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.

Photo of a concerned Black business owner staring at financial documents in front of a laptop, with glasses and calculator nearby
Blog Posts

As Small Businesses Struggle to Survive, Let’s Make Sure Loans Help, not Harm Them

Borrowing is a routine part of a business’s life cycle, but harmful loans don’t have to be.

Economic Opportunities Program Newsletter, July 2020
Blog Posts

Economic Opportunities Program Newsletter, July 2020

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

Prioritizing Job Quality & Race Equity in the Pandemic Recovery
Blog Posts

Prioritizing Job Quality & Race Equity in the Pandemic Recovery

As businesses reopen, how can we seize this opportunity to advance job quality and race equity?

Smiling warehouse worker holding a clipboard near a stack of boxes
Blog Posts

Buy American? Let’s Buy a Future for American Workers

Business practices change when money talks. Let’s pull procurement dollars off the sidelines and into the action for change and progress.

Woman working with machinery
Blog Posts

Walmart Expands Live Better U To Include Skilled Trades, Opening Pathways To Careers With Chronic Worker Shortages

The retailer has been a leader in supporting education programs that don’t fit the traditional four-year degree profile.

Why Can’t Entrepreneurs of Color Access Stimulus Funds? Joyce Klein Talks PPP on Business Casual Podcast
Blog Posts Podcasts

Why Can’t Entrepreneurs of Color Access Stimulus Funds? Joyce Klein Talks PPP on Business Casual Podcast

Joyce Klein, director of the Business Ownership Initiative, spoke with Kinsey Grant on Morning Brew’s Business Casual podcast to discuss why businesses owned by entrepreneurs of color have had difficulty accessing stimulus funds provided through the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

Economic Opportunities Program Newsletter, June 2020
Blog Posts

Economic Opportunities Program Newsletter, June 2020

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

African American woman restaurant worker wearing a face mask in the kitchen
Blog Posts

Reinventing Restaurant Work: An Overdue Call for Equity and Job Quality

It’s time to take a careful look at the practices embedded in our employment systems. The restaurant industry is a good place to start.

Photo of Shawnta Henryetta, Walmart associate and Live Better U student
Blog Posts

Upskilling in the News: Walmart Upgrades Education Benefits for Employees

Walmart’s education benefits are now available to all employees, full-time and part-time, on their first day of employment.

Statement on Racial and Economic Justice
Blog Posts

Statement on Racial and Economic Justice

Racism was embedded in our system from the start, and systemic racism requires systemic solutions.

Economic Opportunities Program Newsletter, May 2020
Blog Posts

Economic Opportunities Program Newsletter, May 2020

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

Race, Society, and the Coronavirus Crisis
Blog Posts Podcasts

Race, Society, and the Coronavirus Crisis

The coronavirus crisis is impacting poor, low-income, and people of color disproportionately.

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