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Circles USA has been banging the Cliff Effect  drum for over 20 years, once it became clear from our families with lived experience that the Cliff was one of the largest obstacles blocking upward economic mobility. As our local chapters and national staff and board members continue to raise awareness of this critical issue, it never ceases to amaze us that many people, especially employers and policymakers, remain unaware. To that end, in 2023, Circles USA produced a brief primer video  to raise awareness on what the Cliff Effect, sometimes called the Benefits Cliff, is. In 2024, our National Big View Team created a one-pager  for advocates that outlines the issue with key definitions, examples, visuals, and talking points for targeted audiences that include employers, policymakers, and community members.  In 2024, Circles USA also joined the National Cliff Effect Coalition  through a grant awarded the Martha O’Bryan Center in Nashville, TN, joining 12 other organizations in an effort to raise awareness, target key responses to mitigate the cliff, and gain momentum together to create an environment for systemic change.  Circles USA’s executive director, Kamatara Johnson, not only served as a panelist online for an Aspen/Ascend Institute webina r on the Cliff, she also presented with Alex Ruder from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta at the Together, We Thrive conference  where many national anti-poverty organizations gathered and learned more about the Cliff from Circles and the ATL Feds.  In a final push to spread the 2024 campaign of mitigating the Cliff, Kamatara spoke as a panelist in a day-long Benefits Cliff Summi t hosted by the Sutherland Institute  and community partners like Weber State University and Circles Salt Lake. The Sutherland Institute has done its share of raising awareness around the impact of the Cliff on people working hard towards economic mobility only to be trapped in the system. On their podcast, Defending Ideas, they twice interviewed Circle Leaders from Circles Salt Lake who shared the lived experience ( 1  / 2 ). Sutherland also released their research report: Strengthening the American Dream . Pulling it all together, the Sutherland Institute hosted the summit which welcomed folks from around the state of Utah and across the United States including partners such as: Dr. Leah Murray, Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor, Political Science and Philosophy DIrector, Walker Institute of Politics and Public Service at Weber State University Nic Dunn, Vice President of Strategy and Communications, Sutherland Institute Dr. Katharine Fuller-French, Director of Community Research, Weber State University Kevin Burt, Deputy Director of Utah Department of Workforce Services Eric Cochling, Erik Randoplh, and Kelsey Underwood form the Georgia Center for Opportunity Keith Barnes from the Martha O’Bryan Center in Nashville, TN Scott Fast, Director of Innovate+Educate in CO Kamatara Johnson, Executive Director Circles USA Michelle Crawford, Executive Director Circles Salt Lake From the Sutherland Institute, “America is the land of opportunity. So how should we respond when new evidence shows that some families actually feel discouraged from working harder for the American Dream? Some families in Utah have limited their economic progression because they’re worried that earning more may trigger something called “benefits cliffs,” which would leave them worse off or stuck in the same place. Attendees at this important event joined us in exploring reforms that can strengthen the American Dream for our fellow Utahns.” Circles USA was proud to contribute to the conversation, offering the national perspective on the Cliff, garnered from our 66 chapters across 26 states and our 25 year history in the anti-poverty arena. Kamatara shares, “It was powerful to connect with different constituencies and political persuasives all at this one event, to hear the common purpose of creating economic and workforce development policies that truly support working people. We all want to keep working people working. Until the system is fixed, that’s not possible for so many low-wage earners who are punished for advancing by losing a disproportionate amount of government support before they are ready. I was grateful to remind folks that systems change is people change, so the call to action is to build relationships, foster communication, and connect employers, employees, and policymakers to have the real conversations we need to make a system that makes sense.” The one-day event was filmed. To learn more about the Cliff at the local, state, and federal level, see the video selection below. Much appreciation to the Sutherland Institute and their partner organizations for holding an inclusive space for the full spectrum of conversations and solution-sharing that only happens when communities are brought together around a common cause.  How families experience benefits cliffs Rep. Blake Moore on benefits cliffs Benefits Cliffs: A national problem Social safety net in action Utah's safety net secret: The 'One Door' model Panel discussion: Beyond the Cliff Circles USA looks forward to more Big View collaborations in the year to come, as we gain momentum on raising awareness and solving critical issues that most impact people experiencing poverty. Sign up to receive our public newsletters Click the   Give to Circles button  and help us celebrate 25+ years of building community to end poverty!

Circles recently   enjoyed a great chat with Kemberly Bush  (CEO, Pathways to Prosperity , the lead agency offering the Circles USA model in Palm Beach County, FL) and her colleague Pastor Richard Dames (Director of Circles Palm Beach County ). Here, Kemberly and Pastor Richard describe the many moving parts they manage to keep Palm Beach County one of the most successful and diverse high-volume Circles chapters in the U.S. Good morning! Can you share some exciting updates and “New and Goods” from Circles Palm Beach County? RD : We just graduated a class of Haitian Creole speakers a few weeks ago. The exciting part for us was the fact that they decided, as a group, that they wanted to go out and purchase their own caps and gowns. So they marched in and everything was matching, color coordinated, excitement on their faces. It was resounding for us to see all of them outside getting dressed—just a huge moment! KB : The community in which our offices are located here in Palm Beach County has a large Haitian Creole population. Right now we've got over 80,000 Haitians [in the county] and they're expecting that number to grow expeditiously. Many coming right now speak Spanish—they don't speak Creole because they are coming by way of Chile. We also have some families that have been here for quite some time, and they're very successful. My very first Circles class graduated in 2014—that was probably one of the most successful classes I had. We did have Haitians in that particular class, including one man, Wendell, who saved $20,000 in one year. Everyone was like, how did he do that? And so we started having other people following his model.  We've had to really change our thinking, change the way we deliver our services. I've had to change staffing because I needed to respond to the community. If everyone here only had one Creole [translator], it wasn't going to work. We needed to build upon that. So now we have four. Because it's the only way that we can service this community and be true to it. Our first graduating Creole-speaking class was in December of 2023. It was the first time we had engaged an all-Haitian class. We were requiring individuals to speak English prior to doing this, because it was so difficult in the classroom to have to do the translation. But we were leaving out a whole population by doing that. Now it’s hit off amazingly. Our first graduating class ended with representatives from the U.S. Congress [awarding] pendants. We had our state Senator, state House Reps, and those who were running for office all in attendance. And so, because we served that one population, word of mouth started to travel. The [graduated Circle Leaders] are all Allies now and we've had three classes that were just Creole speaking: 100% Creole. But I will tell you that the very last class, when they came up and did their speeches and things like that, they did it all in English; because now we're offering ESOL [English Speakers of Other Languages] classes for our families as well. To me, that is really exciting news.  RD : We had been having candidate forums here [organized] with some of our partner organizations. [After] a lot of planning and strategizing and organizing, we decided that we wanted to put together a People's Forum. That People's Forum would consist of those who were still running for office, but primarily for the House of Representatives election. And so we [invited] three of our Circle graduates to share their lived experiences on this panel. One talked about education, her field. The other [spoke about] housing. And the third was about being safe in the neighborhood.  Circle Leaders had the opportunity to share their lived experiences with politicians, clergy, and the community at large. Giving them that experience is really setting the stage for them. As we continue to deal with the Big View, they're learning about the Cliff Effect and how that affects them—the systemic barriers that are in place, how it keeps them at that level. Hopefully the politicians will be able to take that back to the State House and address this across the aisle, so that we can begin to dismantle some of those barriers. KB : What was really interesting for me at the People's Forum was to hear those politicians as I laid the framework for ALICE—Asset Limited, Income Constrained and Employed. These are ALICE families. They're the working poor. And afterwards, during the networking where we were able to eat and meet one-on-one with the politicians, to hear them say that they had never heard of ALICE. They were clueless! “What do you mean, you don't know? And you're going to be sitting here making decisions on ALICE families?” Our goal is to equip our ALICE families; because if we engage them in the whole voting process, we can change the landscape of this country. If we get the ALICE families involved in the vote, in making decisions, that's how you begin to change the Big View—to really begin to address those systemic barriers. That is who we serve. Were you able to track how their elections went? Will you have some allies in place in office now? KB : Yes. We [hosted] people that were running for Judge, we had a State Attorney candidate, the Sheriff's Office and things like that. They got a chance to hear my Circle Leader, Bentoria —I'm her Ally—talking about the successes she has had as a result of being involved in Circles. Bentoria started her own nonprofit [after] receiving some funding. She is an author who self-published her book on Amazon. And she talked about becoming a homeowner.  Before she got a chance to get through it all, everyone started clapping. She said, “Yeah, right, that should be  a reason to celebrate.” But then, she was able to share with them that that little bit of increase allowed her to be able to buy the house; but it [also] knocked her out of the other safety net services. “So,” she said, “it was a short-lived celebration for me, because now I have to learn how to readjust my finances without any of those safety net services. And what can you all do to help me and other families that fall into this category, so that we don't find ourselves, you know, still struggling after we have these successes?” It was just absolutely amazing. RD : Bentoria was the one that we took to Tallahassee. KB : Oh, yes! Last year for Children's Week , we took Bentoria with us to Tallahassee. So she had had a chance already to meet [the candidates] and take pictures. We've got people in office that she's already familiar with; they know her story. And we'll be going back again in May. We hope that this is a path to accountability from our elected officials! KB : Same here. It was funny to hear everyone that was part of their platform [speak out], saying, “I'm a part of Circles.” “I volunteer with Circles.” “Yeah, I'm a Circles Ally.” They're really vested.  What are some other issues that the Palm Beach County chapter is looking forward to tackling in 2025? KB : Transportation is key here. Everything is so spread out. The bus system does not run; it's not friendly to those who don’t have a car. A bus is just not convenient for families that have got children. So we had the Commissioners do proclamations deeming a Poverty Awareness Week. And that week, we [issued] a snap challenge: Eat off of $6.50. But more importantly, we took public transportation along with some of our partners. We went north and south, then east and west, really giving individuals an opportunity to see what it was like, that it's not easy. To be honest, I had never been on public transportation. We interviewed people along the way on social media, so everyone was making comments [that revealed how] people just don't know the struggle that families are going through. Now we're looking into funding for those individuals [for] little taxis—sort of like an Uber, if you will—an open vehicle that can take people to medical appointments, get them to job interviews, drop them off to work. They can call and order it, and it's free within local cities. We're trying to explore the best way until we can reform Palm Trend, which is the major bus line. But what can we do in the meantime to help our families get around safely? Transportation, the Cliff Effect, and housing are paramount in Palm Beach County. Because there is none. Is rural commuting a factor in your chapter’s transportation issues? KB : Yes, it is. The Glades, Belglade, Pahokee—is [among] the poorest parts of West Palm Beach. It's our farm workers. So, you know, they're very transient because they're moving wherever they can go. There’s nothing out there for them if they can’t get a job. Even if we take Circles there, they still have to come to the coast in order to find viable employment that would help them to move their families along. The bus does run there, but the timing of it…it's just not that great. One of the biggest concerns is if they are on the bus and there's a medical emergency. Let's say the kids are sick. Now you’ve got to try to readjust, get off, catch the next bus. There's a lot of opportunities [to grow] the transportation here in Palm Beach County. That's a lot of work. It sounds like Circles Palm Beach County is very much a service hub that you’re all running. KB : We are a service hub, we're just always tackling. We never stop. I would say we're serving about 200 Circle Leaders and families annually. We have those that have graduated. We usually graduate about four classes a year. Each class has roughly 17 to 20 individuals that are graduating. And then we service those that have graduated with our weekly meetings. And it's a lot. Part of what we've had to add is case management. We now have a Circles case manager who is dedicated to connecting individuals with services and addressing those immediate needs. We hired someone to do data, because we have to be able to track it and then be able to tell the story with the data to the funders. That's the only way we're going to be able to continue to fund this initiative and make it work. So we've got some outside people doing data, but we also have a full time person in house that is tracking the data for our Circle Leaders. We've got a lot of moving parts, but it works. All this is part of a larger model called SOFI in Palm Beach County: that's the Securing Our Future Initiative. It’s spearheaded by Palm Beach County Community Services. Dr. James Green leads that model. And we have several programs that work with SOFI. Circles is the only model that actually tracks those clients beyond one year. So we're the only one that has this three-year tracking mechanism in place, which means that we're able to let people know what's happening beyond 12 months with these clients. Our data is important to the overall Palm Beach County comprehensive plan to reduce poverty by 10% over the next 10 years. Do you have some hard-working chapter members, local leaders, and valuable partners that you would like to shout out? RD : There are lots of them! We have a volunteer with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), their director—he is a great friend of ours and one of our partners. Genesis Health Center. We also partner with the Boynton Beach Coalition-Clergy, an organization that I serve as the founder and President, who are local pastors in Palm Beach County. Men of Vision and Purpose (MVP) is a group of men that go around to the different schools and read to our youth. They take them out once a month to breakfast and serve as mentors. A lot of them are retired professionals in various fields across the county. Who are we missing? KB : Those are all really paramount. A lot of our success is because we partner with the BRIDGES programs . BRIDGES is a place-based strategy funded by the Children's Services Council here in Palm Beach County. There are 10 BRIDGES sites all throughout the county and out west in the Glades. These are individuals who have built relationships in these communities for 14 years; they know who the [people there] are. That is our recruitment arm to BRIDGES. They've already got individuals who are engaged, that are learning about parenting, that are learning about reducing child abuse and neglect, engaging in the school system. Now what Circles can do is come in, to begin to look at the economic mobility so we can make sure that they're able to come out of poverty and change the landscape. Because as long as they're staying on the receiving end, nothing changes. We're trying to change that and have our Circle Leader graduates from years ago come back and be Allies, to speak about what's been successful for them.  Finally, we're cultivating a partnership with the foundation Shared Futures out of Delray Beach. The head of this family foundation has been exploring giving guaranteed income to some individuals, yet they have no data. They don't know if it's working. Now they want to partner with Circles, because we have infrastructure in place to take a segment of our Circle Leader graduates and give them that guaranteed income of $500 a month. Let's just give them this money for a year. And then what happens? Do they open businesses? We don't know what it's going to look like. We have not given guaranteed income to any of our Circle Leaders yet. This will be a first for us in Palm Beach County.  We just love Lynette [Fields, Executive Director, Poverty Solutions Group ] and the work that they're doing, and we look for ways for us to work together. When Children's Week comes, we'll meet up again in Tallahassee to get some things going. Pastor Dames knows all of the politicians, so we definitely capitalize on those situations to get in the door, to get our message out.  And this year, one of our former senators—who is now the County Commissioner—is working with us on our application for appropriations. We're in the exploration phases of some partnerships, so I'm really looking forward to what's going to come out of these great opportunities! Sign up to receive our public newsletters Click the   Give to Circles button  and help us celebrate 25+ years of building community to end poverty!

January is always an excellent time to give pause to where we’ve been and dream forward to where we’re headed. Yes, 2023 was an exciting year for Circles USA celebrating our 25th anniversary and hosting a national leadership conference, but much has been happening behind the scenes in the national office as well. Join Circles USA Executive Director, Kamatara Johnson, for a time to reflect on this organization for 2023 and to share the vision for 2024 as Circles USA begins the next quarter century of its work. About the Presenter: Kamatara Johnson is the executive director of CUSA. She has a master’s degree in organizational leadership, 25 years of experience in secondary education, and a deep connection with our Circles chapters. As ED, Kamatara holds the space for collaboration, innovation, and advancement for all the people in our Circles family.

In this new monthly blog series, Circles USA Chief Learning Officer Kris Alexander will share insights on her learning journey, sources of inspiration, and what excites her about her work. The column will offer a behind-the-scenes perspective on the learning curve that drives growth and progress at CUSA as we continually deepen and enhance our mission of building community to end poverty. Circles Salt Lake Youth One of the coolest aspects of Circles USA (in my honest opinion) is our focus on youth and children. When you attend a weekly meeting, it’s not just you who benefits—your entire family does too! Circles offers a youth curriculum for all ages, covering topics such as goal-setting, financial literacy, emotional health, and compassion. During weekly meetings, young people have the opportunity to come together with dedicated adults to explore these subjects and more while their family members participate in Matched Circles or cohort training. The intentional friendships formed within our community extend beyond Circle Leaders and Allies to include children, fostering cross-socioeconomic and multigenerational connections that can positively influence a young person’s life. Circles Joplin family Cara Russo with her daughter My love of this is twofold: Our initiative is reducing poverty along multiple generational lines simultaneously, and we are supporting everyone who walks in the door—not just those experiencing poverty, but also our volunteers and their   families. Even for individuals who may not have children or families of their own, Circles provides the opportunity to be part of a broader “multi-gen” network where they can foster positive community growth in many ways, including equipping youth to navigate life more confidently. Everyone in the Circles community is uplifted, no matter their current circumstances. This includes individuals with varying exceptionalities, disabilities, and additional support needs. Before we continue, here's a closer look at some key terms: Varying exceptionalities  is a newer term that refers to the diverse range of abilities and challenges people may encounter outside of typical developmental trajectories. According to one McGraw Hill text , this may refer to students who "receive special education for a variety of reasons, including sensory and physical handicaps, intellectual limitations, communication and behavioural disorders, and other problems that affect learning. These conditions may be mild or severe, chronic or acute, and contained or pervasive (Bohatyretz & Lipps, 1999)." It highlights that individuals can have unique strengths or needs in many aspects of life, including cognitive, emotional, sensory, or physical.  Support needs  refers to the support and accommodations required for an individual to grow, learn, and thrive. These needs can vary based on many factors including physical disabilities, developmental delays, sensory impairments, emotional and behavioral challenges, and more. Special education  refers to the current system designed to support youth with disabilities, especially in school, but can also be used to include other programs and accommodations for young people. Disabilities  describe physical, cognitive, mental, or sensory impairments that significantly impact a person's life. The challenges faced by individuals with disabilities are dramatically amplified by limiting social and economic factors (e.g., standardized testing that measures only one aspect of intelligence; architecture and city planning that is difficult to navigate for individuals who are blind, deaf, or have limited mobility; public transit seating designs that accommodate only certain body types; and crowded grocery stores with overstimulating bright lights and loud music.) In summary: varying exceptionalities  provide a broad view of human diversity, support needs  and  special education  refer to specific accommodations and the systems that offer them, and disabilities  describe specific impairments that affect daily living. Kris as a teacher in 2008. The contributions and insights of people with varying exceptionalities should be highly valued and actively sought out from childhood onward. Many individuals with disabilities have a remarkable way of perceiving and interacting with the world. It’s essential to recognize that all individuals with disabilities— regardless of the cause —are unique and deserve to thrive in an accessible world. We must also examine how systemic inequality perpetuates preventable disabilities. When Circles USA’s National Coach, Addie and I began researching the interconnections between disabilities and poverty, it didn’t surprise us to learn that individuals with disabilities and families with disabled children are more than twice as likely to experience poverty. Disability causes poverty . In addition, research shows that the majority of disabilities are preventable. They’re often caused by factors like poor nutrition; unsafe living and working conditions; limited access to healthcare and vaccinations; inadequate sanitation and hygiene; insufficient maternal care during pregnancy and childbirth; lack of education about the causes of impairments; and the effects of war, conflict, and natural disasters. The impact of these factors is not felt equally by people of high-income as those with low income. Poverty creates disability .   It’s a devastating and cyclical relationship. Poverty and disability reinforce and generate one another, leading to deeper vulnerability, systemic oppression, and isolation. Breaking this cycle requires recognizing the unique challenges faced by the individuals within it and creating pathways for inclusion, access, and opportunity that dismantle systemic barriers and foster real community. All young people, with or without disabilities, are impacted by this cyclical relationship. Youth experiencing poverty and youth of color are disproportionately placed in special education or isolated learning environments , compounding racial segregation with ableism. This discrimination against already marginalized communities perpetuates poverty and limits education, resources, and opportunities. For children with varying exceptionalities, the divide is even starker: lower-income youth with disabilities are more likely to be placed in separate classrooms compared to their higher-income peers who are more often integrated into mainstream classrooms. Kris as a Youth and Family Director in 2018. To complicate things further, states aren’t required to report data on education, disability, race, and socioeconomic status collectively. This lack of analysis makes it harder to study and address the complex intersections of these factors. As someone who has worked extensively with children I’m disappointed by these hurdles our youth face, but unfortunately not surprised.  My journey to Circles feels like a full-circle moment, as my first career involved working with individuals with varying exceptionalities, primarily autism. The relationships I formed during that time profoundly shaped my understanding of the invaluable skills and perspectives that everyone contributes. Beginning my professional life in this field continues to impact my understanding of our world, belief in the importance of diverse perspectives, and the beauty of inclusive communities. Kris with her friend at Carowinds Theme Park. Cultivating this awareness in our society requires making positive investments in the well-being and education of youth with varying exceptionalities, especially those experiencing poverty. This is one of the reasons why Circles is so committed to diversity and inclusion: we recognize that these various identities intersect and overlap in many different ways. We work to ensure our spaces are open and welcoming to everyone, including youth with varying exceptionalities and their families. When we treat every youth as the unique individual they are, we can more fully meet their needs and create a place for them to belong. Which brings me to the heart of the issue: every child is a gift . Sometimes, we can get so focused on challenges and concerns that we miss the incredible contributions they offer just by being themselves. At Circles, our primary job is to love and respect each young person exactly where they are. Yes, we teach them some amazing skills and concepts that will equip them to thrive, but our number one priority is to build supportive communities where they belong and are recognized as the gifts they are. This is the power of intentional friendship and community. It’s how Circles transforms families, one connection at a time. Learn more about how Circles USA champions youth access , advocacy  and education  on our blog. Meet Circles Chief Learning Officer Kris Alexander . Click the   Give to Circles button  and help us celebrate 25+ years of building community to end poverty! Sign up to receive our public newsletters

Over the past 11 months as a contractor for Circles, USA, I’ve been continually amazed and inspired by the incredible work this organization does, all from a relational and empathetic mindset. Every person I’ve interacted with—board members, Circle Leaders, chapter staff, and volunteers—has been a brilliant and unconditionally compassionate individual. I’ve never experienced such a large group of extraordinary people coming together to create meaningful change in one place before. When Kamatara approached me about joining the staff full-time, it was an easy and immediate “yes.” Over the past year, I’ve learned so much about poverty alleviation, the challenges Circle Leaders face, and how we as a community can better support individuals and families. Every day, I am excited and energized by the opportunity to do this impactful work, especially in a time when coming together to bridge divides feels more urgent than ever. I am overjoyed to combine my passion for this work with my Zone of Genius. I love learning  and growing as an individual, and this desire fuels my desire to write, develop content and curriculum, teach, and create innovative ways to support others.  As Chief Learning Officer, I’m excited to design new trainings, systems, and curriculum, and update our current tools to provide even deeper support to our chapters. I’ll also be working to foster a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive organization and community of practice. This role will give me the time and resources to connect with the community of practice, receive your feedback, and refine the tools based on the invaluable insights of those intimately involved in this work. Looking ahead, I’m thrilled to update and refresh our Basic, Circle Leader, and Ally trainings next year and collaborate with y’all at the chapter level to incorporate your ideas. I’ll also be partnering with our National Coach, Addie, to establish an Equity Taskforce, bringing together voices from all walks of life within Circles. Together, we will ensure that Circles continues to shape the future with equity, accessibility, justice, and inclusion. I’m deeply grateful and honored to serve in this role. I look forward to connecting with more of our amazing community members and working together to create lasting impact. To learn more about Kris, read her introductory blogpost here .

At Circles USA, we know that mobilizing our households, chapters, and states to participate in elections is only one phase of civic engagement. Building community to end poverty requires each of us to ask every day, year-round: How can I show up with an intentional focus on moving the needle towards our shared goals? And what can we collectively do to hold our elected officials accountable for their campaign promises to We the People ? “Ending poverty is a nonpartisan issue,” says Circles Executive Director Kamatara Johnson. “But it’s also very much a bipartisan  project, in that both Democratic and Republican leaders have failed to meaningfully decrease obstacles to prosperity for the most vulnerable Americans—that is, the working poor **. History has taught us that elected officials need to be held accountable in large and small ways. Are they doing what we hired them to do? Are we seeing the needed results in our homes, schools, businesses, and government offices? And how can we act in effective ways during the months and years in-between presidential elections, so that those in offices both high and low really support people’s financial wellbeing as a cornerstone of democracy?” In this first of a two-part series on post-election civic engagement, CUSA offers this short list of major economic positions published by the Trump campaign prior to re-election, per CBS News  and other sources.  “The more familiar we are with any administration’s policy platforms,” Kamatara reminds us, “the more we can hold them to task when it comes to delivering on their promises to support us and enact our best, most promising ideas for change.” Taxes Trump claims he will extend tax cuts enacted in 2017, which reduced taxes for most Americans.   Research shows  that higher-income individuals, families, and corporations (notably Trump's own ) benefited the most from tax policy enacted during his first administration. Under Trump, “everyone” will receive a tax cut, but the lowest earners — those making under $19,600 — would just see a $320 difference in take-home pay… “The very highest earners under Trump would receive a tax break of $376,910, according to [a] Penn Wharton analysis.”  [Source] Trump…want[s] to eliminate federal taxes on tips. Trump plans to eliminate income taxes on Social Security benefits, which may help middle- and upper-middle income seniors the most. [Source] Child tax credit VP-elect JD Vance has proposed raising the child tax credit to $5,000 (from the current top tax break of $2,000) for all Americans, including those in the highest tax brackets. [Source] Inflation “Trump has pledged to end the ‘inflation nightmare,” CBS reports. “But his policies, which include adding tariffs to all imported goods, would likely fuel inflation and reverse some of the progress of the last two years, some economists say.”  [Source] Tariffs Another key Trump-Vance platform point likely to impact our economy is the tariff,  or tax on imported goods. MSN  reports: “Trump says ‘tariff’ is his favorite word in the dictionary and he is likely to try to move quickly on new trade restrictions that he promised during the campaign”: The president-elect says he will impose between a 10 and 20 percent across-the-board tariff on all $3 trillion worth of U.S. goods imports and a 60 percent tariff on all Chinese goods. That would dramatically expand the duties he imposed during his first term on tens of billions of dollars worth of steel and aluminum and more than $300 billion worth of Chinese goods. [Source] Howard Gleckman with The Tax Policy Center  at the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution explained in 2018 who would absorb the cost of Trump’s announc[ed] “10 percent tariffs on an additional $200 billion in Chinese imports.” [President-elect Trump] “showed a troubling lack of understanding about how the levies work,” Gleckman writes. “Pointing to earlier import duties he imposed, Trump bragged that ‘China is paying us billions of dollars in tariffs.’ Treasury, he added, is collecting ‘tremendous amounts of money, which is great for our country.’” But, he continues, “[d]espite what the President says, it is almost always paid directly by the importer (usually a domestic firm), and never by the exporting country. Thus, if the US imposes a tariff on Chinese televisions, the duty is paid to the US Customs and Border Protection Service at the border by a US broker representing a US importer, say, Costco. “In the case of Trump’s tariffs on China,” he concludes, “that means US consumers will pay somewhat higher prices… Will Trump’s new tariffs generate a big boost in federal revenue? The short answer is: No.” [Source]   Consumers are likely to face similar short-term fluctuations in 2025 and beyond. Healthcare Daniel Payne at MSN reports: “On Obamacare, even conservative health policy analysts who’d like to repeal the Affordable Care Act say that’s not in the cards. Instead, they say Trump will focus on loosening regulations on insurers and targeting specific elements of the law for repeal or reform. Vice President-elect JD Vance wants to cut costs for healthy, younger people by allowing them to sign up for insurance based on the health risks they face. That could increase prices for older people and those with pre-existing conditions, who are shielded from risk-based pricing under Obamacare.” “Trump supported allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices in his 2016 campaign but later backed away,” Payne continues. “Now he’s in charge of ongoing negotiations Congress mandated in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which are supposed to include dozens of new drugs during his term. Every Republican lawmaker voted against that law. Trump’s Justice Department is now tasked with defending it against pharmaceutical company challenges in court.” [Source] Pt. 1 of this series provided an overview of President Trump’s economic policy platform for easy reference. In Pt. 2 of this series, we’ll share stories and best practices of Circles USA chapters working to hold local, state, and national elected officials accountable for fulfilling their economic promises to voters. **An official US Department of Labor designation describing “persons who spent at least 27 weeks [in the past year] in the labor force (that is, working or looking for work), but whose incomes fell below the official poverty level."

In this webinar, join Kamatara Johnson to reflect on our experiences, accomplishments, and challenges in 2024 and look forward to 2025. She’ll share a sneak peek at our 2024 Impact Report, announce the 2025 Leadership Conference location and dates, and explore the 2025 focus of Moving Beyond… About the Presenter: Kamatara Johnson  is the executive director of CUSA. She holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership, 25 years of experience in secondary education, and a deep connection with our Circles chapters. As ED, Kamatara creates space for collaboration, innovation, and expansion for all the people in our Circles family.

Circles USA is now accepting applications for our second cohort of the Advisory Council. Circles USA’s Board Advisory Council exists to create a space for dialogue between the National Board and active Circles community members.   Who : Advisory Council members must be active participants in a Circles chapter. Ideally, members of the Advisory Council will reflect Circles USA’s diversity in many ways: Chapter Role: Circle Leader, Ally, Volunteer, Coach, Coordinator, Executive Director, Community Partner, etc. Chapter Partner Organization: faith-based partners, government-based chapters, independent chapters Chapter Geography: rural chapters, urban chapters, geographic distribution Chapter Longevity: new chapters, veteran chapters Personal diversity: ethnicity, age, background, gender, sexuality, religion, lived experience of poverty, and political views   What : Past discussion topics include: Reviewing data and considering the Circles model’s impact and long-term strategies for improvement Advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion Pursuing systemic change through the Big View Reviewing and providing feedback on updated organizational mission statement Where and When :  Advisory Council meetings take place via Zoom Meetings will be the second   Monday of each month at 3pm ET /2pm CT /1pm MT /NoonPT,  for 90 minutes The commitment is one year, from January to December 2025.   Why : The Board wishes to hear first-hand from chapter members in an effort to inform decisions about the future of Circles USA. The Board’s intent is for the Council to be a comfortable way for members of the Circles network to contribute, learn, and gain insight into leadership at the national level. Notes:   The Board Advisory Council is not a line of communication to the Circles USA national staff. If you have ideas for operational improvement, a specific question, or an issue with your chapter, please speak with your regional coach or someone at the national office. This is a volunteer Council. In honor of participation, each member will receive one registration to the next CUSA Conference and a dinner with the Circles National Board. Circles USA cannot provide a stipend/honorarium to avoid any perception that the Board is paying the Council to agree with them. How to apply : Complete the application form here . Applications are due by January 3, 2025 . The 2025 Circles USA Advisory Council will be co-facilitated by board members Jennifer Pelling and Van Green. See also: Jun 29, 2022, New Advisory Council for CUSA Board

Each year around this time, Circles USA gears up to publish our Impact Report. From early drafts to video production and the countdown to announce we’re live , our national office is all-hands-on-deck to deliver amazing results to our community of practice annually. It’s with a huge internal Yes! that we bring you of-the-moment figures on membership growth, conference recaps, partner news, and more positive data on Big View organizing outcomes than we could have dreamed when CUSA launched more than 25 years ago.    All the numbers are there…but what is Circles , beyond the sum of these moving parts? What about the lives and communities transformed by the daily practice of chapters nationwide? What does it mean for a child to shift from couch-surfing to a stable apartment in a better school district? What does it mean for the self-esteem of a single mother who now has advanced at work and purchased her first car? How does healing translate to spreadsheets, flowcharts and infographics? How can grassroots transformation be quantified?  After three years as Circles USA’s executive director, I will tell you absolutely: It can’t be. These are the unspoken, perhaps unmeasurable aspects of CUSA’s interactive model. Time and experience moving in solidarity with our network has taught us that we are supporting whole people, whole families, and whole chapters in the transformative work of building communities to end poverty. Nonprofit funding cycles are often driven by numeric and quantitative outcomes, like X people out of poverty  or Y people served , which don’t get to the holistic, long-term result we’re aiming for. Short-term grants typically demand a one-or-two year turnaround for results. But leaving poverty behind permanently, changing one’s life trajectory, can’t be put on a calendar or timeframe. On average, participants in Circles reach amazing outcomes  by 18 months; yet some take longer, some shorter. It depends on many factors, particularly the number and nature of intersectional barriers they are facing.  A 2020 study by Tema Okun and ​ Dismantling Racism Works (dRworks)  roots into these structural factors—such as race, age, and physical ability—to present a more complete picture of how identity impacts the timeline and criteria funders in primarily white institutions (PWIs) like to measure. Examples of ways that PWIs can enmesh white supremacy into outcome measurement include:  all resources of organization are directed toward producing measurable goals things that can be measured are more highly valued than things that cannot…[F]or example numbers of people attending a meeting, newsletter circulation, money spent are valued more than quality of relationships, democratic decision-making, ability to constructively deal with conflict little or no value attached to process; if it can’t be measured, it has no value discomfort with emotion and feelings no understanding that when there is a conflict between content (the agenda of the meeting) and process (people’s need to be heard or engaged), process will prevail (for example, you may get through the agenda, but if you haven’t paid attention to people’s need to be heard, the decisions made at the meeting are undermined and/or disregarded). At Circles, we know that what’s more important than any statistic we could report are the relationships formed—the ones that last a lifetime. A new narrative is running through the collective heart and mind of our membership: to believe in themselves and their communities again, or maybe for the first time ever. To reconnect with hopes and dreams and people! Far beyond benchmarks for measuring economic progress by upticks in homeownership, transportation, education, and employment, Circles cultivates in our participants qualities like autonomy and belonging, a sense of inherent worth and hope. And the internal growth is iterative: How does wellbeing outpicture for multiple generations to come when your parent’s inner narrative has shifted from surviving to thriving? What is it like for a family to leave poverty behind permanently for generations to come? These unmeasurable outcomes of lives transformed are the heart of what Circles USA continues to hold as top priority, regardless of funders or business trends that demand growth for growth’s sake. We remain committed to the internal growth that has far more impact than any report we could ever share. to end poverty, together. Sign up to receive our public newsletters Click the   Give to Circles button  and help us celebrate 25+ years of building community to end poverty!

While Circles is firmly rooted as an anti-poverty organization, we also  know that anti-poverty movement work requires self-awareness and leadership skills. Building successful group efforts and functional organizations calls for a variety of skill sets and gifts to bring people together as one powerful force for good.  Visionary, Facilitator, Practitioner In our Circles community of practice, we ask people to consider which role best fits them: visionary, facilitator, or practitioner. A visionary  makes the impossible seem possible, a facilitator  makes the possible seem probable, and a practitioner  makes the probable become predictable.  In other words, the visionary  has a fresh and imaginative idea that they can articulate; one which inspires others not only to believe, but to craft the necessary building blocks to manifest the vision. The facilitator  can listen to what the visionary has thrown out there and translate it into infrastructure and process, serving as the “translator” between the visionary and the practitioner because the practitioner  is in the weeds, boots on the ground, implementing the vision. Practitioners and visionaries often face communication challenges when collaborating. We bring radically different perspectives in leadership style—each necessary, but needing a middle ground to translate into effective action. When I first met our visionary founder, Scott C. Miller, I was a practitioner, having just left almost 25 years of public education. While being in his presence was exciting and inspiring, it also freaked me out! He’d be tossing spaghetti to see what sticks and I’d be losing my mind, asking: “How can it be done?” or “Who will finance it?” or “Who's going to do it?”…and so on. Deep breath, precious one. I learned after a while that nothing was real until it was real, and I grew into the facilitator space. I even began to enjoy the spaghetti-tossing and the process of transforming the “best of” into a plan of action. What’s more, I learned that most of us work on a continuum of visionary, practitioner, and facilitator throughout our lives, often wearing multiple hats. Don’t “nuts-and-bolts” practitioners conceive and nurture paradigm-shifting ideas all the time, only to be denied access by organizational hierarchies that only see top brass as the right "category" to do visioning work? Meanwhile, limited resources and support can leave visionaries working overtime to manage the facilitators while juggling logistics, hard-selling their ideas to their own teams and constituents, and implementing new policies amidst resistance from their own communities. Workers at every level must flex to manifest what we know is possible, and the one thing we all have in common is that none of us can do it alone.  I experienced this personally once our founder retired and interim executive director Jamie Haft moved on. I was promoted to executive director, which is a long way from being a school teacher and practitioner. I was thrust into the visionary role. As a skilled practitioner and newer facilitator, I struggled at first to shift into that visionary space. I had limited opportunities to articulate my visions in the past. I grew into finding my visionary voice, to speak my ideas for Circles USA with courage and conviction. Once I began to trust myself as a visionary leader, I knew exactly what my vision for Circles USA is: We can do what we do even better, and more far-reaching, than we are now.  We can grow into organizational maturity with more infrastructure, standard operating procedures, stronger curriculum, coaching, and support, and more collaboration with our chapters. We can operationalize an organizational structure that practices what we preach: listening to those closest to the challenge, whether staff, Circle Leaders, or community members. We also can be ready for the national spotlight in the anti-poverty arena with our new partnerships and opportunities to advocate. Perhaps we can even begin a national Big View campaign for sweeping systemic change.  What’s most exciting about this next iteration of Circles is that it is already happening, right now. Honoring the Evolution Just as I have grown in my skill set and how I relate to our team at Circles, I know we each have a bit of visionary, facilitator, and practitioner in us. So, how can we create a space to bring forth people’s best gifts while also nurturing those yet to be developed? How do we support the practitioners to buy into and then implement a vision? How do we listen to the vision a practitioner might have? How does your team come together in the most dynamic way possible? At Circles, we do create the safe place for communicating, sharing gifts, taking risks, and working collaboratively. We appreciate each unique individual, knowing we each have something to give and something to learn. This is how we step out of top-down hierarchies and into the deepest expression of a Circles chapter and a beloved community, when each type of leader is seen, heard, and valued. And, when people are allowed to grow skills and shift roles, we evolve together into our greatness. In his book Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness , author Frederic Laloux writes: “Extraordinary things begin to happen when we dare to bring all of who we are to work.”   Whatever pieces of your Self you bring to your role, I encourage you to shine on in your own perfect way, complementing each other’s leadership styles in our chapters as we build community to end poverty, together. Sign up to receive our public newsletters Click the   Give to Circles button  and help us celebrate 25+ years of building community to end poverty!

This month, Circles USA announced a new partnership with The Monthly Move Project (TMMP), a Utah-based national initiative offering athletic funded programs for children in poverty. "We’re so proud to partner with Circles USA to provide athletic scholarships for children in poverty, offering them the opportunity to pursue their passion for sports,” TMMP wrote in a statement. “These scholarships aim to break down financial barriers, enabling children to develop athletic skills, gain confidence, and participate in organized sports programs. By investing in their potential, we’re helping to create a brighter future for these young athletes and their communities." Many youth from families with limited resources have little to no access to extracurriculars at school or in the community. This is especially true in disciplines like athletics or dance that carry large fees and equipment requirements, effectively making the activity (and all its physical, social, and scholastic benefits) exclusive. TMPP aims to close that access gap for children of low-income families by making its enrollment form  accessible and short: ideal for busy caregivers who hope to engage youth in beneficial physical activities with a minimum of red tape and difficult expense.  As well as tracking the family’s location, Circles chapter info, and the details of each child’s sport/activity of interest (including equipment or special gear they may need), the form allows guardians to submit sport-related art projects that students create to showcase their dreams and ambitions. The Monthly Move Project invites interested adults in Circles chapters and the wider community to support youth athletics by contacting TMMP  to learn how they can give time to volunteer, stating: “By volunteering, individuals play a vital role in shaping the lives of children facing homelessness, instilling values of perseverance, teamwork, and resilience through the power of sports.”  Above all, says TMMP Founder Alyssia Johnson, chapters can champion The Monthly Movement Project’s game-changing work by sponsoring student enrollment with the aid of their own local businesses. “Once a child is enrolled,” Alyssia explains, “the chapter's youth coordinator will find the necessary funds.” Alyssia says that businesses related to the student's activity of choice make for great sponsorships that can be replicated at every chapter’s level: “Let’s say a child here in St. George, Utah, wants to play basketball, so my chapter’s youth coordinator might connect with a business called That Net on Fire and see if they were willing to sponsor the child through one of their programs. This gives businesses the opportunity to be a part of the community by furthering a child’s athletic opportunity. Everybody wins.” “It’s one of many reasons,” Alyssia urged, “to join our mission and make a lasting impact on the dreams and aspirations of these children.” Learn more about The Monthly Move Project on their website , or follow them on Instagram  and Facebook . Read about Circles USA’s multi-generational approach to helping families build community to end poverty: Circles Youth Talk Money, Happiness and More in Short Videos Circles Honors International Youth Day With Child Tax Credit Push Circles USA Children’s Curriculum Sign up to receive our public newsletters Click the   Give to Circles button  and help us celebrate 25+ years of building community to end poverty!

In a major upgrade to Circles USA’s body of educational materials, the Members portal on www.circlesusa.org  now offers a specially designed Big View training course. Because removing the barriers that keep people in poverty is one of the primary goals of Circles, the Big View is an entire wing  of our model. CUSA’s long-term goal is for every chapter to have a dedicated Big View Team. The Big View training course provides the tools and framework for Circles chapters to effect widespread systems change in their communities by centering those closest to the challenge.  “We’re very proud of our new Big View Training Course,” says Chief Learning Officer Kris Alexander. “We’ve built the program using feedback and data we received from our community of practice to take Big View Team members through the entire process from start to finish. It teaches participants key mindsets and practices for their Big View work—basically, everything chapters need to reduce poverty and move the needle on core issues of our Big View Policy Platform  wherever they live.” This curriculum, open to anyone involved with the Big View Team, offers a host of useful media including: Videos  with a slide deck for each unit Transcripts  for all units and the entire training a Companion Guide  to support learning through the training. This fillable PDF/printable document is available in color or black-and-white. a Glossary  of key Big View terms.  Executive Director Kamatara Johnson says: “With more chapters engaging in the Big View than ever before, our chapters now have a robust core of knowledge and experience mobilizing key stakeholders to address Big View policy issues. Our course has synthesized their findings and best practices into this comprehensive course that supports the Big View process from thinking to action. We can't wait to see how our chapters will use this new resource to fuel up their Big View Team efforts into a wave of transformation that impacts the collective!” The Circles national office recommends this training course for all staff (including those already engaged in Big View work at their chapter) as well as volunteers and/or Circle Leaders looking to engage with Circles USA’s Big View initiatives. To learn more about Circles USA’s Big View work, check out our podcast: The Big View: Ending Poverty in Your Community , available on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify . The video version is available to watch exclusively on our Youtube channel .  Just announced: Season 2 will be streaming in 2025!