Over $7 billion secured for community
Over 3.4 million people supported
2,381 ITIN Returns submitted by Community Connect Partners
1M+ Likes, Follows, and website visits
33 nonprofit partners across California
Expanded multilingual outreach to include Mixteco, Zapoteco, and Punjabi
Letter from the President
Reflecting back on 2023, the year started with so much hope for a new, post-Covid beginning. In-person activities and events were back, and it was a banner year for travel. Yet, while the masks may have largely been put away, the reality for low-income families continued to come into stark clarity. This report captures our dual path of innovation and intention, reflecting on the impactful work we’ve done for our organization and for the communities we serve.
Mid-year, U.S. Census data revealed that child poverty skyrocketed in 2022 to the highest ever rate on record, further strengthening our resolve to help put cash back in the pockets of people – cash they can use to buy food or pay for rent – to drastically alleviate the number of people, and particularly children, living in poverty. Galvanized by this data and our firsthand experience working to help California’s low-income communities, we recognized the urgency of the moment and accelerated our plans to push for policy solutions in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.
In Sacramento, we hosted our first-ever Community Action Day, calling on our Community Connect nonprofit partners to join us and work together to advocate for expanding the tax credits that are proven to make real improvements in people’s lives. Together, we lifted up the voices of people most affected by our broken systems. We made a compelling case for continued policy improvements while securing anti-poverty champions in the legislature.
In Washington, D.C., our team worked closely with Representative Judy Chu and our partners in the Coalition of Franchisee Associations and the Critical Labor Coalition to introduce our first bill. HR-5689, the EITC Age Parity Act, would expand the earned income tax credit to people 18-24 and over 65—demographics currently experiencing high levels of poverty. We believe in the power of policy to effect meaningful change and are dedicated to advocating for policies that uplift all segments of society.
In 2023, GSO saw an opportunity to step into the moment and push for meaningful change, laying the groundwork for our ongoing efforts to create a more just and equitable system for all.
In solidarity,
Amy Everitt, President
Putting People First in Policy Making
Connecting low-income families with cash-back tax credits.
Advocating for policies proven to reduce poverty.
Building a powerful movement to lift families out of poverty.
People in the United States are facing poverty at a very high rate and we need to take action now. Poverty happens because of the choices made by those in charge, but there are solutions. At GSO, we are committed to creating the political will to change policies that continue to foster inequality.
The release of U.S. Census data in September 2023 confirmed the effectiveness of programs like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) were reducing poverty rates. The data was even more telling for the child poverty rate – according to the Census Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), the child poverty rate more than doubled from 5.2% in 2021 to 12.4% in 2022 because pandemic relief programs (and particularly the increased Child Tax Credit) ended.
Simply put, policies that put money in people’s pockets work to relieve poverty, period. The EITC and CTC programs are particularly effective and proven to positively impact a family’s economic well-being. This is not only backed by national research but also through the countless stories we hear from the people we serve. Like Sinia in Los Angeles, who walked into one of the free tax preparation days at GSO grantee Central City Neighborhood Partners in Los Angeles.
Sinia, a mother of 2, was filing her taxes for the first time since receiving her social security number and was able to get all her questions answered and feel confident about the filing process. She was able to file for tax years 2021 and 2022 and obtain a total refund of $12,249 including thousands of dollars from state and federal EITCs and CTCs including EITC, Child Tax Credit, and the Recovery Rebate Credit. As Sinia shared, El reembolso me ayudaría con deudas pendientes y también para hacer un viaje de vacaciones para mis hijos. Translation: The refund will help me with overdue debts and also help me take a vacation trip with my children.
Community Action Day
Bringing Community Voices to the Legislature
GSO held its first Community Action Day in Sacramento, advocating for expanding the California Earned Income Tax Credit. With more than 50 Community Connect Partners on hand, we met with 37 legislative offices to share the impact of tax credits and promote expanding the young child tax credit to include kids 0-18 years old. Our partners from MICOP were at the forefront of this day.
MICOP at Community Action Day
The Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) is a community-based organization and GSO subgrantee that engages with and organizes indigenous migrant communities in California. At GSO’s 2023 Community Action Day, two representatives from MICOP, Jorge and Roberto, attended several legislative meetings where they spoke about the importance of financial support programs and the crucial need for investment in these programs and affordable housing.
When speaking with GSO afterwards, Jorge emphasized the importance of spreading the word about programs like the CalEITC. “When we applied for the GSO grant, we knew that much of our community qualifies for tax credits like the CalEITC and Young Child Tax Credit. This was an important benefit for our community that many didn’t know about or thought they qualified for. I’ve seen us make an impact in the community.” Jorge also reiterated that the language barrier impacts the community’s access to resources. Because of this, they have seen the importance of offering information about the CalEITC in native languages. Many of these workers are newly arrived immigrants who only speak Indigenous languages, such as Mixteco, Zapoteco, or Purepecha, making traditional outreach methods ineffective and reinforcing the importance of partnering with organizations like MICOP.
Efforts to End Age Discrimination in the Federal EITC
On September 26, 2023, GSO introduced its first bill in the United States Congress – H.R. 5689, also known as the EITC Age Parity Act of 2024. The EITC Age Parity Act would expand the federal Earned Income Tax Credit to over 6.8 million workers without children (ages 18-24 and 65+) throughout the United States, including over 540,000 workers in California. This would put an estimated $13.9 billion back into the pockets of low-income tax filers.
Over 40 community organizations and business associations have signed on in support of the legislation and seven U.S. Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors. GSO worked closely with U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (CA), Rep. Gwen Moore (WI), the Coalition of Franchisee Associations, and the Critical Labor Coalition to introduce this bill.
Lead Sponsors
United States Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA)
United States Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI)
Co-Sponsors
United States Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY)
United States Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL)
United States Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA)
United States Rep. Daniel Kildee (D-MI)
United States Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ)
United States Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA)
United States Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT)
Lead Organizations
Golden State Opportunity
Coalition of Franchisee Associations
Critical Labor Coalition
Organizations in Support
The Academy of Financial Education
Antelope Valley Partners for Health
Asian Youth Center
Black Women for Wellness
Bresee Foundation
California Association of Food Banks
The Community College Foundation
Compass Family Services San Francisco
Courage California
El Concilio
Dreams for Change
Eastmont Community Center
Family Resource Center
Food Research & Action Center
Franchise Business Services of Buffalo Wild Wings
GLIDE
GRACE – End Child Poverty in California
Hunger Free Vermont
iFoster Inc.
Inland Equity Community Land Trust
Jakara Movement
John Burton Advocates
Koreatown Youth+ Community Center
Kumon of Howell & International Association of Kumon Franchisees
Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
Maine People’s Alliance
Mexican American Opportunity Foundation
National Franchisee Association of Burger King
National Immigration Law Center
National Women’s Law Center
New Economics for Women
North American Association of Subway Franchisees
Phillies Bridge Farm Project
San Diego for Every Child
SBX Youth and Family Services
Shriver Center on Poverty Law
El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center
Watts Labor Community Action Committee
Women of Color Global Women’s Strike
Young Invincibles
“Everything at Once”
The Status of California Low-Income Women Nearly Four Years Into the COVID-19 Pandemic
Two years ago, the California Commission on Women and Girls released The California Blueprint for Women’s Pandemic Economic Recovery, which began to track the effects of COVID-19 on women. The commission knew there were lasting repercussions of the pandemic on women and families. They charged us with hosting a series of roundtables that brought together women across the state to hear their stories firsthand. GSO hosted six roundtable sessions and was honored to listen and collect stories from 64 women.
GSO presented our findings as part of a briefing that included speakers with lived experience, nonprofit leaders, elected officials, and policy analysts.
The report and subsequent briefing were truly a call to action—a call to join GSO and advocate for programs and policies that support women and families across the state.
Supporters
Our donors and funders fuel our work as partners in creating a home where everyone can thrive.
Individuals
Katie Albright & Jake Schatz
Alan Bear
Helena P. Becerra
Angela Benveniste
Karen Bergman
Mardella Boyd
Denise Brosseau
Heather Buhr
Brian Carr
Nikki Chung
Paul Coleman
Barbara Coll
Lindsay Cooper Martin
Andrea B. Corney
Helen Dickey
Dina DiLoreto
Wynne Segal Dubovoy
Lee Ebersole
Susan Eslick
Amy Everitt
Albert Everitt
David Farley
Angelo Farooq
Stephen Fisher
Lynn Franks
Mr. Robert E. Friedman
Alex Galanter
Pamela George
Lori Gibson-Washington
Steven Goldby
Martha Gonzalez
Ana Grande
Espe Greenwood
Michael Grimes
Cynthia Guerrero
The Hedlund Family Charitable Fund
Abigail Heuga
Susan Hyatt
Linda D. James
Raegan Joern
Judith Jones & Nick Winkworth
David Jory
Louise Karr
Adisai Kasemsuksakul
Laura Klein
Laura Kovacevich
Ann Lane
Sirena Lao
Gabrielle Lessard
Lynette Lew
Roberto M. Maragoni
Ruth Mayfield
Linda Millard
Kirsten Moy
Douglas O’Flaherty
Nadyne Orona
Randi Paul
Darrell Peeden
Alan Polish
Joyce Polish & Howard Hersh
John Ramsbacher & Robert Berry
Barbara & Paul Regan
Robina Riccitiello
Mohamed Sacko
Lita Sam-Vargas & Alan Gevins
Joseph Sanberg
The Scott Foundation
George Slack
Brian Stephens
Kathleen Sullivan
Adriana Torosian
Rau Webb
Telle Whitney
Scott Wolcott
Felicity Wood
Chely Yanez
Constance J. Yu
Maggie Ziemianek
Institutions
Armanino Foundation
Autodesk
Ballmer Group
Bank of America
Blue Shield of California Foundation
California Commission on the Status of Women & Girls
California Community Foundation
California Department of Community Services & Development
California Wellness Foundation
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Crankstart
Health Net
Hellman Foundation Fund
Intuit
The James Irvine Foundation
John & Marcia Goldman Foundation
Kaiser Permanente
LA2050/Goldhirsh Foundation
Share Our Strength
Sobrato Philanthropies
Sunlight Giving
