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.

Research Brief No. 2 – Improving the Climate for Self-Employment: Recommendations for TANF Reauthorization
Publications

Research Brief No. 2 – Improving the Climate for Self-Employment: Recommendations for TANF Reauthorization

This research brief presents the findings from one-year outcomes experienced by TANF recipients who pursued self-employment and highlights the policy context and issues they confronted when preparing for and engaging in self-employment.

FIELD Forum Issue 13 – Marketing Strategies for Scale-Up: FIELD’s Grantees Share Their Experiences
Publications

FIELD Forum Issue 13 – Marketing Strategies for Scale-Up: FIELD’s Grantees Share Their Experiences

How can U.S. microenterprise programs expand their outreach and serve ever-larger numbers of emerging entrepreneurs with business development and financial services?

FIELD Forum Issue 11 – Helping Make Entrepreneurs “Tech Savvy”: The Experiences of Four FIELD Grantees 
Publications

FIELD Forum Issue 11 – Helping Make Entrepreneurs “Tech Savvy”: The Experiences of Four FIELD Grantees 

Presents the experiences of four grantees offering technology services to clients.

Industry-Based Employment Programs: Implications for Welfare Reauthorization and Key Survey Findings
Publications

Industry-Based Employment Programs: Implications for Welfare Reauthorization and Key Survey Findings

This brief highlights some of the key findings from the SEDLP participant survey and describes some of the outcomes that were found specifically among welfare recipients.

Sector Policy Project Report No. 3-Measuring Up And Weighing In: Industry Based Workforce Development Training Results In Strong Employment Outcomes
Publications

Sector Policy Project Report No. 3-Measuring Up And Weighing In: Industry Based Workforce Development Training Results In Strong Employment Outcomes

This is the third report in a three-part series, the purpose of which is to make both the general concept of sector strategy and the particular outcomes of sector programs accessible to policymakers in easy-to-understand terms.

Sector Policy Project Executive Summary No. 3
Publications

Sector Policy Project Executive Summary No. 3

This executive summary is the third in a three-part series, the purpose of which is to make both the general concept of sector strategy and the particular outcomes of sector programs accessible to policymakers in easy-to-understand terms.

Credit Evaluation Grids for Microenterprise Lenders
Publications

Credit Evaluation Grids for Microenterprise Lenders

This publication details the use of credit evaluation grids, a tool that can dramatically streamline and standardize the process of underwriting microenterprise loans.

Improving Microenterprise Training and Technical Assistance: Findings for Program Managers 
Publications

Improving Microenterprise Training and Technical Assistance: Findings for Program Managers 

Describes the makings of effective training and technical assistance by examining the findings from research projects undertaken by five FIELD grantees.

Cooperative Home Care Associates: A Case Study of a Sectoral Employment Development Approach
Publications

Cooperative Home Care Associates: A Case Study of a Sectoral Employment Development Approach

The Cooperative Home Care Associates (CHCA) is a worker-owned cooperative and employer-based training program that provides home health aide services in New York City’s South Bronx and Northern Manhattan.

Gaining Ground: The Labor Market Progress of Participants of Sectoral Employment Development Programs
Publications

Gaining Ground: The Labor Market Progress of Participants of Sectoral Employment Development Programs

Gaining Ground is the third and final report in the SEDLP research series.

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Publications

Working with Value: Industry-specific Approaches to Workforce Development

This report presents a synthesis of findings from the recently completed Sectoral Employment Development Learning Project (SEDLP).

Grow Faster Together, or Grow Slowly Apart
Publications

Grow Faster Together, or Grow Slowly Apart

The report details alarming trends shaping the size and characteristics of the country’s labor force, focusing on shortages in labor and skills and stagnant wages.

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