Over the past few weeks, the Small Firm Diaries research team has been visiting US cities to share what we're seeing in the data so far—stopping in St. Louis, Chicago, Baltimore, Atlanta, and New York, with Oakland still ahead on May 26. These conversations have been useful in both directions: hearing where our findings on growth, credit use, and jobs resonate with local audiences, and hearing the questions and pushback that have helped us sharpen our thinking.
A caveat worth stating upfront: we're roughly halfway through the research, with data still being gathered, cleaned, and analyzed. Specific numbers may change. With that in mind, here's some of what we've been discussing.
Read MoreSince the launch of the Small Firm Diaries USA, our research team has been busy collecting data from more than 80 small firms, and we’re excited to share what we’re learning so far. By following firms in low-income communities over time, the research takes an unusually close look at the financial lives of small businesses to surface how business owners manage volatility, respond to shocks, and make decisions that shape their businesses and their workers.
Join us for an inside look into our early findings and discussion on what they may mean for policy, practice, and efforts to better support small firms and workers.
Read MoreOn November 19, 2025, FAI hosted a faiVLive webinar to introduce the Small Firm Diaries USA study. We shared early observations, and talked with expert panelists about how recent policy and program changes are affecting small businesses and organizations that support them. In this blog we’ve adapted and edited a few of the most interesting discussion points from our conversation. You can still watch the full webinar, here.
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