WHAT WE DID
- Formed coalition between nonprofits and advocacy groups
- Advised White House on the promotion of increased Child Tax Credit
OVERVIEW
The Economic Security Project (ESP) was founded by a group of 100 entrepreneurs, activists, and researchers who came together to find ways to empower all Americans with economic security and spending power.
CHALLENGE
The experts at ESP were some of the earliest to envision expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC). It’s a tax credit that in 2018 for example, lifted 4.3 million people above the poverty line. Although it has Although it has been increased several times since it was first implemented, there had never been an expansion like the one ESP determined was needed to help families get through the COVID-19 pandemic.
SOLUTION
We organized a coalition, the Child Tax Credit Public Campaign Working Group, that joined ESP with other nonprofits and the White House to analyze the need for an increased CTC and strategize how best to implement it. On calls with this group we planned public education events, organized outreach to hard-to-reach communities. The group was a way for White House representatives and these nonprofits to have access to each other, exchange information, and give each other progress updates.
RESULTS
$3,600
Increasing from $2,000 per child to $3,600 for children under age 6 and $3,000 for children ages, 6 to 17
Something that was once considered a radical pipe dream, became a reality. The child tax credit was increased as part of the American Rescue Plan as a means of economic stimulus in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Increasing from $2,000 per child to $3,600 for children under age 6 and $3,000 for children ages, 6 to 17, this increase provided essential relief for middle class and low-income families during a time of great economic stress. Although the CTC returned to its original amount after 2021, the fact that it was implemented at all shows the power of advocacy. The benefits of the increased CTC were palpable, helping working class families pay off debt and buy school supplies, which is why we’re continuing to work with ESP to make it a permanent measure.
