Talent and intellect are universal.
Opportunities and resources are not.

End Poverty In California

Who We Are

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EPIC selected as finalist for Fast Company’s 2023 World Changing Ideas Awards in the Politics and Policy category. Sign up for email updates to stay in the loop on all we’re doing!

Homeless, impoverished woman holds her child as they look out the window - EPIC

The Setup:

Poverty-wage jobs. Separate and unequal schools. Unaffordable housing. Polluted neighborhoods. Police and community violence. Mass incarceration. Broken immigration system. Denied wealth. Despair and lack of opportunity. Resilience and ingenuity.

The Status Quo:

People in poverty are stereotyped and blamed. They aren’t valued, listened to, or invested in by too many elected officials.

The Solution:

UPSET the
Setup

Narrative Change

Tell the real story of poverty in California by elevating the voices of people who actually live in poverty.

Power Building

Build relationships with neighbors in our community, government, and private sectors to focus on poverty elimination and equal opportunity for all.

Policy Change

Create and implement bold, new policies that respond to individual and community needs.

Key Poverty Statistics:

13.2%

Of Californians were in poverty, 2019-21. The highest rate in the nation. (Census Bureau)

1 in 8

Children are hungry in California. (Feeding America)

12.6%

Of African Americans in California lived in poverty in fall 2021 (PPIC)

Man dealing with poverty hugs and holds his newborn child.

26.4%

Of people with disabilities in California are in poverty (Center on Disability)

Michael Tubbs

We are grounded in the simple notion of the dignity of all people.

Michael Tubbs

Those closest to the pain should be closest to the power.

What EPIC will do in 2023:

Travel across the state to listen to the needs, ideas, and aspirations of individuals and communities so we can work together to develop informed policy solutions.

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Lift up the stories of people living in poverty, as well as the advocates, activists, researchers, elected officials, and others involved in the movement to end it.

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Produce data- and policy-driven insights about how to effectively tackle poverty in our state, such as this joint venture with the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality.

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Collaborate with changemakers to introduce new policies, pilots, and programs that address the most critical issues affecting communities living in poverty.

End Poverty In California