Individual Development Accounts in Tulsa, Oklahoma

In 1998, Tulsa, Oklahoma, was selected to participate as one of the 13 pilot sites for the American Dream Demonstration (ADD), a national demonstration of individual development accounts. The Community Action Project of Tulsa County (CAPTC) administered the IDA program in partnership with the Bank of Oklahoma, which provided special accounts with prevailing market interest rates and no service charges or minimum opening balances. The IDA program provided financial education and matched savings accounts for low-income individuals. Participants received 12 hours of basic financial education. Each year, participants were required to deposit at least $10 per month for nine months from their earned income. In addition, once a year, participants were encouraged to make a larger deposit from their federal Earned Income Tax Credit rebate.

The program matched participant deposits up to $750 per year for three or four years, depending on when the participant joined the program. The match rates varied from $2.00 to $1.00 for every dollar the participant saved. The four allowable uses for account withdrawals were homeownership/repair, education and training, microenterprise development, and retirement.

The goal of this program was to demonstrate the effectiveness of individual development accounts.

Between 1998 and 2002, the IDA program helped 981 clients accumulate more than $1.2 million. According to an experimental evaluation conducted by Abt Associates, the program contributed to significantly higher homeownership rates, home equity, enrollment in nondegree educational courses, retirement savings, and assets among participants.