Disrupting Generational Poverty through Equity Audits

Omolara Fatiregun (MPP ’02) is kept up at night by a troubling statistic. The McCourt School alumnus knows that 84 percent of children who grow up in poverty end up remaining in poverty as adults. This overwhelming proof of cyclical poverty drove Fatiregun to launch Thrive!, a nonprofit that helps local governments fund programs to create pathways out of poverty.

In coordination with public officials, Thrive! performs equity audits reviewing budgets and identifying opportunities and offering recommendations for more equitable government spending.

Recognizing the link between intergenerational poverty and systemic racism, Thrive!’s core work is to support anti-racist policy interventions and to connect data and evidence-based research to guide equitable policymaking. The goal is to dismantle systems that do not serve the community by shifting resources and power dynamics.

“I strongly believe that racism is a public health crisis,” Fatiregun says. “We need to address it, like every other public health crisis–– we put science and evidence first and we have an ‘all hands on deck’ approach.”

All Hands on Deck Approach

For Fatiregun, an “all hands on deck” approach requires cross-generation and community collaboration.

Working with local governments is strategic, Fatiregun explains, because they are often on the frontlines working with people who depend on government programs like housing vouchers and emergency food supplies.

In its audits, Thrive! prioritizes additive interventions that support both parents and children in low-income families to interrupt poverty cycles. This two-generation approach is also strategic because it provides support and tools to empower low-income families to thrive, much like the organization’s name suggests.

Following the audit, Thrive! offers recommendations and helps governments with implementation and community engagement strategies to ensure government programs are collaborative and maximize impact for as many people as possible.

“It won’t solve all of the racial inequities that we have in this country, but to the extent that we can move Black and Brown people out of poverty, it will go a long way,” Fatiregun says.

Springboard for Success

Fatiregun credits her experience at the McCourt School as a springboard for her career path in program evaluation and philanthropy.

After earning an A.B. in Sociology and African American Studies from Harvard College, Fatiregun enrolled in the McCourt School’s Master of Public Policy (MPP) program because of its reputation for statistical rigor. The program helped her connect the methodologies she learned in undergraduate school to practical public policy applications and program evaluation. Fatiregun highlights her involvement with McCourt’s Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership (CPNL) as another formative experience.

“I’m not overstating at all how impactful that experience was to shaping my entire career trajectory,” Fatiregun said. “I developed a real passion for evidence and for understanding how funders can put their best foot forward as stewards of wealth without being paternalistic.”