Center for Economic Progress

The Center for Economic Progress (CEP) is a non-profit organization based in Chicago that offers free tax preparation and financial services to low-income families.^[2] Since its founding in 1990 (35 years ago) (1990), CEP has helped families obtain $400 million in refunds.^[3]

Center for Economic Progress

Abbreviation	CEP
Merged into	Ladder Up
Formation	September 1990; 34 years ago (1990-09)
Founded at	Chicago, Illinois
Type	Nonprofit
Tax ID no.	36-3693728
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois
Location	United States
Services	Tax and financial services
Revenue	$872,000 (2019)
Expenses	$1.25 million (2019)
Staff	50
Volunteers	1000
Award(s)	Financial Stability Impact Award (2011)
Formerly called	Center for Law & Human Services
[1]

The Center for Economic Progress offers free tax help in Chicago neighborhoods.

Services

As part of the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, CEP provides free tax preparation at sites in Chicago and surrounding Illinois during tax season to families that earn under $50,000 annually or individuals who earn under $25,000.^[4] It also promoted the 2010 US Census at its tax sites in neighborhoods that showed especially low response rates in 2000.

CEP employs approximately 50 staff members and recruits more than one thousand volunteer tax preparers each year.^[5]