About FES

The FES program provides resources and technical assistance to state and local organizations to implement policies and programs that help low-income families achieve economic self-sufficiency. The FES project operates in 36 states. Central to the FES program has been the development and implementation of the Self-Sufficiency Standard (SSS), a tool that provides geographic and family specific realistic costs for working families. Soon, FES, in conjunction with partners from across the country, will release a new measure of income adequacy, the Basic Economic Security Tables (BEST), which utilizes new data, an updated research methodology, and incorporates several savings and asset building components.

• The Self-Sufficiency Standard Hourly Wages, Selected Family Types, Selected Jurisdictions in 36 States and Metropolitan Areas
• Comp table
• Frequently Asked Questions about the Self Sufficiency Standard

FES is also working to support low income women and their families by advocating for their inclusion in the developing green economy. FES co-authored A Women's Guide to Green Jobs, held a GREEN Institute around green job training, publishes a bi-weekly green newsletter, and oversees WOW's Women and Work program. Visit our GREEN Initiative page to learn more about our work around green jobs and women.

FES also oversees WOW's Economic Security for Survivors program, which aims to help survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault become more economically secure, through partnerships with transitional housing agencies and STOP administrators across the country.

Of course, FES continues to provide support and technical assistance to its many partners across the country.