Purpose and Programs

The ACORN Institute uses research and training to address the problems in low-income communities identified through years of community organizing.

In low-income communities, poverty, discrimination, and community deterioration result from at least two sources of information deficiency. The first is lack of information concerning rights and opportunities - the right to be free of discrimination, to have particular employment opportunities, as well as housing and social service options. The second is lack of training and information regarding civil rights and opportunities.

The ACORN Institute exists to address both these deficiencies by researching issues relevant to low-income communities and by making that research available to low-income people.

The ACORN Institute operates a countrywide network of ACORN Centers which provide free tax preparation, benefits enrollment, and foreclosure prevention services. In partnership with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), our network of ACORN Centers aims to create community and family stability in low- and moderate-income communities by putting more money into the local economy and allowing individuals to gain access to appropriate resources needed to take care of their families. The program uses the most advanced tax preparation and benefits screening software combined with sophisticated community outreach techniques to connect low-income families with the tax, benefits, and asset building services they need. Working in conjunction with major national partners such as Citigroup, H&R Block, the Marguerite Casey Foundation, the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program and others, ACORN Centers have an undeniable track record.

Community residents accessing ACORN Centers are encouraged to use their tax refunds as seed money for opening a savings account, making a down payment on a house or car, saving for college, setting up an Individual Development Account (IDA), or paying off high-interest debt. ACORN Centers also have in place programs for financial education and foreclosure prevention to help homeowners remain in their homes.

The ACORN Institute aspires to provide information that enables individuals and groups to act through education and training sessions focused on programmatic and legal options, community organization models, neighborhood awareness, and more. The Institute's research and training includes information about fair housing, civil rights, taxation and non-partisan voter registration.

The ACORN Institute also encourages the exchange of ideas and models for community improvement among different cultures and nations, particularly within the Americas.