More Summit

THE ALLIANCE FOR OPPORTUNITY AND AEI PRESENT:

An Opportunity Agenda to Lift Americans out of Poverty

We are pleased to introduce the Meant for More Summit, taking place in Washington, DC, from December 4 to 5, 2023. Cohosted by the Alliance for Opportunity and the American Enterprise Institute, this policy gathering will convene state and federal leaders and staff members who are working to transform our social safety-net systems and workforce programs.

Although poverty has declined over the past several decades, upward mobility has lagged, and social capital—the strength of our relationships and broader associational life—has dramatically worsened. At the same time, the social safety-net systems and workforce programs that are designed to help those in need get back on their feet most often result in holding their feet to the ground. This leaves people trapped in an existence where they are surviving poverty but never able to truly escape it. The results of our current system are clear: Short-term moments of help but long-term and intergenerational poverty; Sustained joblessness that makes getting new work increasingly difficult; Weaker families and relationships among those on programs for long periods of time; States where there are hundreds of open jobs, yet too many unemployed, sitting on the sidelines; and individuals and communities with increased depression, hopelessness, and suicide rates.

This summit will present a new vision to lift Americans out of poverty,  outlining a practical road map for implementing evidence-based reforms at the state and federal levels to fix our broken system. Summit speakers include experts from AEI and the Alliance for Opportunity, along with an impressive slate of panelists in state and federal government, think tanks, and nonprofit and community organizations.

We hope you will join us for this special gathering that will elevate new ideas and on-the-ground knowledge to reduce entrenched poverty, increase upward mobility, and rebuild social capital for struggling Americans.