Growing Access, Growing Impact: Vermont's Road to 25%

When the Income Advance Program began in Vermont almost 20 years ago, it was centered around one idea: provide employees safe and equitable access to credit and the opportunity to build longer term financial stability when an unexpected expense hits, so they never have to turn to a payday loan or a high interest credit card just to get through the week. Three stakeholders came together to make it happen, Rhino Foods, North Country Federal Credit Union, and the United Way of Northwestern Vermont, and the Income Advance Program was born.

Currently in Vermont, about 110 employers offer the program, resulting in about 10% of the Vermont workforce having access to the Income Advance Program, the highest percentage of any state in the country. That number represents years of relationship building, employer and lender partnerships that turned a single company benefit into a statewide movement.

Vermont isn't just an early adopter. It's the proof of concept. Every community we bring this program to, from urban centers to rural counties, follows a playbook that was written and refined right here first. When a new market asks what's possible, we point to Vermont.

That same idea has since grown well beyond Vermont's borders. Close to 300 employers and 13 lenders, including the 110 in Vermont, now offer the program across 7 states, giving about 70,000 employees nationwide access to the Income Advance Program.

Tipping Point: 25% Employee Access

Our target in every community we serve, Vermont included, is to grow program access to 25% of the local workforce. That number isn't arbitrary. Once a market reaches that level of saturation, something important happens. The program stops depending on constant outreach and relationship building from our team, and instead becomes a self sustaining part of the local financial landscape. Employers hear about it from other employers. Employees hear about it from friends who work down the street. The infrastructure, the lender relationships, and the community trust are strong enough that the program can grow with far less hands on effort from us.

That's the tipping point we're building toward in Vermont, and it's the same tipping point we're chasing in every new market that follows.

Despite that history, awareness has grown slowly, and there are still major gaps in awareness among business leaders, workforce champions, and communities all across the state. In order to grow the program from 10% to 25% in Vermont, it takes collective impact, deepening the relationships we already have and building new ones with employers and community stakeholders who haven't yet brought the program to their teams. Vermont proved the model can work in one community. Now the goal is to continue to grow the program so more working Vermonters can access safe and equitable credit and build long term financial stability.

If you are reading this and either don't offer the Income Advance Program at your company or do and want to collaborate, share stories, and continue to spread the program, please reach out. We would love to hear from you!