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Assets for Independence (AFI) grantees—and their subgrantees—must acknowledge Federal funding when in all publications that describe services and activities that are funded in whole or in part with their AFI grant. Acknowledging that AFI provides financial support to your program not only helps readers to see your program as part of a vibrant community of AFI grantees, but also encourages others to learn more about AFI and possibly apply for a grant of their own.

Information regarding grants awarded on or after July 1, 2007 can be found here.

Many AFI grantees receive multiple program grants, requiring them to manage and budget for multiple AFI projects simultaneously. In such a case, a grantee may decide to transfer an IDA participant from one project to another. This is a common practice, and grantees considering it should review the official Information Memorandum (IM) which details official policy on the topic.

Many low-income individuals and families who are eligible for AFI-funded IDA projects are also eligible to receive benefits from Federal refundable tax credits. These include the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, American Opportunity Credit, and the Making Work Pay Credit. This Guidance for AFI Grantees on Federal Tax Credits provides tips for AFI grantees on: 1) The effect of these credits on eligibility for participating in an AFI-funded IDA project; and 2) Depositing the credits as IDA savings.
 

Managing an AFI grant can present struggles for many grantees, as unforeseen problems come their way over the 5-year project period. Whatever the challenge, remember: The experts at the AFI Resource Center have almost certainly seen something like it before. Before a grantee makes any project-ending decisions, it should always reach out to the center to try to work through its problem. For grantees and the larger community, it's almost always preferable to consider changes in design, personnel, or implementation before closing out prematurely.

AFI encourages grantees to make changes during their project periods to ensure the success of their IDA initiatives. Grantees may make changes to many key components of their projects, including the IDA savings match rate, maximum amount of savings they will match, asset purchase types to allow, target communities, and so forth.

The Office of Community Services (OCS) created the AFI Resource Center so grantees would never think their problems are insurmountable. The Center has experts on virtually every issue that AFI projects confront, and grantees should always reach out if they're feeling overwhelmed.

Up-to-date announcements on the AFI program.