Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy

Baby Bonds are about more than just wealth-building. They’re part of a broader effort to build systems that expand health, reduce economic stress, and create stronger foundations for future generations.

Over three webinars, researchers, advocates, and policymakers explored how Baby Bonds can support long-term economic agency and wellbeing. From all of our speakers, one message came through clearly: now is the time to push forward.

Watch the webinar series at the link in bio.

Wealth is shaped by policy.

Across the country, from rural communities to state capitols, there’s a growing push to rethink how we design systems that build wealth and agency from the start. Baby Bonds are part of that shift: a policy approach grounded in the idea that every child born into poverty has access to capital that enables them to build wealth and lead prosperous lives.

That’s the conversation Institute Director of State and Local Policy David Radcliffe brought to two recent convenings: the National Conference of in Buffalo and a Baby Bonds panel hosted by State Senator at the Wisconsin State Capitol.

From rising costs and limited access to capital in rural communities to broader debates about asset-building policies like “530a (Trump)Accounts,” these discussions point to a larger truth: economic outcomes are designed, and they can be redesigned so they actually work for all of us.

What happens when policy meets financial reality?

In the first seven months of launching Cash Catalyst, the nation’s first “Accelerated Baby Bonds” pilot, one thing became clear: capital alone isn’t always enough.

Many participants in the program face high debt, low savings, and limited financial stability; realities that shape how, and whether, they can fully benefit from wealth-building support.

In his Baby Blog, Executive Director of Wealth Accelerator CT, Yaw Owusu-Boahen, reflects on what participants' balance sheets reveal, and what those insights mean for designing policies that support long-term wealth-building.

Read the full blog: https://racepowerpolicy.org/2026/03/accelerated-baby-bonds-policy-reality/

Are you attending our final Exploring Baby Bonds session?

Policymakers in Vermont are asking, “What if families didn’t have to choose between immediate support and long-term stability?” A new maternal health “Superbundle” in the state combines basic needs support, direct cash assistance, and Baby Bonds.

Join our final session featuring Vermont Treasurer Mike Pieciak, Dr. Megan Smith, Hilary Hahn, and Madeline Brown in conversation about how this model is improving outcomes for moms and babies, and what it could mean for other states.

🗓 May 5, 2–3 p.m. EST

Register today: https://newschool.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZZ8LutEQSR2bAUJzTt2J4Q

Tonight! Where Do We Go From Here: From Civil Rights to Economic Rights

At a moment when questions of inequality, labor, and democracy feel especially urgent, this conversation brings together leaders across movements and policy to ask: what does it take to move from civil rights to economic rights?

Featuring Darrick Hamilton, Nina Turner, Fred Redmond, Elizabeth Wilkins, Taifa Smith Butler, and moderated by Keesha Gaskins-Nathan.

🕕 6:00–7:30 PM
📍 The Auditorium at The New School, A106 — 66 W 12th St

Join us tonight: https://event.newschool.edu/fromcivilrightstoeconomicrights

A new website won’t fix a broken system.

With affordability top of mind for voters, the Trump administration is framing TrumpRx as a game changer: a way to “shop” for cheaper prescriptions. But this solution fails to address the root cause of unaffordable drugs.

Drug prices aren’t high because patients aren’t comparison shopping. They’re high because of how prices are set, negotiated, and regulated across the system. Real affordability comes from shifting power, through public manufacturing, Medicare negotiation, and policies that put power where it belongs: with people, not corporations.

The real story behind the stat? We need a new system, not just new storefronts.

D9 Harlem is hosting a Harlem Town Hall—bringing community voices into direct conversation with city leadership at a critical moment for New York.

As many New Yorkers face rising costs, spaces like this are essential—centering access, accountability, and action.

Institute Founding Director Darrick Hamilton will join as moderator alongside Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani for a timely conversation on affordability, economic justice, and what real accountability looks like in practice.

Grateful to D9 Harlem Votes for hosting this important conversation.

🗓 Monday, April 13
🕔 5–8 PM
Register to attend: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/harlem-town-hall-featuring-nyc-mayor-zohran-kwame-mamdani-tickets-1986118659375?aff=oddtdtcreator