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American Dream Demonstration Research Conference: Taking the Measure of the American Dream Demonstration

Date: April 20, 2005
Location: ​St. Louis, Missouri

 The Downpayments on the American Dream Policy Demonstration (ADD) was the first large test of the efficacy of Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) as a route to economic independence for low-income Americans. Thirteen community-based organizations from around the country operated IDA programs as part of the Demonstration. By the Demonstration’s completion, these organizations established 2,364 IDAs in their low-income and asset-poor communities. This Demonstration also catalyzed and connected a rapidly expanding field of community-based IDA programs around the country. The 2005 Research Conference gathered researchers in ADD to share their findings and discuss program and policy implications. Support provided by the Ford Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, FB Heron Foundation, MetLife Foundation, CFED, and CSD.