Poverty can neither be prevented nor reduced through program and service provision alone. Momentum works collaboratively with community partners, academics, civil servants and elected officials to create public policies that address the root causes of poverty and build strong and inclusive local economies that help people living in poverty build sustainable livelihoods.
The success stories of our participants and graduates put faces on the work we do, but they don’t tell the full story. We carefully evaluate our programs to measure the impact of our work and ensure we’re staying on track toward our vision. We’re committed to research to inform promising practices for program design and community leadership activities.
Our Approach
- Sustainable Livelihoods: Surviving to Thriving (Brief, March 2023)
Momentum’s Election Priorities
- Municipal Opportunities for Accelerating COVID-19 Recovery in Calgary – (August 2021)
- Federal Policy Recommendations 2021 – (August 2021)
Financial Empowerment
- Tax Time Savings – A Two Year Summary – (April 2021)
- The Impact of Matched Savings Programs: Building Assets & Lasting Habits – (July 2020)
- Registered Disability Savings Plans (RDSPs) and Financial Empowerment – (January 2020)
- Financial Empowerment – What it is and how it helps reduce poverty (September 2018)
- Supporting Albertans To Save: an asset-building approach to poverty reduction (June 2016)
- Asset Building: An Effective Poverty-Reduction Strategy (January 2014)
- Building Assets Prevents Homelessness (September 2010)
- Matched-Savings Programs Build Financial Stability (October 2010)
- Investing in Youth Pays Off: An Evaluation of the Youth Fair Gains program (September 2015)
- ABLE Post-Conference Package (2013)
- Momentum Partners in Home Ownership (2012)
- Money Matters Evaluation Brief 2017 (2017)
High Cost Alternative Financial Services and Payday Lending
- Consultation on Fighting Predatory Lending by Lowering the Criminal Rate of Interest (October 2022)
- Revising the Criminal Rate of Interest in Canada (December 2021)
- Révision du taux d’intérêt criminel au Canada (December 2021)
- Creating Change: Momentum’s Contribution to High-Cost Credit Reform in Alberta (January 2021)
- Policy Options (September 2017)
- Summary Brief (June 2017)
- The Customer Experience (June 2017)
- Issues and Impact (June 2017)
- Opportunities for Provincial Action on Payday Lending (February 2015)
- Opportunities for Municipal Action on Payday Lending (July 2014)
- The Real Cost of Payday Lending (June 2014)
Education Savings
- Canada Education and Training Account: Ensuring Savings Access for All (2022)
- Canada Learning Bond: Improving Access for the Class of 2022 (2022)
- Increasing education savings for families living on low incomes: An outcome harvest evaluation (August 2021)
- Improving Education Savings: Policy Options for Families on Low Incomes (July 2021)
- Economic Feasibility of Education Savings Options (July 2021)
- Improving Education Outcomes through Children’s Education Savings (May 2016)
- Financial Literacy and Banking: Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs) (December 2011)
- The Regulation of Group Plan RESPs Report (June 2018)
- GRESP Educational Educational Material
Local Economy
- An Untapped Talent Pool of Skilled Workers (February 2022)
- Accelerating Economic and Social Impact Through Procurement Practices (July 2021)
- Supporting Immigrants to be Part of a Thriving Local Economy (January 2020)
- Community Economic Development (February 2018)
- Enabling Local Investing in Alberta: The Role of Community Economic Development Investment Funds (September 2016)
- Building a Diverse and Inclusive Local Economy (December 2015)
- Community Economic Development and the City of Calgary (April 2011)
- Looking Inward: Thrive Reflects on it’s Impact (2015)
- Social Procurement for Calgary
Supporting Entrepreneurs
- Supporting Youth Entrepreneurs (January 2016)
- Business Training: A Great Return on Investment (December 2014)
- Women’s Venture Program: Social Return on Investment (February 2012)
- Women’s Venture Program: Outcomes Research (February 2012)
Microlending
- An Evaluation of the Job Boost Program (September 2020)
- Micro Loans: Small Investment, Big Return (September 2017)
Skills Training
- High Hopes, High Costs – Protecting Students at Private Career Colleges – Alberta Brief (February 2023)
- High Hopes, High Costs – Protecting Students at Private Career Colleges (October 2022)
Grands espoirs, coûts élevés Proteger les étudiants des colleges privés d’enseignement professionnel - Tech Plus – Network and Cloud Technology Training Program (2018–2022)
- Removing Barriers To Employment: Strengthening Work-Integrated Training Programs (October 2020)
- Getting Albertans Back to Work: Improving the use of Canada Alberta Job Grant Funds (May 2020)
- Renewing the Alberta Advantage for All – 2 pages (January 2020)
- Towards an Economy that Works for Everyone: Policy Options (June 2019)
- Towards an Economy that Works for Everyone: The case for building a workforce development system focused on poverty reduction and labour market inclusion (January 2019)
- Improving Skills Training for Vulnerable Albertans (February 2016)
- Provincial Budgetary Implications of the Trades Training Program (June 2004)
- Green Collar Executive (Summary) (2010)
- Green Collar Jobs Report (Full) (2010)
How Momentum Operates
- Building Capacity and Empowering Others: An Evaluation of the Train the Trainer Program (January 2017)
- Succession Planning at Momentum: A Case Study by MNP (2015)
- Sustainable Purchasing at Momentum (May 2017)
- Financial Management of CED Organizations (January 2012)
