Blog

By: AIF Staff

In 2023, the American Idea Foundation provided grants and support to 7 amazing organizations  that are making a difference in their communities through evidence-based programs and strategies aimed at reducing poverty and promoting opportunity. One of those organizations is the Women’s Bean Project, located in Denver, Colorado.

The Women’s Bean Project started with one relentless volunteer, Jossy Eyre, who recognized a need in her community and who possessed an innovative and determined spirit. In 1989, Jossy observed that homeless shelters in Colorado were providing temporary housing for women in-need, but they lacked programs and services to help women turn their lives around. So, Jossy went out and bought $500 worth of beans, gave these women a job of turning beans into soup, and then sold it commercially. With that simple act, the Women’s Bean Project was born.

Because of Jossy’s leadership and determination, the $500 purchase of beans has grown into a nationally-recognized program which has helped over 1,000 women change the trajectory of their lives. In the 35 years since its founding, the Women’s Bean Project never lost sight of Jossy’s founding principle: It is possible to change women’s lives by providing a pathway to self-sufficiency through work.

The approach of the Women’s Bean Project is straightforward: Participants – many of whom are battling substance abuse, chronic employment, or reentering society following interactions with the criminal justice system — complete a 6-9 month vocational and educational program.

This program utilizes a wrap-around care model whereby the women complete 60 hours of classroom work with instruction on topics like financial literacy, computer skills, and dressing for success. The Women’s Bean Project also offers supplemental courses on health and wellness practices, navigating workplaces, and job-coaching to assist those trying to regain a foothold in the workforce. This accounts for 30% of the women’s time and the other 70% is spent working on the production, packaging, shipping, and other processes required to manufacture the food products produced by the Women’s Bean’s project. These women are paid for their time and effort in the program and upon graduation, the women receive a full-time job as a production assistant in the Women’s Bean Project’s food manufacturing business.

From its humble beginnings in 1989, the Women’s Bean Project has grown substantially and it now sells products in 1,000 stores nationwide. Equally impressive, the products made by the Women’s Bean Project generated over $2 million in revenue last year.

The anecdotal stories of success are backed up by the Women’s Bean Project’s internal data: Their historic employment rate is 92% and the average wage for graduates is nearly $15 per hour. Of those who complete the post-program survey, 95% report having remained employed (and not re-incarcerated) a year after the program.

The Women’s Bean Project has found an innovative and sustainable way to help chronically employed women achieve self-respect and long-term success. They are providing a heavy battery of services and combining it with practical work experience, and it’s having a massive impact in people’s lives. As the Women’s Bean Project looks to develop additional evidence in support of their wrap-around service model, the American Idea Foundation is proud to partner with an organization with such a rich history and impressive track-record of success.

By: AIF Staff

For two decades in Congress, former Speaker Paul Ryan worked to advance solutions that reduced poverty and expanded economic opportunities for all Americans. All too often though, debates about how the federal government could effectively reduce poverty became partisan food-fights and ended in ideological stalemates.

In Ryan’s mind, one way to mitigate this partisan paralysis when it comes to fighting poverty is to use evidence and data to measure the efficacy of a particular program and solution. If policymakers used objective analyses when determining what strategies were working and what ones were not, the federal government could finally make meaningful progress in the War on Poverty.

This is why Ryan’s American Idea Foundation has provided funding and institutional support to front-line organizations around the country who are developing evidence-based solutions to our major challenges. In 2023, the American Idea Foundation issued grants to 7 groups who are united in their belief that every person deserves the opportunity to achieve their version of the American Dream. These groups are making a tangible difference in people’s lives and, with the Foundation’s help, will develop new and additional evidence evaluating the impact of their programs.

One of the 2023 grant recipients is Bottom Line, which was founded in Boston, Massachusetts. Bottom Line partners with degree-aspiring students of color from under-resourced communities to help them get into and through college and successfully launch a career. They do this by providing hands-on mentors and guides for students throughout their journey in higher education.

Since 1997, Bottom Line has helped thousands of degree-aspiring students access the expert advice and relationship-based support they deserve to select an affordable college, complete their degrees, and enter the workforce with minimal debt.

Most of those served by Bottom Line are first-generation college students from low-income backgrounds. The organization’s mentors shepherd students through the college application process, stick with them throughout college, and offer one-on-one support through graduation. Bottom Line starts supporting students in their senior year of high school, continues from the application process to graduation, and includes a student’s entry into the workforce.

Bottom Line’s goal is to create a far-reaching ripple effect by helping first-generation college students use the transformative power of a college degree to mobilize a career that ultimately lifts up individuals, families, and communities. Bottom Line expects their students to earn a bachelor’s degree, accumulate no more than $31,000 in debt, and be employed or continuing their education following their graduation.

The early evidence in support of Bottom Line’s approach is promising. In 2021, the organization participated in an extensive randomized controlled trial to demonstrate the program’s impact on attaining a college degree. Among the trial’s key findings were:

–          Students enrolled in Bottom Line programming were 7.6% more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree within 5-6 years of high school.

–          Students enrolled in Bottom Line programs were 9.1% percentage points more likely to attend four-year institutions.The 2021 trial results show that Bottom Line’s hands-on, time-intensive mentorship model can and does help students from under-served communities get into college and succeed. With the American Idea Foundation’s assistance, Bottom Line will continue rigorously evaluating the effects of its program and, if the evidence merits, expand their strategy to other communities around the country to serve more students from under-served communities.