Making Programs Work Better for Families Webinar Series

Making Programs Work Better for Families:
Practical Lessons to Improve Mobility Ahead Within Current Constraints

Public benefit systems play a critical role in supporting people who are working or preparing for work — but too often, fragmented program design, short-term thinking, and administrative complexity limit their impact on long-term economic mobility. This four-part webinar series explores how states, local governments, philanthropy, and practitioners can make today’s benefit programs work better within existing constraints. Across the sessions, we’ll spotlight practical strategies that improve access to income supports, align incentives toward sustained progress, and help families move forward without falling off benefits cliffs — all grounded in real world examples and current policy realities.

Session 1: Unlocking Billions: Increasing EITC Uptake for Working Families

The live webinar has ended, but the recording is available in the Downloads section above.

Speakers:

• Day Manoli, Associate Professor, Georgetown University
• David Park, Director of Data & Business Analytics in the Center for Research & Data Analysis, National League of Cities
• Danielle Corea-Smith, Director, Economic Mobility, United Way of Greater Newark
• Naomi Anderson, Director of VITA & TCE Programs, New Jersey Citizen Action
• Nadine Abraham, Director, Impact Advisory, Social Finance
• Natalie Larkin, Associate Director, Impact Advisory, Social Finance

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) remains one of the most powerful tools for boosting income among low wage workers, yet billions go unclaimed each year. This session combines a national look at EITC participation trends with practical lessons from recent pilots and partnerships. Speakers will share how a different funding approach — one that used incentives to support experimentation across a range of strategies — helped drive stronger results, and what practitioners, funders, and agencies can take away about increasing uptake more broadly.

Session 2: Guaranteed Income in the Benefits Ecosystem: A Bridge to Stability and Mobility

Guaranteed income programs are increasingly being used to provide immediate financial stability, with over 160 pilots launched across the US as of 2025. But what happens when these time-limited supports end? The long-term impact of cash transfer programs such as guaranteed income depends on how well they connect to the broader benefits system. This session explores guaranteed income as a flexible tool that can serve as a bridge to longer term supports, complement existing programs, and help families navigate periods of transition. Speakers will examine design choices, policy considerations, and lessons from recent implementations, with a focus on integrating guaranteed income into a coordinated ecosystem rather than treating it as a standalone solution.

Session 3: Earning More Without Losing Support: Navigating Benefits Cliffs

As families increase earnings, they often face abrupt losses in benefits that undermine their economic advancement. This session looks at how benefit cliffs affect different public programs — and what states and practitioners are doing to help people work around them. Building on themes from earlier sessions, speakers will highlight policy and program design strategies that help families continue working and grow their income without cutting off essential supports.

Session 4: Centering Long-Term Outcomes to Help People with Barriers to Work

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and other safety net programs focus too narrowly on rapid job placement, locking participants into cycles of jobs that don’t build meaningful economic mobility. This session considers approaches for making long-term economic mobility and career building the focus of social service programs by focusing on long-term outcomes, like sustained employment and income growth. The conversation will focus on how outcomes-based funding and performance measures can give agencies and providers reasonable assurance that participants are making real progress while still operating within regulatory and budget constraints.