Newsletters Archive

Reaching Out | April 2010
New Economic Skills Class Schedule Announced; Need Help Paying for College? A New Tax Credit May Help; Homebuyer and Credit Counseling Success Story; Improve Your Credit with a Credit Builder CD; Payday Lending is History in Arkansas. Read more…

Reaching Out | June 2009
A Tax Credit for Working People; Eviction Stopped!; A Helping Hand to Reach Your; Goals; Upcoming IDA Classes; Dedicated to Success in Nursing; Energy Saving Tips; New Laws, New Help; New Quickbooks Training; Stuttgart Business Training; Steps To Be The Best; Upcoming BDC Training. Read more…

Reaching Out | January 2009
New Year, New Opportunities, and New Hope; Learn About Southern’s Free Tax Assistance Program in Arkansas and Mississippi; Find Out if You Qualify for a Tax Credit; Upcoming IDA Classes; Steps to Handle Today’s Scary News; Sunset for Payday Lenders; Business Information Center Open House; Upcoming Business Trainings; CNA Training in 2009 is a Go! Read more…

Reaching Out | October 2008
Reduce Household Expenses by Chopping the Grocery Bill; What to Do When You Can’t Pay Your Utility Bill; Angel Food Ministry Sites; Money Management Puzzle; IDA Classes Schedule; Public Policy – More IDAs Available in Arkansas; Find IDA Providers Across Arkansas and Start Building Your Assets Today; Career Pathways Handover Success; Important News about Our CNA Class; A Fond Farewell from Program Director Miriam Karanja; BDC Welcomes Felecia Burns; BDC Training Schedule; Find a Career Pathways School Near You. Read more…

Reaching Out | May 2008
Attorney General Shuts Down Payday Lenders; New Rules to Help Homeowners Avoid Foreclosure; IDA Classes Schedule; Credit Counseling Provides Happy Ending; Strengthen Your Soft Skills; College Survival Tips; Meet Temisha Washington; Hot Career – Nursing; Save Money for College; Recession Proof Your Business; BDC Training Schedule; Affordable Health Insurance; How Will You Spend Your Stimulus Check?Read more…

Changing Lives | April 2008
A recent Wall Street Journal poll finds most economists saying the United States is in a recession. Behind disturbing rates of mortgage delinquency and foreclosure nationally, Arkansas families face financial uncertainty and destabilized neighborhoods. Learn how SGFF anticipated these “hard times” by listening to our participants, how our new credit counselors are providing the right kind of help, and how our Public Policy office is busy taking a closer look at Arkansas trends. Also, Southern’s Ben Steinberg wins Non-Profit Executive of the Year. Read more…

Reaching Out | January 2008
Avoid the Housing Market Crunch; Financial Tips for a Happy New Year; IDA Class Schedule; IDAs Coming to Arkadelphia and Hot Springs; Let Free Tax Preparation Save You Money; For Kids–SEED Program Wraps Up; Jump Start Your College Savings; Hot Careers in Child Care and Health Care; Recession Proof Your Business; BDC Training Schedule; Business Success Story–Meet Phyllis Lawson; Time to Review Your Business Plan. Read more…

Changing Lives | December 2007
Growing well helps us do more good, so we’re happy to announce to you that we’re expanding our VITA sites with help from our Southern Bancorp family and increasing the number of Arkansans who can access IDA accounts through our partnership with the FDIC and the Arkansas Assets Coalition. Also, meet our new (and newly promoted) staff, and participants whose success continues to grow. Read more…

Reaching Out | August 2007
Make a Great First Impression; Before You File for Bankruptcy; IDA Classes; Working with a Credit Counselor; Aspiring Scholars Matching Grant; For Kids—Wild About Savings! Working with a Credit Counselor; The Job Club; What’s Stopping You? SEARK and PCCUA Calendars; How Did You Hear About Us? Business Development Training; ARHealthNet Offers Big Benefits to Small Businesses; It’s Never Too Late. Read more…

Changing Lives | August 2007
National recognition and strong local support highlight our donor cultivation efforts, featuring moving success stories. Also, we describe our efforts to promote affordable healthcare in Arkansas and an ARHealthNet success story, how we’re partnering for entrepreneurs in Pine Bluff, and how you can earn a tax credit by donating to our IDA program. Read more…

Reaching Out | April 2007
In The Right Place; IDA Classes; Little Things Add Up to Extra Cash; Legislative Wrap-Up; For Kids—Wild About Savings! What Can Arkansas Career Pathways Do For You? FREE Federal Student Aid Filing; Child Care IS Business; New Health Insurance Plan for Small Businesses; Does Your Business Have A Growth Plan? Business Development Training; Drive Smart and Save Money. Read more…

Changing Lives | April 2007
Our President Angela Duran wins Arkansas Business’ Nonprofit Executive of the Year Award. Also, we introduce our Project Deserve partnership with Entergy Arkansas, feature a Career Pathways student’s success story, and summarize our year’s legislative activities. Read more…

Reaching Out | January 2007
Get a Bigger Tax Refund; Top 10 Ways to Spend Your Tax Refund; Tackle Debt with Credit Counseling; What’s in Your Credit Report? For Kids—Wild About Savings! Discover Your Career Potential; Prepare for the Tax Season; Health Insurance Benefits for Small Businesses; Make 2007 a Year of Growth for Your Business; What We’re Working On at the Capitol. Read more…

Changing Lives | December 2006
The Annie E. Casey Foundation honors SGFF with the national Families Count award and a $500,000 grant. Also, we announce our local partnership with The Links, our Public Policy program’s coalition work to stop abusive payday lending across Arkansas, and your opportunity to benefit from a 50 percent tax credit for a donation to our IDA program. Read more…

Changing Lives | September 2006
Our IDA program helps people turn their dreams of buying a home, starting a business, or going to school into reality—find out how we do it and read moving success stories. Also, learn how our Public Policy program helped working families in Arkansas get a pay raise, and meet some of our staff. Read more…

Changing Lives | April 2006 (Our Inaugural Edition)
After nearly 20 years of successfully changing people’s lives in the Arkansas and Mississippi Delta—and across the state through our Public Policy program—we published our first “Changing Lives” newsletter for our funders, donors, partners, and friends, to introduce (or reintroduce) each of our programs, staff, board, and “most importantly, those we serve.” If you’re new to our work, this is a great place to get acquainted. Read more…

Asset Builders

Add It Up! (For Kids) | September 2006
Wild about Savings; How to Help Children Make Good Spending Decisions; Savings Growth Calendar; Find the Hidden Words; Piggy Bank Match News.
Read more…

Add It Up! (For Kids) | June 2006
How Do I Deposit My Money?; The ABCs of Saving Money; Where Do You Save Money; Piggy Bank Match News.
Read more…

Add It Up! (For Kids) | March 2006
Ever Wonder Why It’s Called a Piggy Bank?; Saving is Exciting; See the Savings; EITC Match Money News.
Read more…

Bank On It! | April 2006
New Scams That Steal Your Identity and Your Money; A New Perspective Launches a Dream Photography Business for Betty Gray. Read more…

Add It Up! (For Kids) | November 2005
Get a Jump Start on Your Child’s Education; Fun Activity—Identify the Coin; Play with Pocket Change. Read more…

Bank On It! | November 2005
The Truth About Credit Counseling; Tips to Keep Your Energy Bill Lower This Winter; Lawn Care Business is Growing for IDA Saver Julie Ishie.
Read more…

Add It Up! (For Kids) | 3rd Quarter 2005
Get A Jump Start On Your Child’s Education; Fun Activity—Coloring and Learning About Buying at the Grocery Store; Name the Coin.
Read more…

Bank On It! | 2nd Quarter 2005
Free Credit Report; Change Your Spending Habits; Persistence Pays Off for IDA Saver and Business Owner Valeria Franklin.
Read more…

Add It Up! (For Kids) | 2nd Quarter 2005
SEED Event Encourages Kids to Save; Learning is Fun Activity—What Costs Money? Where Do You Save? Who Is Teaching Kids About Money? Read more…

Bank On It! | 1st Quarter 2005
Your Credit Score Affects Your Mortgage; Detria Stackhouse’s Home Improvements Pay Off; Credit Repair Scams; Your Rights & Obligations. Read more…

Add It Up! (For Kids) | 1st Quarter 2005
U.S. Senator Pryor Encourages Kids to Save for Education; Color the Piggy Bank; Fun & Games (Learning About Money); Tips to Help Save Money. Read more…

Bank On It | 4th Quarter 2004
How to Survive Christmas without Crashing; Success Story – Priscilla Smith: Stitch-n-Save; Things You Should Know About Check 21; A Little Reminder – IDA Program Requirements Toward Your Dream; Make a New Year’s Financial Resolution.
Read more…

Bank On It | 2nd Quarter 2004
Free Money Management Counseling in Helena; Success Story – Earnestine Banks and her Dream Home; The $100 Change Challenge; Summer Energy Saving Tips.Read more…

Bank On It | 1st Quarter 2004
We Have a New Name: Asset Builders; What is EITC and How Do I Qualify; Top 10 Ways to Spend Your Tax Return; Success Story –
Lindsey Neighbors’ L & B Lawn Care. Read more…

Bank On It | 3rd Quarter 2003
Celebrating Our 100-Plus Asset Purchase; Congratulations to Our Asset Purchasers! (26 Homeownership, 40 Home Renovations, 41 Education, and 23 Small Businesses.) Read more…

Bank On It | 2nd Quarter 2003
Success Story – A New Home for the Barkins; What’s Happening in Mississippi and Helena; Budgeting & Saving Tips by Kim Burgess, IDA Participant; News from Our Partners. Read more…

Bank On It | 1st Quarter 2003
Budgeting & Money Management; Welcome New Pine Bluff Coordinator; Our IDA Program Partners with Four Other Organizations; Little Expenses Add Up.
Read more…

Bank On It | 3rd Quarter 2002
Our IDA Program Expands to Helena; Success Stories – Margaret Jackson Improves Her Home and Business; Seshe Brewer Saves for a Home and Education for Herself and Her Son; and Joyce Croseford Pays for School and Saves for a Home; About Saver’s Club. Read more…

Bank On It | 2nd Quarter 2002
Saver’s Club Meeting Informative and Fun; Success Stories – Jackie Miller and Beulah Johnson Use Several Resources to Buy Their Homes; Seeing is Believing; Success Story – Francella Grigsby’s Kids World Family Home Child Care Center: “A professional environment that is rich in learning to prepare her kids for pre-school and kindergarten. It’s not unusual to find Francella on the floor playing with the children, teaching a lesson, or just giving hugs.” Read more…

Bank On It | 1st Quarter 2002
Asset Purchasers Total 37—Who’s Buying What; Tell Your Friends & Family; Free Tax Service; Success Story—Yvette Hubbard Takes Important Steps Toward Buying A Home; Success Story—Tahir Carr’s School and Career Path Toward Electrical Engineering. Read more…

Business Development

Down To Business | 3rd Quarter 2006
Client Spotlight: Cindy Smith’s Party Hardy—The Place Where the Party Starts; Need a Business Loan? Trainings & Workshops—Open to Women & Men! Save the Date for Our Client Appreciation Banquet. Read more…

Small Talk (For Child Care Providers) | 3rd Quarter 2006
Arkansas Workers Get a Pay Raise; Need a Small Business Loan? How Do You Handle Early Arrivals and Late Pick-ups? Trainings and Workshops.
Read more…

Down To Business | 2nd Quarter 2006
Client Spotlight—Betty Gray’s CC Photography: “Her love of photography was inspired by her granddad and dad. So naturally, capturing images of family is important to her and set in motion her dream of becoming a professional photographer.” Other articles: Profits Aren’t Cash; Trainings & Workshops; Why You Need a Business Plan.Read more…

Small Talk (For Child Care Providers) | 2nd Quarter 2006
Success Story: Denise LaGrant, LaTina Geiggar, and Tracey Shavers’ A Small World Child Care Preschool Academy; Would You Like Your Center Featured in Our Newsletter? The Steps to Starting a Child Care Business; Trainings & Workshops.Read more…

Down To Business | 1st Quarter 2006
Client Spotlight: Savings and Training Launch a Business Dream for Viola James; Free Tax Return Filing; Trainings & Workshops; Client Survey Will Tell Us How We’re Doing; Important Tax Information for 2005-2006. Read more…

Small Talk (For Child Care Providers) | 1st Quarter 2006
IDA Savings Program is Win-Win: “Do you know that your child care business can benefit from our Asset Builders program?” It Pays to Participate in the Special Nutrition Program; Trainings & Workshops. Read more…

Small Talk (For Child Care Providers) | 4th Quarter 2005
Helping Child Care Providers in Arkansas; Quality Approval Can Open Doors; Fabulous Prize Giveaway! Tax Advantage for Home Day Cares; A Special Thanks to Funders. Read more…

Down To Business | 4th Quarter 2005
Client Spotlight: Julee Johnson and Melissa Watt’s Business Thrives from Training and Technical Assistance; Growing Business with an IDA Account (Featuring Julie Ishie of Ishie Lawn Service in Marvell); Come Celebrate Sheilah’s Designs’ Grand Opening in Pine Bluff; Help Us Keep Your Information Up-To-Date; We Want to Brag on You! Don’t Underestimate the Power of World of Mouth Marketing; Help Us Keep Helping You. Read more…

Down To Business | 3rd Quarter 2005
Protect Yourself and Business from Identity Theft; Do You Know Your Competition? Trainings & Workshops Open to Women & Men! Read more…

Down To Business | 2nd Quarter 2005
Angela Austin Joins BDC Staff; How to Make a “Go” of Your Business; BDC Begins Serving Men and Changes Its Name; Startup Business Tips; Trainings & Workshops.Read more…

Down To Business | 1st Quarter 2005
Make a New Year’s Resolution for Your Business; A Special Thanks from Staff; Tax Laws & Tips; Trainings & Workshops. Read more…

Stepping Out | 4th Quarter 2004
Psychiatrist Seniora Mathews Expands Practice to Meet Demand; Beware of Work-at-Home Schemes; Record Keeping for Profit; Money Management: Christmas Without Crashing; New & Exciting Workshops to Help Small Businesses; Inserts: Business Side of Child Care Training and Technical Assistance for Small Businesses.
Read more…

Stepping Out | 2nd Quarter 2004
Business Grows with Technical Assistance; Could Your Small Business Use Some Extra Capital? Child Care Facilities Benefit from Quality Approval Certificate; Want to Start a Business in Pine Bluff; Trainings & Workshops. Read more…

Stepping Out | 1st Quarter 2004
Sales Tax Changes for Business Owners; AR Department of Human Services’ Special Nutrition Program; Success Story—Darcy Densmore’s Triple D Cabinets; Budgeting and Money Management Tips from Our Asset Builders Program; 50 Scholarships Available to the Arkansas Women’s Conference; Trainings & Workshops. Read more…

Stepping Out | 4th Quarter 2003
Tax Tips for Small Business Owners; 2003 Tax Changes; Frequently Asked Tax Questions; Success Story—Michelle Briggs Prophetic Fashions Opens its Doors! 22 Graduate from FastTrac® Business Training in Helena; Trainings & Workshops; How Can You Help? Read more…

Stepping Out | 3rd Quarter 2003
Getting Started in the Child Care Business; Child Care Workshop Coming to Camden; BDC Opens Business Information Center in Helena (Senator Lincoln Attends Ribbon Cutting); Home-based Business Expands to Downtown Store.
Read more…

Stepping Out | 2nd Quarter 2003
What To Do When Your Identity Is Stolen; BDC Receives DHS Grant; Take Advantage of the Slow Economy; Is Franchising the Best Opportunity for You? EINs and Permits; “Next Step” Business Training Class a Must to Avoid Common Pitfalls of Starting and Expanding a Small Business. Read more…

Stepping Out | 1st Quarter 2003
Is Buying an Existing Business Easier Than Starting One? 50 Scholarships Available for the 17th Annual Arkansas Women’s Conference; 2003 Arkansas Women’s Business Directory Now Online; Home-Based Business Graduates; Trainings & Workshops. Read more…

Stepping Out | 4th Quarter 2002
BDC Opens Helena Office; Expert’s Corner by Dorothy Stuck: Getting Into the Consulting Business; Promotional Strategies for Your Company; Success Story—Wauketa Jones’ Exclusive Designs Printing and Copy Center; Trainings & Workshops.Read more…

Stepping Out | 1st Quarter 2002
Success Story—FastTrac® Graduate Fulfills Her Goals; Arkansas Women’s Conference; Free Resources in Our Business Information Center for Starting a Small Business, Writing a Business Plan, Researching a Business Idea, Using the Internet, and Using the Computer; Trainings & Workshops. Read more…

Stepping Out | 4th Quarter 2001
Inspired by Her Children, Author LaTanya Richardson Publishes First Book; Tips for Small Businesses to Weather the Economic Climate; Free Resources—CDs and Start-up Guides for Small Businesses: “How to Start a Medical Claims Billing Service,” “How to Start A Crafts Business,” “How to Start an Automobile Detailing Business;” Are You Mentoring Material? 15 Graduate from FastTrac® Business Program. Read more…

Stepping Out | 3rd Quarter 2001
U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln and U.S. Congressman Mike Ross Attend Ribbon Cutting of the New Business Information Center in Pine Bluff; Success Story—Client Brenda Brown Recognized as Outstanding Business Owner; Want to Start a Small Business? Free Services.Read more…

Education and Careers

On The Right Path, Helena-West Helena Edition | August 2006
Success Story—Christina Buie: Determination and Education; Getting It All Done—How to Manage Your Time in College; Achieve Your Dreams of College with an Individual Development Account; It Pays to Change Your Spending Habits (Start Small). Read more…

On The Right Path, Pine Bluff Edition | August 2006
Success Story—Samantha Morris: Finding Herself; Getting It All Done—How to Manage Your Time in College; Achieve Your Dreams of College with an Individual Development Account; It Pays to Change Your Spending Habits (Start Small).
Read more…

Public Policy

The Next Frontier in Adult Education: Adult Education to College Transition Programs | Policy Points Volume 25, December 2005
An emerging area of practice within the national adult education field is adult education to college transition programs. This brief discusses various kinds of transition programs, presents statistics on their success, and makes policy recommendations that Arkansas can adopt to promote them. Read more…

2005 Legislative Session Highlights: New Laws Affecting Low-Income Families in Arkansas | Policy Points Volume 24, August 2005
This issue highlights new laws that will have particular impact on low-income families and other laws that while noteworthy will need to be strengthened in the future.
Read more…

Arkansas Assets and Opportunity Scorecard 2005 | Policy Report
As one of the nation’s poorest states, Arkansas receives considerable attention for the need to improve incomes, but the need to improve assets gets much less, despite the fact that assets are as critical to prosperity as incomes. This report measures how well Arkansans are building assets and examines state policy from the perspective of providing asset-building opportunities, especially for low-income families. Read more…

Review the associated data sources: Business Development Outcomes; Education Outcomes; Homeownership Outcomes; Financial Security Outcomes; 2005 Scorecard Data.

Continuing the Investment in a Competitive Workforce and a Brighter Economic Future for Arkansas: A Policy Agenda for Investing in Arkansas’ Working Families | Working Families Project Report, August 2003
Arkansas has an ambitious investment plan to develop the state’s economy and increase the living standard of all Arkansans. Still needed is an investment in Arkansas’ working families, particularly those who are struggling to meet their basic needs and achieve economic self-sufficiency, which is vital for a competitive workforce—increasingly the most critical resource for economic success.
Read more…

Boom, Bust, and Beyond: The State of Working Arkansas | Working Families Project Report, November 2002
The economic boom of the 1990s has ended, the events of Sept. 11, 2001, have created uncertainty about the country’s security, the stock market has seen significant declines, corporate accounting scandals have rocked the economy, and investor confidence has tumbled. In Arkansas, unemployment rose during 2001, layoffs of Arkansas workers were commonplace, and wage growth flattened out.
Read more…

Assets in Arkansas: Building Wealth for Economic Security | Arkansas Assets Coalition Report, October 2002
Arkansas fares well on some measures of asset outcomes (financial assets, homeownership capital, human capital, business capital, and asset protection) but there is room for improvement. Read more…

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) in Arkansas: An Assessment of Performance and a Vision for the Future | Working Families Project Report, August 2002
In the wake of the Arkansas Supreme Court decision on the Lake View school funding case, state policymakers have engaged in a vigorous debate on public education reform. What is missing in this debate is that part of the state’s education system that provides educational opportunities for adults who are or want to be in the workforce. This part is often called workforce development. Read more…

Welfare Reform in Arkansas: Making It Possible for More Parents to Work and Support Their Families | Working Families Project Report, May 2002
Although low unemployment and increasing household income are cited as evidence of a healthy economy, these figures mask economic distress that thousands of Arkansas families continue to experience. Read more…

Public Opinion & Legislative Response: Working Families in Arkansas | Working Families Project Report, June 2001
A recent poll of Arkansas voters sheds new light on issues facing the state’s working families. A major finding: programs funded by the state could be doing more to help children and working families. Read more…

Working Families in the New Economy Executive Summary: How are Arkansans Faring in Today’s Job Market? | Working Families Project Report, October 2000
Although low unemployment and increasing household income are cited as evidence of a healthy economy, these figures mask economic distress that thousands of Arkansas families continue to experience. The report How Families Are Faring in the Booming Economy: The State of Working Arkansas, issued earlier this year by the Arkansas Working Families Project, showed that many families are not doing well despite the good economy. That report, while illustrating many of the problems facing working families, only scratched the surface. Read more…

Part 1: Do Working Arkansans Have Adequate Incomes?
Part 2: Is Arkansas’ Economy Creating Enough Jobs?
Part 3: What is the Gap Between Jobs and Arkansans Seeking Work?

Self-sufficiency: Assets as Critical as Income | Working Families Project Report, July 2000
Income inequality receives a great deal of attention by researchers, advocates, and the press. But financial well-being is about much more than income. Families also need wealth; assets such as homes, savings accounts, and retirement accounts. It is these assets that help families move ahead to and stay in the middle class.
Read more…

The Struggles of Getting By and Getting Ahead | Working Families Project Report, June 2000
Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families and Southern Good Faith Fund conduct a series of focus groups in Helena-West Helena, Little Rock, and Springdale to explain low-income working families’ struggle to meet their basic needs. Read more…

The State of Working Arkansas: How Families are Faring In The Booming Economy
| Working Families Project Report, April 2000
The 1990s have been prosperous economic times for many Arkansans. Historically-low unemployment, a skyrocketing stock market, record corporate profits, and dramatic innovations in technology and communications have made Arkansans and businesses wealthier than many could have predicted at the start of the decade. Not all Arkansans, however, are sharing in the state’s booming economy.
Read more…

Breaking the Cycle | Policy Report, June 1999
In August 1996, Congress passed legislation that eliminated the
old Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program and replaced
it with the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block
grant program. Read more…