Research Hub
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the federal government’s unprecedented actions to provide relief through various tax provisions, Commonwealth, Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners, and SaverLife collaborated to create a rapid response coalition to ensure the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) benefited as many Americans living on low and moderate incomes (LMI) as possible. We worked with various organizations, especially those that deliver financial services and tax filing support to impacted families, to help us in reaching this goal. We did this by:
- Building awareness of ARPA provisions among Americans living on LMI and the organizations that serve them
- Linking families to trusted financial resources and services
- Researching and evaluating the impact of these efforts on individuals and families
The following reports document our learnings and serve as resources for future efforts to leverage the tax code to address financial insecurity:
Responding to a Tax Time Crisis and Opportunity
Impact of a Rapid Response Campaign for LMI Households in Tax Season 2021
The Impact of the Enhanced Child Tax Credit on Lower-Income Households
he American Rescue Plan, one of the most significant policy responses to alleviate child poverty in decades, made fundamental changes in enhancing the Child Tax Credit (CTC). In response to the pandemic, the law expanded the CTC for tax year 2021 to ensure a minimum level of economic support to all families raising children.