STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

People_mission This country has a rich history of entire communities moving themselves out of poverty, from the immigrants that built the Chinatowns to the African Americans who built vibrant townships after slavery. It took some personal initiative, shared capital, and families helping one another. It took a sense of community.
Through its Demonstrations, FII has learned that this kind of initiative and mutuality still exists across every ethnic group in our low-income communities, but it needs to be encouraged and resourced. FII has evolved into a social laboratory, working in communities to disprove negative stereotypes about poor people and advocating for policy and funding changes that promote personal initiative and peer-to-peer support.

MISSION

FII's mission is to:

  1. Create an opportunity rich environment that invests resources in low-income communities based on the strengths and initiative they demonstrate towards improving their lives and others' lives in their communities.
  2. Test and advocate for a new set of policies and practices that support community initiative while still protecting the current needs-based system for those in crisis.

To accomplish our mission, FII has four strategic initiatives:

  1. Communication: Share the lessons FII has learned from the families by utilizing social networks, technology, and media.
  2. Demonstration sites: Engage low-income families in various parts of the country to demonstrate the large capacity of families to help themselves and others.
  3. Movement building: Encourage and assist families in self organize to take control of the change process in their lives and their communities.
  4. Key spokespeople: Identify those in positions of influence who support FII and utilize their support to change funding, policies, and practices to benefit self-determination in low-income communities.