Our Research
Commonwealth conducts original qualitative and quantitative research with financially vulnerable people—including Black, Latinx, and women-led households who disproportionately experience financial insecurity. We also interview industry experts and academics. We take what we learn and translate findings into actionable insights and practical solutions designed to change systems to work better for financially vulnerable people. We work with community groups, employers, financial services firms, fintechs, policymakers, and workplace solution providers to design and test real-world, practical solutions that not only work for individuals and families, but are also scalable and address the business needs of our partners.
We share the results of our work to provide you with innovative ideas, practical insights, and the tools you need to act. Explore our publications below.
Save to Win: Washington 2013
Save to Win launched in Washington in April 2013 and finished its first full program year in March 2014. This paper contains key highlights and findings from the product's first year in the state, including: 1) 950 accounts opened in…
Save To Win: North Carolina 2013
Save to Win launched in North Carolina in 2013. The first year results from North Carolina show an impressive 1,859 accounts opened with $2MM in collective total savings. This brief contains key highlights and findings from the program year, including:…
Save to Win: Nebraska 2013
In 2013, Save to Win entered its second year in Nebraska. Across the state, 215,044 consumers had access to the product in 11 credit unions. This brief contains key highlights and findings from the program year, including: 1) 85% of…
Save To Win 2013
In 2013 Save to Win, the nation's first large-scale prize-linked savings product, expanded to include credit unions in Washington and North Carolina. It also entered its fifth year in Michigan and second in Nebraska. This brief contains full results and…
The Mind of Low- to Moderate-Income Savers
Commonwealth explored receptivity by financially vulnerable families to savings product marketing using a cutting-edge marketing research tool, the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET). ZMET is an innovative research methodology that elicits insights about human decision making through metaphors and storytelling. Using…
SummerQuest: A Gamification Pilot in Birmingham
SummerQuest is a four-week summer gamified experience that challenges high school students during the early part of their summer break to complete educational quests in one of three objective areas: college readiness, test preparation (SAT/ACT), and financial literacy. In partnership…
Emergency Savings Products and Alternatives
In December 2013, Doorways to Dreams (D2D) Fund hosted a Ford Foundation Grantee Convening focused on Emergency Savings Products and Alternatives. The day provided an opportunity to delve into a discussion on emergency savings and address the need for product…
The Impact of Prep for Change on Financially Vulnerable Students
This report releases findings on how financially vulnerable students react to personal finance context standardized test questions. Through a gamified college readiness program called SummerQuest, D2D (now Commonwealth) demonstrated that financially vulnerable students could markedly benefit from the inclusion of…
Building Mobile Apps for Financial Capability and Access
Produced by D2D Fund and the Center for Financial Services Innovation, this report provides a comprehensive overview of FinCapDev 2013, a nationwide, public competition that supported teams in building mobile apps to help working Americans make smarter financial choices and…
SaveYourRefund 2013
This report details findings from the first year of SaveYourRefund, a national promotion that used prizes and fun to incentivize taxpayers to save during the 2013 tax season. The promotion aimed to educate filers about Form 8888 and encourage them…