Clarifi

Clarifi has launched a search for a new executive director after Steve Gardner announced he will retire at the end of 2024. During Gardner’s five-year tenure, Clarifi focused on serving economically marginalized communities, addressing racial injustices, championing affordable housing initiatives, and creating pathways to financial resilience and intergenerational wealth for all individuals, regardless of income or zip code. “I’m proud of the work we’ve accomplished to help our communities unlock economic mobility,” said Gardner, who worked as an audit partner at Deloitte for more than 40 years before joining Clarifi. “Steve’s experience in the financial services industry, combined with his success in building a reliable network of corporate partners, will leave Clarifi in a strong financial position to continue uplifting thousands of Philadelphia-area families every year,” said Wayne Anglace, Chair of Clarifi’s Board of Directors. “Steve diversified and grew our funder portfolio while building out new growth opportunities for both the organization’s service deliveries and staff.” Clarifi’s Board of Directors has hired Koya Partners | Diversified Search Group, a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Individuals who are passionate about making a difference and leading a dynamic team dedicated to uplifting economically marginalized communities are encouraged to reach out to?Erin Reedy at Koya Partners,?[email protected], to learn more. Read the full press release here: https://lnkd.in/eHKxqBvZ

Thank you for sharing the love! We ?? our partnership with Philly Joy Bank. If you didn't know, Clarifi is providing free financial counseling to pregnant Philadelphians receiving a guaranteed income through this 18-month pilot program! Because financial knowledge + direct assistance = improved birth outcomes and financial resilience

We went to Prosperity Now's #ProsperitySummit2024 last week! This event was a great opportunity to learn from 250+ speakers about equity initiatives and challenges, financial empowerment, economic justice, expanding opportunities for people of all incomes, zip codes, and backgrounds, and many more causes that are near and dear to our mission. Our team learned so much from this incredible summit. We love being around like-minded people who work hard to secure economic prosperity for all!

Corporate social responsibility means teaming up with partners like Penn Community Bank to tackle systemic challenges in our communities. We were thrilled to have you all visit our Center City office this week, and we are so excited to see the final project!

Yesterday, Clarifi counselor Stacey Crawford attended the 4th Annual Community Hiring & Resource Fair from PA CareerLink? Philadelphia in Germantown. This event is a great way for families and individuals to seek job opportunities and important resources (like our financial counseling!) all in one place. And we can’t forget the free pretzels, backpacks, and haircuts ?? If you didn’t make it this year, we’ll be sure to see you at the next one!

We are thrilled to announce that Octavia Howell, a manager for the Philadelphia research and policy team at @pewresearch, has joined our Board of Directors! Octavia joined Clarifi's Board of Directors in June, bringing with her a wealth of experience and knowledge in housing affordability and quality, poverty, community engagement, and more. Octavia is also the author and lead researcher of a recent Pew analysis on housing affordability in Philadelphia. The new report, "Single-Family Home Sales in Philadelphia", found that: ?? From 2000 to 2021, the share of annual sales of low-cost homes—those priced at $100,000 or less in 2021 dollars—decreased, while the share of expensive homes increased. ??While home prices increased in every Philly neighborhood, household incomes did not keep pace. ??Homeownership rates fell by 6%. ??The number of Black Philadelphians getting mortgages fell by 25%, making them the only racial or ethnic group to have fewer mortgages originated in 2021 than in 2000. Findings such as these help inform our work and approach to serving thousands of Philadelphia families every year. Read the full report here: https://bit.ly/3Wytjfc News coverage: WHYY: https://bit.ly/4dmXr4N Philadelphia Inquirer: https://bit.ly/3SALboD

Healthy finances make for healthy families. That’s why we’re proud to announce that Clarifi has partnered wiith The Philadelphia City Fund for its recently launched guaranteed income pilot, Philly Joy Bank! Through this partnership, we will offer our financial empowerment counseling services to pregnant Philadelphians participating in the program. This free resource will help families maximize the income they receive from Philly Joy Bank. Our trauma-informed counselors will work with participants wherever they are in their financial journey, from paying down debt and learning how to budget, to saving for homeownership. Most importantly, participants will learn essential financial skills and tools they can pass down to their children, creating future generations of financially resilient Philadelphians ?? Learn more about the program here: https://bit.ly/3WKovEZ

??? Hot off the press ??? A Clarifi client was featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer! Dwayne is a lifelong Philadelphian who came to Clarifi on a promise to his mother that her family wouldn’t lose the North Philly home they’d lived in for more than 50 years. But Dwayne wanted to make one change: Instead of renting, he would own the family home outright. After two years of working on his budget and action plan with a Clarifi counselor, Dwayne qualified for a mortgage and purchased his family home from the Philadelphia Housing Authority in 2021. It is heartwarming to see the people we serve continuing to accomplish their goals years after working with us. In Dwayne’s case, that meant renovating the family home’s kitchen, stair railing, flooring and more. This is what we mean by financial resilience, by living in a safe, warm, and dry home, by building intergenerational wealth. Go Dwayne go! We can’t wait to see what you do next ???

“Borrowing money costs money.” Our resident financial empowerment expert, Jill Roberts, talks about the barriers that trap economically marginalized communities in poverty — and what we’re doing to help people overcome them — in this Love Now Media podcast, Making Love & Designing the Future, with the loveliest host, Jos Duncan Asé. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to share how we spread love through financial empowerment and wealth preservation!

Jill Roberts has been promoted to Clarifi's Vice President of Advocacy. This promotion acknowledges Jill's accomplishments in her role as our Director of Advocacy. For the past four years, she has championed wealth preservation for economically marginalized communities across the Greater Philadelphia region. To put it simply, Jill is our resident enlightener. She doesn't just talk about the importance of our work: She educates policymakers, key partners, institutions and others about the racial injustices, inequities and wealth disparities that have trapped generations of families, particularly Black and brown families, in cycles of poverty and violence. She has testified in front of City Council, presented at countless conferences, served on committees, and spoken to the press all in the name of financial justice. Jill's ability to weave financial justice into our service deliveries has greatly advanced our impact on the communities we serve: With knowledge comes power, and when we can better understand the racist and unjust policies and laws that brought us here, we can more powerfully connect to our mission and develop solutions to the unique challenges of our communities. We are so grateful to have this incredible human being on our team. Congratulations Jill!