From its beginnings as the Self-Employment Learning Project in 1993, FIELD has played a pre-eminent role in researching and documenting the microenterprise field in the United States.  Its research has examined the growth and development of microenterprise organizations, the characteristics of clients reached, the outcomes experienced by program clients, and the challenges faced by the field as a whole as it seeks to expand and adjust to changing market conditions. 

For quick insight into the state and scope of microenterprise development in the U.S., visit the Stats and Stories section of FIELD’s web site.  For a more in-depth look at the status of microenterprise in this country, and its effect on low-income individuals, see the following topics:

Moving Forward: Covers the state of the microenterprise field in the United States, including a set of recommended directions that could lead to greater scale, effectiveness and sustainability; and resources to help practitioners, donors and policy makers move in those new directions.

Entrepreneur Outcomes: FIELD’s research documenting the outcomes experienced by individuals who receive microenterprise development services.

Informal Economy: Information on the role of the informal economy in the United States, the experiences of informal entrepreneurs, and the issues that microenterprise programs must consider in reaching out to informal business owners.

Institutional Models: Microenterprise programs in this country can be found in a range of institutional settings; this section describes learnings about the issues, strengths and weaknesses of programs in various institutional structures.

Welfare to Work: Research on the experiences of recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) who seek to use self-employment as a means to create work and move toward self-sufficiency. This research covers the policy context and issues, the design of programs targeting welfare recipients, and findings on the outcomes experienced by TANF recipients who receive self-employment services.