COMMUNITY-DRIVEN SOLUTIONS TO END POVERTY

From Managing Poverty to Removing Barriers

The Innovative Poverty Solutions (IPS) Model marks a shift in how we approach poverty—not just managing its effects but actively reducing it by removing the barriers that prevent people from achieving financial independence and security.

IPS is more than a process—it’s a framework for bold, community-rooted solutions to emerge. It starts with listening, learning and convening, centering those with lived experience to surface real needs and spark actionable ideas. Each initiative fuels new cycles of innovation, with narrative change woven throughout—from how we gather and learn to how we share stories—mobilizing a broader community to be part of the solution.

Current Initiatives

Building Community to End Poverty

Circles is our cornerstone initiative and the foundation for our approach to community-driven development. Circles builds intentional relationships (social capital) across income lines that help open up long-term pathways for economic mobility. It’s not just support—it’s shared leadership, mutual accountability, and real relationship-building. Circles sources its strength from lived experience, making it essential to IPS by continually informing and inspiring new solutions from within the community itself.

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Becoming Visible

Becoming Visible is a key expression of our commitment to narrative change—designed to foster learning, empathy, and action through the voices of those with lived experience. Our events are grounded in the belief that poverty is often misunderstood because so much of it remains unseen. Becoming Visible makes visible the barriers to economic stability by putting individuals with firsthand experience in the position of expert, elevating their leadership and stories.

Voices of Influence and Storytelling

The VOIS Institute is a core initiative of Innovative Poverty Solutions, and is our center for learning, advocacy, and leadership development. VOIS stands for ”Voices of Influence and Storytelling” and embodies our commitment to community-driven leadership and narrative change.

Our VOIS Fellows Program empowers those with lived experience of poverty to become visible, influential leaders in shaping both public understanding and practical solutions.