AFI Project Design

1
Welcome!

• AFI Project Design Implementation Part I of
  II

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AFI Program Design and Implementation

• Second in a series of four webinars
• Overview and Application Process
• Project Design and Implementation Part 1
• Project Design and Implementation Part 2
• All topics are repeated and downloadable
• Schedule, registration and download links at
  http//www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/afi/afi_calend
  ar.html

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AFI Program Design and Implementation

• If you have technical difficulties with hearing
  or viewing this presentation, please press 0
  or contact Stephanie Dodge
• 703.279.6256
• SDodge_at_icfi.com
• If you have not received material, contact the
  AFI Resource Center
• Afiprogram_at_acf.hhs.gov
• 202.401.4626
• The call will be recorded and posted at
• http//www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/afi/outreach_p
  resentations/project_design_presentation_one.html

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AFI Program Design and Implementation

• Materials for this call are in downloadable form
• http//www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/afi/outreach_p
  resentations/project_design_presentation_one.html
• This presentation
• Project Builder
• Contact the AFI Resource Center for materials or
  with follow up questions
• Afiprogram_at_acf.hhs.gov 202.401.4626

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Agenda

• Effective workplans
• Strategies for selecting your client population
• Account Structure
• Questions and Answers

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IDA Basics

• IDAs developed by Michael Sherraden to give poor
  a long term path out of poverty
• Restricted matched savings accounts
• Accountholder saves, host agency matches savings
• Trust or custodial account owned by both
  accountholder and host agency

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IDA Basics

• At the same time that accountholders begin saving
  for their asset
• They receive financial education training and
  asset-specific education
• Host organization staff can expect the need to do
  other troubleshooting with some accountholders

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AFI and IDAs

• In 1998, Congress passed legislation to launch
  AFI
• 368 active AFI projects at 258 organizations
• Nearly 44,000 accounts and growing
• 13,000 asset purchases
• ¾ of accountholders are female
• ¾ of accountholders have children in the
  household
• Demographically 44 African-American, 27 White,
  18 Latino

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AFI and IDAs

• There have been a few private IDA projects run in
  the past
• Many states do fund IDAs, as well as other types
  of organizations
• AFI is the largest source of IDA funds
• AFI comes with particular rules and regulations

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Effective Workplans

• An effective workplan is worth 20 of your points
  on the AFI application
• An effective workplan is vital to run a good AFI
  project

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Effective Workplans

• In order to design an effective workplan you will
  need to have an idea of your goals and objectives
• Goals (vision) and Objectives (how you address
  the goals)
• See Project Builder page 14

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Effective Workplans

• Please keep in mind
• Your agencys mission and who it seeks to serve
• Goals of AFI
• What needs the AFI program can meet in your
  community
• Project Builder page 14

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Effective Workplans

• Outline what you will do and by when
• Include targets and benchmarks at regular
  intervals
• Link to key project activities, recruitment,
  enrollment, when will IDAs open, when will asset
  purchases be made, etc.
• Link to AFI project management Indicators and AFI
  Program Outcomes

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AFI Goals

• AFI has identified the following Project
  Management Indicators and Program Outcomes
• Increase in IDA savings used for asset purchases
• Increase in the number of participants who make
  asset purchases
• Increase in accountholders savings rate

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Define Target Population

• AFI is interested in funding places/people in
  need
• Determine who you seek to serve
• First consider current service population

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Define Target Population

• Who can meet requirements and benefit?
• Accountholders must be TANF eligible OR
• EITC eligible or annual adjusted gross income
  less than twice poverty level (40k for family of
  four)
• AND
• Net worth less than 10,000 excluding the value
  of a residence and one motor vehicle

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Define Target Population

• Determine typical budget for essential expenses
  in your service area
• Look at how much families in your area can
  reasonably save after paying for the essentials
• Then calculate how much would be needed to
  acquire an asset in your area
• Can they qualify for a mortgage?
• Those who can meet these conditions can be
  accountholders
• Project Builder page 11

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Define Target Population

• Remember these are five-year grants
• It is okay to start off slow
• Give yourself time to get operations moving
  smoothly
• Recruitment is hard!

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Recruitment

• Many host agencies overestimate speed of
  recruitment
• Often takes time for word to spread
• Often takes time for trust to be established
• Word of mouth is best sales technique

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Recruitment

• Other recruiting practices
• Pluck accountholders from other programs at your
  agency
• Family members
• Partnership referrals
• Promoting your success stories
• Advertisements

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Recruitment

• Remember even after potential accountholders
  apply to join your program you still will need to
  evaluate them to gauge their likely success
• For proposal you will need a timetable for
  completing recruitment

22
Protocols

• Grantee will need to establish protocols
• Establish accountholder responsibilities
• Attend classes, abide by savings plan agreement,
  treat others respectfully
• Establish host agency responsibilities
• Pull together savings plan agreement, handling
  withdrawals, keep accountholders informed,
  complete paperwork in timely manner, deliver
  classes
• Establish partner responsibilities for each other
• Work cooperatively, submit information to each
  other in a timely manner, meet agreed
  responsibilities

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AFI Host Agency Accounts

• First a quick reminder about the accounts that
  the host agency must establish
• Project reserve fund
• IDA accounts
• Operations account

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AFI Participant Accounts

• Accounts are either custodial or trust accounts.
  The accountholder does not have free and clear
  access to the account
• Host agency must release funds
• Accounts must be held in federally insured
  institution
• Participant must make regular deposits into the
  account

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AFI Participant Accounts

• No withdrawals within the first six months
• After six months withdrawals only for asset
  purchase or emergency withdrawal
• Asset purchases are matched
• Emergency withdrawals are not matched and should
  be avoided

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AFI Participant Accounts

• Establish savings goals
• How much can accountholders save over time?
• How much will they need in savings match to
  purchase an asset?
• How much can accountholders save monthly?
• What will your match rate be?
• Do the math to come up with the savings period
• Assume a little lumpiness in savings
• Project builder page 20

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AFI Participant Accounts

• In order to determine the cost of assets in your
  areas consult local sources of information on
  housing, business and education costs.
• Also seek information on other sources of funds
  that may combine with your program to make the
  asset more accessible
• See work sheets in Project Builder appendix G to
  help determine costs

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Part II Preview

• Program Design and Implementation will be
  continued on Thursday
• Topics will include
• Financial and Asset-specific education
• Organizational Capacity
• Staffing and Partnerships
• Creating a Budget

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Questions Answers

• Instructions to ask questions.
• If you have a question, please press 1 on your
  phone or simply type in your question
• Please provide the operator with your name and
  organization.

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Application Submission Information

• Due date March 25th, 2008
• Received by 430 p.m. Eastern time -
• see appendix M in Project Builder
• Address
• Office of Community Services Operations Center
• Assets for Independence Program
• 1515 Wilson Blvd, Suite 100
• Arlington, VA 22209
• 1.800.281.9519

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Application Submission Information

• May submit using www.grants.gov
• Must be submitted by 430 p.m. on March 25th,
  2008
• Prepare www.grants.gov submission well before due
  date
• Registration
• DUNS number
• Authorized signature

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AFI Orientation Call Series
All calls at 2 p.m. Eastern Registration and
document download http//www.acf.hhs.gov/programs
/ocs/afi/afi_calendar.html
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AFI Resource Center

• www.acf.hhs.gov/assetbuilding
• Project Builder
• Application forms
• Program announcement
• Technical information on AFI IDA implementation
• AFIprogram_at_acf.hhs.gov
• 202-401-4626

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Other IDA Resources

• Center for Social Development
• http//gwbweb.wustl.edu/csd
• IDA Network -http//www.idanetwork.org
• New America Foundation - www.assetbuilding.org
• Others can be found in the Project Builder in
  appendix A

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Contact Information

• AFI Resource Center
• afiprogram_at_acf.hhs.gov
• [phone]
• www.acf.hhs.gov/assetbuilding