Individual Development Account (IDA)

First Nations Development Institute offers several publications about IDAs in Indian Country.

   
 

Building Native Communities: Saving for the Future, Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) for Native Families (2005) (1.4 MB)
This workbook was developed to provide guidance to individuals interested in learning basic financial skills associated with IDAs. The workbook is designed to be interactive and will help to introduce people to IDAs, learn how to use IDAs to achieve savings goals, and learn how IDAs can help build assets.

   
 

Policy Report: American Indian Tribal Communities and Individual Development Account (IDA) Policy (2003) (508 KB)
This paper seeks to explore in what ways American Indians have (or have not) typically had access to IDA policy making and program development. In examining the intergovernmental IDA policymaking processes, the authors surveyed 14 states with American Indian reservations and state IDA policies to assess whether American Indian communities in those states had access to IDA policymaking processes and whether the resultant state IDA policies include American Indian Tribal governments as eligible program fiduciary organizations and/or administrators. Additionally, the authors attempt to assess whether state-administered IDA programs are serving American Indian people.

   
 

Sovereign Individuals, Sovereign Nations: Promising Practices for IDA Programs in Indian Country (2003) (449 KB)
This research paper provides an overview of data on Native IDA programs in early 2003 and identifies promising practices and lessons learned.

   
 

Assets for the Future: Saving for the Seventh Generation (2000) (191 KB)
An early evaluation of First Nations Development Institute's IDA initiative.