Approaches to and Lessons Learned from Community-Engaged Research
Release Date: 08/14/2024
Understanding Benefits Cliffs Evidence Insights
Connecting Communities®
Benefits cliffs are increasingly recognized as a critical barrier to economic mobility in communities across the country. When a raise, promotion, or new job pushes an individual or family above eligibility thresholds for public benefits, the result can be a net financial loss. This creates difficult choices for workers, employers, and policymakers. As awareness of benefits cliffs grows, so does momentum around research, policy innovation, and community-driven solutions. This Connecting Communities webinar brought together researchers and practitioners to explore the latest evidence on how...
info_outline
Place-Based Strategies: Strengthening Rural Economies through Investment
Connecting Communities®
Investment is a critical part of any healthy, growing economy, and plays a key role in rural economic development. During this seminar presented by the on June 25, 2026, experts discussed the barriers to community investment in smaller towns and rural communities. The seminar featured insights from the as well as research on factors that support community investment.
info_outline
Highlights from the 2025 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking
Connecting Communities®
During this Connecting Communities webinar, researchers from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors shared key findings from the annual , which was fielded in October 2025 and released on May 13, 2026. The survey is a key tool for measuring the economic well-being of U.S. households and identifying potential risks to their finances. In addition to monitoring household financial circumstances, each year the survey explores a range of related topics. In 2025, it introduced new questions about the use of generative Artificial Intelligence at work, alongside expanded modules on family...
info_outline
Bank On and Reaching the Unbanked in Our Communities
Connecting Communities®
According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), approximately 5.6 million households are without a checking or savings account – otherwise known as "unbanked." Unbanked households lack a secure and safe place to store their money and can miss out on interest gains and credit-building opportunities. This Connecting Communities webinar featured leaders from organizations focused on advancing banking access for households through safe and affordable accounts via the Bank On program. Panelists also explored findings from the most recent Bank On National Data (BOND) Hub, hosted by...
info_outline
Unlocking the Voice of Small Businesses: New Insights from the 2025 Small Business Credit Survey
Connecting Communities®
The (SBCS) has been administered nationally since 2016 by the 12 Federal Reserve Banks in collaboration with a network of hundreds of community and business groups throughout the country. The SBCS gathers information from thousands of small-business owners on business conditions and characteristics, credit experiences, and owner demographics. It continues to be the largest national dataset of its kind, and its reports provide awareness of small business challenges and how owners respond to them. During this webinar, Federal Reserve experts...
info_outline
2026 Federal Reserve Community Development Research Seminar Series: Place-Based Strategies: Strengthening Local Economies
Connecting Communities®
Where an individual lives can play a role in shiping their employment opportunities and interactions. While issues related to where a person is located have been overshadowed by issues related to an individual's personal circumstances, this is starting to shift. During this seminar, presented by the Federal Reserve Board of Governors on April 2, 2026, experts from research and policy discussed how location affects job markets and can contribute to income inequality.
info_outline
How Fed Data Tools Can Inform Economic Mobility
Connecting Communities®
Occupational and economic mobility are crucial for a healthy economy that supports all. In this Connecting Communities webinar, learn more about the Federal Reserve Banks of Philadelphia and Cleveland’s (OME) and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s (CLIFF) tools. The OME sheds light on skills-based career pathways in the US labor market for jobseekers and employers. CLIFF tools help workers understand how career advancement decisions may affect public benefits, taxes, and tax credits. Together, these two tools can help workers and employers identify potential career...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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,...
info_outlineAugust 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 jobseekers. Researchers shared what they learned from these conversations and how institutions, organizations, or communities can leverage the same principles.