Oweesta - EITC Toolkit

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Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Resources for Native Communities

Don’t leave millions of federal dollars on the table! Earned Income Tax Credit refunds can help working families in Native communities jump start their financial goals including saving for homeownership, starting a small business or just paying off their debt. The $38 billion EITC program is the largest federal anti-poverty program in the United States - larger than food stamps and TANF combined. It has the potential to bring hundreds of millions of dollars to Native communities annually, but a large portion of that has gone unclaimed or has been skimmed off by high-cost fees.

To reverse this trend, the Native Financial Education Coalition (NFEC), with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, has designed an initiative to provide tools to Native communities to launch local campaigns to increase access to Earned Income Tax Credits and to link them with financial education and other asset building efforts including Individual Development Accounts (IDAs).

The goals of the NFEC's EITC Committee are to:

Promote awareness about the availability of EITC refunds to eligible Native families
Encourage families to use free tax preparation sites and avoid high-cost quick cash refunds or Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs)
Educate families about how to use EITC refunds to improve their financial standing through savings and investments

To achieve these goals, the initiative offers a tool kit for tribal leaders to launch local campaigns in their communities. This site also compiles information for Native consumers to learn more about accessing the EITC and using it to further their financial goals.

EITC Toolkit for Tribal and Community Leaders

Every year in Native communities, millions of EITC dollars go unclaimed or get reduced by unnecessary fees. Families may qualify for refunds from up to $412 with no qualifying children to up to $4,536 with two or more qualifying children in the 2006 tax year, depending on their amount of earned income. You can help members of your community claim the EITC refund through their income tax returns and encourage them to use free tax preparation sites.

Tribal Leader EITC Handbook

This handbook, developed by First Nations Development Institute and Annie E. Casey Foundation, provides tribal and other communities leaders guidance on what they can do in their communities. It includes information on how the EITC can benefit individual tribal members as well as the entire community. It also provides tips on coalition building and resources available to support their local campaigns. To order hard copies from First Nations Oweesta Corporation, please call 605-342-3770 or email info@oweesta.org.

NEW! 2007 Native EITC Outreach Tools

Download the following tools to help get the word out to eligible families about free tax preparation sites in or near your community. Each of these items includes a space in which you can insert your contact information and the location and hours of the nearest free tax preparation site:

Run public service announcements and articles in local newspapers and newsletters.
Vertical Ad
Horizontal Ad
Include an EITC notice in tribal employees’ paychecks and W-2 statements. Encourage other major employers in your community to do the same.
EITC Paycheck Notice
Distribute flyers through housing, economic development, and other social service providers.
Community Flyer
Help consumers find free tax preparation sites to maximize their refund value. Call 1-800-829-1040 to find Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) locations near your community. Contact sites directly to confirm operation hours and assistor availability.
Organize financial education courses to help community members learn about the EITC and improve their financial skills.
Print this business card on most business card templates. On the back side, insert your logo, contact information and hours of the nearest free tax preparation site. Distribute these cards to your clients!
Business Card Template

Let us hear from you! Please send copies of your outreach materials to Oweesta, Attn: EITC Campaigns, 1010 Ninth Street, Suite 3, Rapid City, SD 57701. We will be collecting examples to share with other Native communities!

To order copies of a free financial education curriculum called Building Native Communities: Financial Skills for Families call 1-800-665-0012.

Download a new supplemental workbook called Building Native Communities: Guide to Claiming the EITC or order copies from First Nations Oweesta Corporation at 605-342-3770 or email info@oweesta.org.

For information about instructor training opportunities, see the training calendar.

Native EITC List Serve
Join the Native Financial Education Coalition EITC committee and list serve. For more information, contact committee chair Iris Friday and/or NFEC EITC Committee Coordinator Patsy Schramm.

EITC Articles