Amplifying Small Business Voices — New Findings from the Small Business Credit Survey
Release Date: 04/17/2023
How Your Experience of the Economy Matters to the Fed: A Conversation with Governor Michael S. Barr
Connecting Communities®
How your community experiences the economy—whether you and your neighbors can access employment, afford your home or small business expenses, or save for future goals—matters to the Federal Reserve. Through its community development function, the Federal Reserve builds relationships and regularly engages with communities in every region of the country. The first-hand insights and real-time impressions of economic conditions that arise from these community connections help inform the Federal Reserve’s work. During this special conversation with Governor Michael S. Barr, the Federal...
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CDFIs Unpacked: Trends and Takeaways from Mission-Driven Lenders
Connecting Communities®
Every two years, the 12 Federal Reserve Banks survey community development financial institutions (CDFIs) about industry conditions. During this Connecting Communities webinar, participants learned more about what CDFIs have shared, including: How demand for CDFI’s products and services changed over the past year and how it might evolve in the future, How CDFIs leverage public funding to accomplish their work, and What challenges CDFIs encountered in meeting demand and delivering on their mission. In addition to sharing the CDFI Survey results, Federal Reserve staff connected...
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Economic Insights from Lower-Income Communities: Findings from the 2025 Community Perspectives Survey
Connecting Communities®
This Connecting Communities podcast explores key findings from the 2025 Community Perspectives Survey, which was conducted in April and May 2025. The survey captured the current conditions and future outlook of low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities across a range of critical issues, including: Economic mobility Labor market trends Housing Financial stability Small business conditions Health Digital access Education The session also explored the capacity and needs of organizations that serve LMI communities – focusing on their ability to deliver services, access resources,...
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Data, Analysis, and Strategies to Strengthen Your Community’s Workforce
Connecting Communities®
How resilient is your community’s workforce? A strong, adaptive workforce is a key driver of community stability. During this Connecting Communities webinar, Bill Rodgers, vice president of Community Development Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, presented on current trends in the labor market. A panel of workforce experts and practitioners delved into actionable strategies that you can implement to proactively build and maintain a more resilient workforce in your community.
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Highlights from the 2024 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking
Connecting Communities®
June 5, 2025- During this Connecting Communities webinar, researchers from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors presented the key findings from the annual Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED). This survey was fielded in October 2024 and released on May 28, 2025. The SHED is a key tool of the Federal Reserve Board, as it helps to understand the financial circumstances of low-income families and understanding potential risks to their financial health. The researchers discussed trends in family finances, employment, and the financial risks faced by U.S. adults. In...
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The Power of Place: Building Inclusive Economies Through Collaboration
Connecting Communities®
February 13, 2025. From the northeast corner of Maine to west central Texas, leaders are partnering with regional Reserve Banks—and each other—in unique ways to help ensure that local economies work better for everyone. What does it take to work across sectors and collaborate effectively to help change a local economy? Local leaders who participated in three Fed-supported place-based initiatives, (Boston), (Dallas), and (Atlanta), discussed during a panel what economic challenges each initiative took on and how they partnered with Federal Reserve Banks’...
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Exploring Possibilities of Investing Now for Prosperous, Sustainable Neighborhoods
Connecting Communities®
October 10, 2024. Historical and systemic factors have led to and still contribute to climate vulnerability in lower-income communities. But there are practical solutions for clean energy, resilience, and equity. In 2024, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, in collaboration with Enterprise Community Partners and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), published a volume of essays about the intersection of community development and climate resilience. During this Connecting Communities webinar, New York Fed Staff and community leaders discussed solutions to address urgent climate and...
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Economic Insights from Lower-Income Communities: Findings from the 2024 Community Perspectives Survey
Connecting Communities®
In April 2024, the Federal Reserve conducted the , which focuses on economic conditions in low- to moderate-income (LMI) communities and the health of organizations serving them. Overall, the survey found poor conditions for economic mobility in LMI communities. Access to housing and increasing cost of goods and services were among the top challenges. Respondents did note that continued availability of jobs was contributing positively to economic mobility. During this Connecting Communities webinar, Federal Reserve Staff and leaders from national community development organizations...
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Approaches to and Lessons Learned from Community-Engaged Research
Connecting Communities®
August 8, 2023. Conversations with the community make a difference. Community development practitioners and policymakers recognize the value of conducting research with communities as partners through community-engaged research. This approach invites stakeholders into the research process by centering their perspectives and elevating their expertise. These discussions help create better services, understand policy barriers, and learn what works best. During this Connecting Communities discussion, hear examples of how community-engaged methods can highlight the experience of workers and...
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The Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2023
Connecting Communities®
The Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking is the main survey from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors for tracking the financial circumstances of low- and moderate-income families and potential risks to their financial health. This year’s survey continues to track key topics related to financial outcomes, such as the effects of inflation on household finances, emergency savings, housing, returns to education, and retirement. New topics have been added, such as food sufficiency, caregiving, employment of those with a previous arrest or conviction, and homeowners insurance. In...
info_outlineSmall businesses are on the road to recovery, although hiring, supply chain disruptions, and rising costs remain persistent challenges. As small-business owners navigated these challenges through 2022, pandemic-related funding programs ended, and owners turned to other funding sources – including traditional financial institutions and their own savings. How are small businesses doing? How are they accessing credit, and what gaps remain? On April 13, the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland held a Connecting Communities webinar exploring new insights from the Federal Reserve Small Business Credit Survey (SBCS) 2023 Report on Employer Firms.