Give it up for DC Fiscal Policy Institute

Wonks make the world go round, and the world needs more wonks like Ed Lazere and his all-star staff at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute: Katie Kerstetter, Jenny Reed, and Elissa Silverman.

Bread for the City works with the DC Fiscal Policy Institute as part of both the Coalition for Community Investment and Fair Budget Coalition. We also look to DCFPI as we organize the Save our Safety Net Campaign, for which we’ve talked a lot about here.

DCFPI conducts research and public education on budget and tax issues in the District of Columbia, with a particular emphasis on issues that affect low- and moderate-income residents. It’s DCFPI’s research that we refer to when talking to funders and policy leaders about why different government programs, policies, and public benefits are critical to the stability of our clients and our community.

In the coming years, as DC must find its way out of fiscal crisis and into economic recovery, DCFPI’s role will become ever more vital. While Bread for the City has a vivid on-the-ground perspective on the need for greater investment in our community, Ed and his staff are able to describe that need in ways that the budget-crunchers will actually understand.

It is our pleasure to name the DC Fiscal Policy Institute as Bread for the City’s 2009 Community Champion of the Year. We are looking forward to continuing our partnership in the years to come, as we strive to make this city a better place for its most vulnerable residents.