finance agencies.

Category:Nonprofit organizations based in the United States