The Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.

We recognize that race, gender, and place intersect with and intensify the challenge of economic inequality and we address these dynamics by advancing an inclusive vision of economic justice. For over 25 years, EOP has focused on expanding individuals’ opportunities to connect to quality work, start businesses, and build economic stability that provides the freedom to pursue opportunity.

We collaborate with national and local leaders across the United States – nonprofit leaders, policymakers, labor leaders, business leaders, educators, academics, and more – and we actively seek input and ideas from individuals and communities affected by proposed approaches to address economic opportunity challenges. Through our leadership and fellowship programs; applied research and evaluation; data and analysis; and dialogue with diverse stakeholders, we work at both local and national levels to build understanding and galvanize action to address the challenge of economic opportunity in America.

Join our mailing list and follow us on social media for regular updates on our work.

The CRA Podcast with Joyce Klein and Brett Simmons (EBA Fund)
Blog Posts Podcasts

EBA Fund, Converting the Promise of Entrepreneurship into Assets That Build Economic Inclusion and Equity

This episode of the CRA Podcast looks at the Entrepreneur Backed Assets Fund, which has created a secondary market for small business loans.

Economic Opportunities Program Newsletter, January 2021
Blog Posts

Economic Opportunities Program Newsletter, January 2021

The COVID-19 crisis brings new urgency to our work to improve jobs, expand business ownership, and advance economic opportunity.

Photo of Vanessa Morales, Mechatronics & Robotics Apprentice at Amazon
Blog Posts

Upskilling in the News: New Amazon Program Offers Free Career Training in Robotics

Amazon announced the creation of a new career training initiative for employees: the Mechatronics and Robotics Apprenticeship Program.

Black woman worker wearing a hard hat, reflector vest, and face mask.
Blog Posts

What We Learned from Employers in 2020 and Hope to Learn in 2021

How have the events of 2020 shaped business practices?

Screenshot of presentation slide: Impact of COVID-19 Study, Fall 2020, by UpSkill America, The Aspen Institute
Blog Posts

Impact of COVID-19 Study

Shavon Marley of Marley Trucking who received a CDFI loan from Carolina Small Business Development Fund. CNote provides funding to Carolina Small Business Development Fund. Source: Marley Trucking
Blog Posts

The Economic Recovery Of Women Entrepreneurs Will Take More Than PPP Loans

While the Paycheck Protection Program was intended to help small businesses hit hardest by COVID-19, it failed to deliver on its promise.

A New Tool to Address the Racial Wealth Gap
Blog Posts

A New Tool to Address the Racial Wealth Gap

Businesses owned by people of color tend to be in less profitable industries because of the effects of systemic inequality and racism.

Two construction workers wearing hard hats and face masks
Blog Posts

A Job Quality Agenda for the Next Administration

We seek to mobilize solutions that can reverse the decades-long decline in job quality and advance our vision of an economy with high-quality jobs that truly works for everyone.

Accion office (Photo by Oscar Perry Abello)
Blog Posts

Making Small Business Lending Work for More People Without Anyone Noticing

There’s no equivalent for Fannie Mae when it comes to microloans — until now.

Photo of Rosa Funes, Paradise Flowers & Gifts, Redwood City, California.
Blog Posts

A Newly Hot Approach on Loans Seeks to Close the Racial Wealth Gap

CDFIs have shown that they can provide a financial lifeline to Black, Hispanic, and female business owners who have been neglected by mainstream banks.

Economic Opportunities Program Newsletter, November 2020
Blog Posts

Economic Opportunities Program Newsletter, November 2020

The COVID-19 crisis brings new urgency to our work to improve jobs, expand business ownership, and advance economic opportunity.

Workers’ Coop Stitches Strong Social Fabric: Opportunity Threads Innovates in Changing Their Region and Industry
Blog Posts

Workers’ Coop Stitches Strong Social Fabric: Opportunity Threads Innovates in Changing Their Region and Industry

How can employers’ policies and practices push up business value, boost job quality for workers, and advance broader social impacts?

About the Economic Opportunities Program

The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.

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More from the Economic Opportunities Program

Foundational Skills: National Survey Findings
Publications

Foundational Skills: National Survey Findings

This publication examines how fragmented skills, credentialing, and workforce data systems limit the potential of skills-based hiring and advancement, and outlines a shared vision for building the interoperable infrastructure needed to create a connected skills ecosystem that benefits workers, employers, educators, and governments.

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Podcasts Videos

What Employee Ownership Means to Workers

This conversation is part of our Opportunity in America series, where we take a look at the economy, what’s working, what’s broken, and really how we fix it to make sure that everyone can succeed in today’s economy.

Resource Roundup: Wages and Affordability
Blog Posts
Room for Growth: A Survey of Upskilling Approaches — 2026 Analysis
Publications

Room for Growth: A Survey of Upskilling Approaches — 2026 Analysis

This publication examines how fragmented skills, credentialing, and workforce data systems limit the potential of skills-based hiring and advancement, and outlines a shared vision for building the interoperable infrastructure needed to create a connected skills ecosystem that benefits workers, employers, educators, and governments.

Building Economic Security: A Book Talk with Arindrajit Dube and Carrie Joy Grimes
Podcasts Videos

Building Economic Security: A Book Talk with Arindrajit Dube and Carrie Joy Grimes

Economic security shouldn’t be a lottery. Yet for millions of working families, stagnant wages and precarious jobs collide with the daily grind of managing money on shaky ground — leaving stability feeling less like a plan and more like a gamble. Fixing that takes more than one lever. It takes structural reform and the tools people need to take control of their financial lives, working together.

What Employee Ownership Means to Workers
Publications

What Employee Ownership Means to Workers

Insights from Focus Groups with Employee Owners