Asset Building Strategies

National Projects

Asset Building Strategies offers research, planning, technical assistance and public presentations to support foundations, intermediaries, advocates and practitioners to understand emerging trends and advance national asset-building initiatives.

Projects:

• Expanding Asset Building Opportunities through Shared Ownership—
  Annie E. Casey Foundation

  In January of 2008, Heather McCulloch of Asset Building Strategies and Beadsie Woo of the Annie E. Casey Foundation began a collaborative effort to catalyze a national dialogue about ways to expand asset-building opportunities through shared ownership. The resulting framing paper, “Expanding Asset Building through Shared Ownership [PDF],” was used to frame a national discussion co-hosted by the Casey Foundation and the Asset Funders Network in December 2008. Ms. McCulloch continues to work with the Casey Foundation and the Asset Funders Network to advance the initiative.

• Continuum of Asset Building Opportunities—Walter and Elise Haas Fund

  As part of the report, “Building Assets While Building Communities: Expanding Savings and Investment Opportunities for Low Income Bay Area Families,” [PDF] for the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, Heather McCulloch developed a visual of the “continuum” of asset-building opportunities [PDF] underway in communities across the country (see Local Innovation for more detail about research). The continuum has since been widely disseminated and used by asset-building practitioners across the country as a way to describe the expanding menu of strategies available to local communities.

• Promoting Economic Security for Working Families—Fannie Mae Foundation

  The national report, “Promoting Economic Security for Working Families: State Asset Building Initiatives,” [PDF] by Heather McCulloch of Asset Building Strategies, was published by the Fannie Mae Foundation. The report highlights key features, goals and policy priorities of asset policy initiatives emerging in states across the country.

  Ms. McCulloch has presented the report findings to state and national audiences including the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Governor’s Association [PDF], congressional caucuses [PDF] on women’s issues and financial literacy, the Council on Foundations [PDF] and the Asset Funders Network [PDF]. The findings have been featured in national publications, including Community Investments [PDF], published by the Federal Reserve of San Francisco and Housing Facts and Findings [PDF], published by the Fannie Mae Foundation.

• ABS Clients – National Projects >
• ABS Publications – National Projects >

Heather has both a demonstrated depth and breadth of knowledge in the asset-building arena and an uncanny ability to spot trends, nurture innovations and translate complex public policy and strategic frameworks that advance the field of equitable wealth-building for working poor Americans.

—Merle Lawrence, Senior Manager, Levi Strauss Foundation

Heather brings both intellectual capacity and deep compassion and commitment to the asset building field. Her breadth of knowledge and her ability to translate the theoretical into the practical make her a leading voice in the field. I enjoy working with her and learning from her.

—Rick Williams, President/Realize Consulting and Coordinator/Asset Funders Network