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.

Key Data on the Scale of Business Development Services
Publications

Key Data on the Scale of Business Development Services

Details data documenting the number, size, and services offered by microenterprise development organizations that provide a range of training and technical assistance services to clients.

At the Five Year Mark: Outcomes Reported by US Microenterprise Clients
Publications

At the Five Year Mark: Outcomes Reported by US Microenterprise Clients

The twin financial and economic crises have challenged microentrepreneurs and the programs that serve them.

Microenterprises and Employment: 2008 MicroTest Outcomes 
Publications

Microenterprises and Employment: 2008 MicroTest Outcomes 

Issue five in the MicroTest Outcomes fact sheet series delves into employment generated by microenterprises and is based on client outcomes surveys conducted by MicroTest members in 2008.

Business Growth: 2008 Micro Test Outcomes
Publications

Business Growth: 2008 Micro Test Outcomes

Issue four in the MicroTest Outcomes fact sheet series delves into the growth of business revenues based on client outcomes surveys conducted by MicroTest members in 2008.

Business Start and Survivability: 2008 MicroTest Outcomes
Publications

Business Start and Survivability: 2008 MicroTest Outcomes

Issue three in the MicroTest Outcomes fact sheet series delves into business start and survival rates based on client outcomes surveys conducted by MicroTest members in 2008.

Microenterprise Programs as Credit Builders
Publications

Microenterprise Programs as Credit Builders

This guide explores the new roles that microenterprise programs are taking on to build the credit of entrepreneurs

FIELD Forum Issue 23 – The Organizational Foundations of Sustainability
Publications

FIELD Forum Issue 23 – The Organizational Foundations of Sustainability

This forum, the fifth in FIELD’s sustainability series, highlights efforts by Accion New Mexico · Arizona · Colorado · Nevada · Texas to systematically build a corporate culture, as well as capacity, that supports security, quality and growth for the long term.

Providing Capital, Building Communities, Creating Impact: FY2007
Publications

Providing Capital, Building Communities, Creating Impact: FY2007

This publication, a product of the CDFI Data Project, documents the work of 508 community development finance institutions (CDFIs) investing $5.3 billion in new financing activity in Fiscal Year 2007, an investment linked to 34,276 jobs and 57,274 units of affordable housing.

A Final Report on the Ms. Foundation for Women’s Collaborative Fund for Women’s Economic Development
Publications

A Final Report on the Ms. Foundation for Women’s Collaborative Fund for Women’s Economic Development

The fourth round of the Women’s Collaborative Fund focused on helping both microenterprise organizations and the entrepreneurs they served to become more sustainable and grow.

Can Student-run Microfinance Organizations Help Address Issues of Scale and Sustainability in the U.S. Domestic Microenterprise Industry?
Publications

Can Student-run Microfinance Organizations Help Address Issues of Scale and Sustainability in the U.S. Domestic Microenterprise Industry?

Could university programs offer quality services to low-income entrepreneurs and do it at a very low cost?

Job Training that Works: Findings from the Sectoral Employment Impact Study
Publications

Job Training that Works: Findings from the Sectoral Employment Impact Study

Can well-implemented, sector-focused training programs make a difference to the earnings of low-income disadvantaged workers and job seekers?

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