SaveUSA is an asset development program that offers a matched savings account to tax filers, building on the savings opportunity presented by tax-time refunds, especially the Earned Income Tax Credit. It is one of five programs being replicated and evaluated as part of a Social Innovation Fund (SIF) Project led by the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City and the NYC Center for Economic Opportunity. MDRC is a partner in the SIF project. SaveUSA is being offered to a limited number of tax filers in New York City; Tulsa, OK; San Antonio, TX; and Newark, NJ.

As part of the SaveUSA study, 1,665 individuals who had their tax returns prepared by community organizations in New York City and Tulsa in 2011 and who consented to be in the study are being contacted this fall and invited to answer a series of questions. This confidential survey, which will take about 40 minutes to complete via phone, is being conducted by a national survey firm, Decision Information Resources (DIR), in partnership with MDRC, the NYC Center for Economic Opportunity, and the NYC government Office of Financial Empowerment. Information collected in the survey will pertain to how families make choices about saving and borrowing and how people deal with the day-to-day challenges of making ends meet with the income they receive. The survey results will help government agencies and community organizations design better financial programs and services for communities throughout the U.S.