Special Publications

Community Close-Up is a photo series highlighting the experiences of people who make up our economy and stories of resilience from communities facing economic hardship. The latest in the series centers the voices and experiences of “donut kids”—a term coined by the children of Cambodian-American donut shop owners to acknowledge their shared identities growing up in and around donut shops.

Community Close-Up is a photo series highlighting stories of resilience from communities facing economic hardship. The first in the series centers on the voices and experiences of low-income women living and raising children in East Oakland.

The book features a collection of essays by 80 authors with wide expertise on the social, cultural, and financial implications of orienting programs and funding around outcomes. Together, the authors imagine the creation of a trillion-dollar marketplace for results, where governments, social service providers and partners better understand the full, true costs of achieving social change and where compensation is based on measurable results.

Social Impact Bonds (also known as Pay for Success contracts) have demonstrated significant growth potential within their defined boundaries, but the standard model has not yet developed “mainstream” investment transactions capable of expanding certified evidence-based programs (CEBPs) commensurate with unmet population needs. This paper proposes an enhanced SIB model called “Scale Finance” in which asset owners and fund managers would work with CEBP developers to expand these proprietary programs at their maximum feasible growth rates. If successful, Scale Finance would offer a financially self-sustaining way to effectively solve certain pervasive social problems we already know how to fix.

This guide provides resources and strategies to housing programs and developers interested in making mortgage financing available to more residents in rural Alaska. It is designed to serve those interested in starting mortgage financing programs or expanding them.

This paper explores the issue of underemployment and its impact on lower-income households and communities.

The rapid growth of asset poverty in the United States is a troublesome sign that millions of families nationwide lack the resources necessary to secure a more stable financial future. The findings in this report from the National Asset Scorecard for Communities of Color (NASCC) survey reveal major disparities in wealth accumulation across various racial and ethnic groups in Los Angeles.

The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, in partnership with Housing California, surveyed California’s affordable housing developers in October 2015 to learn how they are faring three years after the dissolution of redevelopment agencies (RDAs); how their development pipelines have been affected by the loss of RDA funds; and how new legislation, local regulation, or funding strategies have impacted affordable housing development over the past three years. This report is an analysis of current conditions and challenges expressed in the survey responses of 71 affordable housing development organizations across California.

The American economy is only as strong as the American household. In communities across the country, families are struggling to thrive. Learn what we can collectively do to tackle poverty and put more families on the path to financial well-being. A new book published by the San Francisco Fed in partnership with CFED, What It’s Worth: Strengthening the Financial Future of Families, Communities and the Nation, provides a 360-degree view of the financial problems and challenges millions of American households face. The book highlights the enormous creativity and innovation underway to improve financial well-being and provides concrete ways that nearly all sectors of society can implement proven and evolving solutions.

This analysis provides data on an array of community development needs and opportunities in Los Angeles County and is valuable information for financial institutions looking to align loans, investments, and services to community development needs in their markets. It is equally valuable for non-profits looking to maximize impact in the areas in which they operate.

With 90 percent of the world’s data generated in just the past two years, What Counts: Harnessing Data for America’s Communities challenges policymakers, funders, and practitioners across sectors to seize this new opportunity to revolutionize our approaches to improve lives in low-income communities. This book from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the Urban Institute provides a roadmap for the strategic use of data to reduce poverty, improve health, expand access to quality education, increase employment, and build stronger and more resilient communities.

Authors: Craig R. Everett, Pepperdine University, Chinwe Onyeagoro, FundWell, and Alex Davidson

The Small Business Financial Health Initiative is a joint project of the Community Development divisions of the Federal Reserve Banks of Chicago and San Francisco, Pepperdine University Capital Markets Project and FundWell, Inc.

This report provides an operational and financial overview of the community health center industry for the years 2008 – 2011. Prepared with the goal of increasing the information available to lenders and investors on community health centers nationwide, this document is the second of a series of studies supported by Citi Foundation, which will further illuminate the financial and operational trends of this group of organizations.

This book encourages a more integrated approach to anti-poverty efforts that builds on what we know is working. Through dozens of examples of innovative ideas that are transforming neighborhoods, this book uncovers the new sectors, new financing tools, and new technologies that can be harnessed to bring opportunity to America’s struggling communities.

The Federal Reserve Bank San Francisco’s Consumer Credit Conditions series provides an overview of consumer credit data for each Twelfth District state. The state reports include data on consumer debt, consumer loan and mortgage delinquencies, including maps showing serious mortgage delinquencies at the county level.

Transit-oriented development (TOD) can provide households with more opportunities and choices. Ideal TOD communities are mixed-use neighborhoods with good-quality public transit that connect people of a variety of incomes to a wide range of economic, social, and educational opportunities. TODs incorporate access to human services such as child care facilities, fresh food stores, health care facilities, and cultural and educational institutions within a short walking distance of transit. Families living in transit areas can significantly reduce the time and cost spent on their daily commute to work, and the other trips required for their daily chores, allowing for more disposable income and leisure time. Compact and pedestrian-oriented environments also generate demonstrated public health benefits by reducing obesity and preventing related health problems. This special report explores how CDFIs can be utilized to provide financing for TOD projects.