Arnold Ventures Research Grants

Arnold Ventures Research Grants is sponsored by Arnold Ventures. Supports research that advances evidence-based social policymaking and policy evaluation in key focus areas, including AI and education.

Summaries of Research Grants | Arnold Ventures Summaries of Research Grants Arnold Ventures’ Evidence and Evaluation team funds rigorous research, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental designs (QEDs) evaluating policies and programs across the spectrum of U.S. social policy. This page provides links to summaries of grants that have been funded by our Evidence and Evaluation team.

Each summary includes a description of the program to be evaluated, the grant recipient, and the term, and a link to the study’s pre-specified analysis plan (when available). We update this page as new grants are funded. Please note: Each summary describes the study as planned at its inception.

Any material changes made to an ongoing study are documented in the study’s analysis plan and posted to the Open Science Framework. Use the links below to jump directly to each section: Career Pathways | Contraceptive Choice and Access Criminal Justice & Violence Prevention | Early Childhood/​Child Welfare | Health Regulatory Policy | Sports Betting | Substance Use Prevention / Treatment const targetDetail = this. $el.

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observe(section); RCT of Career and Technical Education Schools in Ohio Grant Recipient: Research Triangle Institute Principal Investigators: Sandra Staklis, Research Triangle Institute Jay Plasman, Ohio State University Arya Ansari, Ohio State University Summary: This project is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the impact of two career and technical education (CTE)-focused schools in Columbus City, Ohio.

CTE-focused schools offer hands-on and classroom-based instruction aligned to specific occupational pathways, along with opportunities to earn industry-recognized credentials and participate in work-based learning.

This study will leverage an existing lottery system which will randomly assign approximately 13,500 students to either a treatment group that will receive admissions to a CTE-focused school, or a control group that will not receive admission to a CTE-focused school. Researchers will evaluate the impact on individual earnings six years after randomization (four years after high school graduation).

Long-Term Follow-Up of the Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN) RCT Grant Recipient: Mathematica Inc. Principal Investigators: Yonatan Ben-Shalom, Mathematica Ankita Patnaik, Mathematica Summary: This project is a long-term follow-up of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the impact of the Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN) in Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio, and Vermont.

RETAIN helps workers in each state with newly acquired injuries or disabilities remain employed and reduce their reliance on federal disability programs by implementing early-intervention stay-at-work/return-to-work strategies.

This study will build off a previous RCT of RETAIN that randomly assigned nearly 13,000 eligible individuals across five states to either a treatment group that was offered RETAIN services or a control group that was not. Researchers will evaluate the impact on employment and annual earnings two and three years after randomization.

QED of Career and Technical Education in Generalized High School Settings Grant Recipient: Boston College Principal Investigator: Shaun Dougherty, Boston College Summary: This project is a two-part quasi-experimental study to evaluate career and technical education (CTE) programs in generalized high schools in Massachusetts.

Comprehensive schools are those that do not specialize in CTE programs and can attract students that may not initially plan to pursue a skills-based pathways prior to high school. As a result, the programs are less selective and more representative.

Using multiple methods (difference-in-discontinuities based on standardized test scores, difference-in-differences), the study will estimate effects on lower-achieving students’ (i) take-up of CTE programs and (ii) postsecondary completion and earnings.

QED of Early College High Schools and P-TECH High Schools Grant Recipient: University of Connecticut Principal Investigator: Bokyung Kim, University of Connecticut Chris Lim, University of Arizona Summary: This project is a quasi-experimental study to evaluate Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) and Early College High School (ECHS).

P-TECH schools integrate high school and college-level coursework with work-based learning opportunities (i.e. internships and apprenticeships), allowing students to earn a high school diploma and either an associate degree or industry credential within six years. ECHS campuses provide dual credit programs, allowing students to concurrently earn a high school degree and up to 60 college credits.

Both programs are provided at no cost to students. Using a stacked difference-in-differences design, the study will estimate effects on students’ high school completion, postsecondary enrollment and completion, employment, and earnings.

Principal Investigator(s): Gilda Azurdia, MDRC Summary: This project is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate COOP Careers, a program that seeks to address underemployment among first-generation and low-income college graduates. Over the course of 16 weeks, participants meet nightly, 4 days a week to acquire technical skills, engage with potential employers, and develop a supportive community within their assigned cohort.

Most COOP tracks (e.g., digital marketing, data analytics) lead to industry-recognized certifications. In this study, 1,500 participants who apply to the Data Analytics or Digital Marketing tracks in Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco will be randomly assigned to receive either COOP services or services as usual.

The study will measure the impact on earnings using state unemployment insurance data two years after random assignment. The study’s pre-analysis plan is linked here .

Long-Term Follow-Up of the Genesys Works RCT Grant Recipient: University of Chicago Principal Investigator: Monica Bhatt, University of Chicago Kelly Hallberg, University of Chicago Summary: This project is a long-term follow-up of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the impact of Genesys Works, a nationwide high school apprenticeship program that aims to improve postsecondary educational attainment and career pathways for high school seniors.

This program primarily targets the “quiet middle”–average-to-high performing students who are on track to graduate from high school, have aspirations to attend college, but have limited access to college and professional networks.

This study will build on a previous RCT of Genesys Works that randomly assigned 457 high school seniors from 68 schools to either the treatment group (232 students), who received an offer to participate in the Genesys Works program, or the control group (225 students), who did not receive an offer but remained eligible for services as usual.

This study will measure the impact on workforce participation, including employment status, earnings, and job retention, six years after randomization.

QED of Career Technical Education Certification in Nevada Grant Recipient: RAND Corporation Principal Investigator: Christine Mulhern, RAND Summary: This project is a quasi-experimental study to evaluate the impact of earning career and technical education (CTE) certifications for high school students in Nevada.

CTE certifications—common across the United States—allow students to earn college credit and are designed to strengthen academic and workforce outcomes by shaping whether and where students enroll in college, their field of study, time to degree, and degree completion, as well as signaling skills to employers.

The study will leverage approximately 57,000 students in six graduating cohorts (2019-2025) within Nevada’s public school system who have completed a CTE certification. Using a regression discontinuity design based on the CTE GPA cutoff, the study will estimate effects of CTE certification on postsecondary enrollment and completion, employment, and earnings outcomes up to six years after graduation.

QED of the Cristo Rey Network Grant Recipient: Washington University in St. Louis Principal Investigator(s): Jason Jabbari, Washington University in St. Louis Shaun M.

Dougherty, Boston College Lauren Russell, University of Pennsylvania Summary: This project is a quasi-experimental study to evaluate the Cristo Rey Network, a system of college preparatory high schools serving low-income students.

Cristo Rey schools incorporate a Corporate Work-Study Program, through which students work one day per week at a local corporation, into a school-based curriculum focused on professional skills, career readiness and college preparation. This study will examine the impact of attending a Cristo Rey Network school among graduating classes from 2017 to 2025.

Using a regression discontinuity design based on an admissions cutoff, the study will estimate the impact of Cristo Rey schools on postsecondary enrollment and completion, employment, and earnings.

QED of the Jobs & Education for Texans (JET) Grant Program Grant Recipient: University of Texas at Austin Principal Investigator(s): Matt Giani, University of Texas at Austin Brian Jacob, University of Michigan Madison Andrews, University of Texas at Austin Summary: This project is a quasi-experimental study to evaluate the Jobs & Education for Texans (JET) grant program.

Since 2016, the Texas Workforce Commission has provided JET grant funding to school districts and community colleges to invest in equipment for career and technical education (CTE) programming. The study will examine the impact of receiving a JET grant on tenth-grade students enrolled in Texas high schools from 2016 onward.

Using difference-in-differences and instrumental variables approaches, the study will estimate the program’s effects on CTE program completion, postsecondary enrollment and completion, and employment outcomes after high school graduation.

QED of Ohio Career-Technical Assurance Guides Grant Recipient: RAND Corporation Principal Investigator: Christopher Doss, RAND Summary: This project is a quasi-experimental study to evaluate the impact of career-technical assurance guides (CTAGs) for students enrolled in Ohio high schools between 2011 and 2017.

CTAGs are statewide articulation agreements that allow students to earn college credit at Ohio public institutions for specific Career and Technical Education (CTE) coursework completed in high school.

Using a regression discontinuity design based on end-of-course exam scores, the study will estimate the impact of receiving college credit via a CTAG course on obtaining a credential in a related field six years after high school graduation and employment and earnings outcomes measured seven years after high school graduation.

QED of Kentucky’s Work Ready Dual Credit Scholarship Grant Recipient: University of Kentucky Principal Investigator(s): Chuanyi Guo, University of Kentucky Rajeev Darolia, University of Kentucky Summary: This project is a quasi-experimental study to evaluate Kentucky’s Work Ready Dual Credit (WRDC) Scholarship.

Launched in the 2018-2019 school year, this scholarship provides financial aid to high school students enrolled in dual credit career and technical education courses at local higher education institutions. Selected courses must be aligned with Kentucky’s high-wage and high-demand industry sectors, and students must maintain a GPA of at least 2. 5 to qualify for the WRDC scholarship.

Using a fuzzy regression discontinuity design based on the GPA cutoff, the study will measure the impact of receiving the scholarship on postsecondary educational attainment and quarterly earnings within five years after high school graduation. The study’s pre-analysis plan is linked here .

QED of Modern Career Academies and Industry-Recognized Certifications Grant Recipient: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Principal Investigator(s): Steven Hemelt, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Elc Estrera, Wake County Public School System Matthew Lenard, Florida State University Laura Rosof, University of North Carolina Greensboro Summary: This project is a two-part quasi-experimental study to evaluate (i) modern Career Academies and (ii) industry-recognized certifications (IRCs) in Wake County, North Carolina.

Career Academies are multi-year, school-based programs that integrate career and technical education (CTE) courses, project-based learning, and internships into coursework, while IRCs are a non-degree credential signifying mastery of a specific set of skills related to an industry.

Using instrumental variables and a regression discontinuity design based on the IRC exam cutoff scores, the study will measure the impacts of each CTE programming type on college enrollment and employment one year following high school graduation.

Long-Term Follow-Up of the RESEA RCTs Grant Recipient: Actus Policy Research, LLC Principal Investigator: Eileen Poe-Yamagata, Actus Policy Research Marios Michaelides, Actus Policy Research Peter Meuser, Actus Policy Research Summary: This project is a long-term follow-up of five randomized controlled trials (RCT) to evaluate the impact of the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) program across five states.

The RESEA program, established in 2015, is the largest job-search assistance intervention targeting Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants. The program requires UI claimants to meet with job counselors to undergo a review of their compliance with UI work search requirements and receive services that would aid their job search.

This study builds on previous RCTs across five states (Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin) which randomly assigned thousands of UI claimants to either a treatment group that received RESEA services, or a control group that did not receive services. The study will measure impacts on UI receipt and earnings through five years after random assignment.

QED of Microsoft Certifications Grant Recipient: University of Maryland Principal Investigator(s): Jing Liu, University of Maryland Benjamin Castleman, University of Virginia Di Xu, University of California, Irvine Summary: This project is a quasi-experimental study in Maryland to evaluate the impact of earning a Microsoft Office Specialist certificate, a specific training and certification program offered through Microsoft.

Earning this certificate demonstrates proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, a widely used workplace software. Using a regression discontinuity design based on a passing exam score cutoff, the study will measure the impact of receiving the certificate on employment and quarterly earnings twelve months after certificate receipt. The study’s pre-analysis plan is linked here .

Randomized Controlled Trial of Colorado Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) for new unemployment insurance claimants In 2005, the Department of Labor (DOL) established the Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment (REA) Initiative, which required unemployment insurance (UI) recipients to undergo an eligibility review to confirm they were actively searching for work and to obtain information about available services.

Randomized Controlled Trial Measuring Long-Term impacts of Boston’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) on Criminal Justice and Post-Secondary Education Outcomes This project is a long-term follow-up of an ongoing randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Boston’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP).

SYEPs provide youth aged 14 – 24 with a minimum wage, part-time job during the summer in either the nonprofit, government, or private sector. Randomized controlled trial of Apprenti: a workforce development program providing registered technology apprenticeships This project is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the workforce development program Apprenti.

Long-term follow-up of the WorkAdvance study, evaluating the effectiveness of four different sector-focused workforce development programs for unemployed and low wage working adults The four programs provided career readiness and occupational skills training, along with job placement and postemployment services, targeted within sectors of their local economies with high-quality jobs and opportunities for career advancement.

A long-term follow-up of two welfare reform randomized trials from the 1990s, measuring effects on parent and child outcomes 15 to 24 years after study entry These and other welfare reform experiments were conducted by MDRC to identify strategies to improve the self-sufficiency and economic well-being of welfare recipients by helping them find jobs, advance in employment, and leave public assistance.

A randomized controlled trial to evaluate Bridges to Success, a mentoring program to help low-income individuals obtain employment and financial stability The program matches participants with mentors in a program inspired by EMPath’s Mobility Mentoring method.

Effects of Federal antidiscrimination and affirmative action enforcement audits on female and minority workforce composition This project will evaluate the effect of antidiscrimination and affirmative action enforcement audits conducted by the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) on federal contractor workplace diversity (i.e., the share of female and minority employees).

RCT of Year Up’s Professional Training Corps – a workforce training program for economically disadvantaged urban young adults This grant will fund the extended follow-up of two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the impact of Year Up’s Professional Training Corps (PTC), as well as alternate strategies for PTC implementation.

RCT of English for Advancement, a workforce advancement intervention for adult English language learners This project is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of English for Advancement (EfA), an employment-focused program for adult English language learners that includes language instruction, career coaching, and job training and placement services.

RCT of Nevada’s Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment (REA) Program for new unemployment insurance claimants This is a replication randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Nevada’s Reemployment and Eligibility Assistance (REA) program, which is a mandatory program for new Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants that provides them with an in-person review of their UI eligibility, and personalized reemployment services (e.g., job search assistance).

RCT evaluation of the Per Scholas workforce training program in two expansion sites This project is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the Per Scholas workforce training program in information technology for low-income adults as delivered at scale in two expansion sites in Washington D. C. and Columbus, Ohio.

Long-term follow-up of the randomized trial of Project QUEST’s workforce training program for low-income individuals in healthcare-related fields This is a long-term follow-up of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Project QUEST – a workforce development program for low-income individuals – which found large impacts on participant earnings and employment.

11-year follow-up of the RCT of Project QUEST: A workforce development program for low-income adults This project extends the long-term follow-up of a well-conducted RCT of Project QUEST – a workforce development program for low-income adults – through 11 years after random assignment.

A randomized controlled trial of Transforming Impossible into Possible, a program designed to address cognitive and social barriers to employment for disadvantaged, unemployed adults The project is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Transforming Impossible into Possible (TIP), a job-readiness training program designed to address psycho-emotional and social barriers to employment for low-income, persistently unemployed adults.

Contraceptive Choice and Access QED of Pharmacist-Prescribed Hormonal Contraception on Contraceptive Access Grant Recipient: American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences Principal Investigator(s): Aditi Pathak, American Institutes for Research Summary: This project is a quasi-experimental study to evaluate the impact of pharmacist-prescribed hormonal contraceptive policy reforms.

As of 2025, 35 states and the District of Columbia have passed policies that permit pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraceptives directly to patients without requiring a physician visit. Using a difference-in-differences design, the study will leverage the staggered rollout of these policies across states to estimate effects of different policies on contraceptive access among Medicaid recipients.

QED of the Massachusetts Statewide Standing Order on Emergency Contraceptives Grant Recipient: University of Southern California Principal Investigator(s): Dima Qato, University of Southern California Rebecca Myerson, Emory University Summary: This project is a quasi-experimental study to evaluate a Massachusetts statewide standing order that allowed pharmacies to dispense emergency contraceptives, such as the Ella and Plan-B pill, without requiring a visit to the doctor starting in August 2022.

Using a difference-in-differences design, the study will examine the policy’s effects on the use of emergency contraceptives per 100,000 women of reproductive age and the number of fills for emergency contraception per store. The study’s pre-analysis plan is linked here .

QED of Pharmacist-Prescribed Hormonal Contraception Grant Recipient: Oregon State University Principal Investigator(s): Elizabeth Schroeder, Oregon State University Summary: This project is a quasi-experimental study to evaluate pharmacy access laws, which have been adopted in more than half the states since 2016.

These laws authorize pharmacists to write prescriptions for hormonal contraception without requiring a doctor’s visit, which the goal of reducing barriers to birth control access. Using a synthetic difference-in-differences design, the study will measure the impact of policy adoption on statewide birth rates up to seven years after policy roll-out. The study’s pre-analysis plan is linked here .

QED of Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Scope of Practice Laws Grant Recipient: University of Arkansas Principal Investigator: Moiz Bhai, University of Arkansas at Little Rock Summary: This project is a quasi-experimental study to estimate the impact of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) Scope of Practice (SOP) laws.

APRN SOP laws give nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives full practice authority to prescribe medication and treat patients without physician supervision. Using a staggered difference-in-differences design, the study will leverage variation in policy adoption across states from 2004-2023 to estimate effects on contraceptive access and prescription rates, as well as the APRN workforce supply.

Long-Term Follow-Up of a Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate Teen Options to Prevent Pregnancy (T. O. P.

P.) This project is a long-term follow-up of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Teen Options to Prevent Pregnancy (T. O.

P. P.) — a program for low-income adolescent mothers, delivered by nurse educators and a social worker, which aims to reduce rapid repeat pregnancy and promote healthy birth spacing.

Replication RCT of Teen Options to Prevent Pregnancy (T. O. P.

P.) in 11 New York City hospitals This project is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the Teen Options to Prevent Pregnancy (T. O.

P. P.) program for low-income teenage mothers as implemented in 11 public hospitals in the New York City Health and Hospital (H+H) system.

Criminal Justice & Violence Prevention Randomized Controlled Trial Measuring Long-Term impacts of Boston’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) on Criminal Justice and Post-Secondary Education Outcomes This project is a long-term follow-up of an ongoing randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Boston’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP).

SYEPs provide youth aged 14 – 24 with a minimum wage, part-time job during the summer in either the nonprofit, government, or private sector.

Randomized controlled trial of Project SCOPE – a police co-responder model, aimed at diverting vulnerable populations from criminal arrest within the transit system This project is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Project SCOPE: Safety, Cleaning, Ownership, Partnership, Engagement, being implemented by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) and SEPTA Police Department (SEPTA PD) in the Philadelphia transit system.

Randomized controlled trial of ConTextos’ Authors Circle – a jail-based memoir‑writing program for pre-trial detainees, aimed at reducing jail misconduct and recidivism This grant will fund a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of ConTextos’ Authors Circle, a jail-based memoir writing program designed to develop participants’ critical thinking and communication skills, with the ultimate goal of reducing jail misconduct and post-release recidivism.

Randomized controlled trial of Functional Family Therapy-Gangs (FFT‑G), a therapeutic intervention for justice-involved youth This study is an RCT of Functional Family Therapy – Gangs (FFT‑G), a therapeutic intervention for justice-involved youth and their families with promising prior evidence that it can reduce recidivism.

A large RCT of Big Brothers Big Sisters community-based mentoring program for youth at risk of criminal involvement Over the course of seven years, the grantee will conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s (BBBSA) community-based mentoring program for disadvantaged youth.

RCT of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) and Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) This grant will fund a randomized controlled trial (RCTs) of evidence-based programs – ACT and FACT – for justice-involved individuals with serious mental illness who are high utilizers of hospitals and/or jails in Dallas County. RCT of Interventions - a cognitive behavioral treatment program for justice-involved individuals with mental illness.

This project is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Interventions, a non-proprietary manualized cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) program for justice-involved individuals with mental illness.

Evaluation of Critical Time Intervention case management program for recently released jail detainees in Chicago This is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an adapted version of the Critical Time Intervention (CTI), a case management program designed to connect mentally-ill clients with community services and insure they have an appropriate support system.

RCT of Motivational Interviewing plus Critical Time Intervention for hospitalized gunshot wound victims, to prevent future risky behavior This project is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an intervention that combines in-hospital Motivational Interviewing and Critical Time Intervention.

RCT of Fostering Healthy Futures for Teens – an intensive mentoring program for youth with histories of maltreatment This project is an RCT of Fostering Healthy Futures for Teens (FHF‑T), a nine-month intensive mentoring program for 8 th and 9 th -graders with open child welfare cases and histories of maltreatment.

RCT of providing Pell Grant eligibility to prison inmates to pursue postsecondary education This is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the impact of offering federal “Pell” grants to incarcerated adults to pursue postsecondary education.

RCT of Therapeutic Communities and Interactive Journaling in Florida state prisons This is a three-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the effectiveness of two different interventions for men and women soon to be released from prison with substance use disorders: Therapeutic Communities and Interactive Journaling.

RCT to evaluate Youth Advocate Programs (YAP): Providing intensive mentoring and ​“wraparound” supports for disengaged Chicago youth This project is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Youth Advocate Programs’ (YAP) community-based intensive mentorship and “wraparound” support program.

Evaluation of the Rapid Employment and Development Initiative (READI) to Prevent Violence in Chicago, Illinois This is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the Rapid Employment and Development Initiative (READI), a program that provides 18-month transitional jobs, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and additional services for adult men at high risk of being perpetrators and/or victims of gun violence (most but not all of whom are justice-involved).

Expansion and replication of the Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act (EAAA) sexual assault resistance program at five U.S. universities The Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act (EAAA) program is a sexual assault resistance program for first-year female university students that has been rigorously evaluated and shown to produce large reductions in sexual assault on college campuses.

Early Childhood/Child Welfare Long-Term Follow-Up of the LifeSet RCT Grant Recipient: Urban Institute Principal Investigator: Michael Pergamit, Urban Institute Anne Farrell, Urban Institute Mark Courtney, University of Chicago Summary: This project is an extension of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the LifeSet program in New Jersey.

LifeSet provides at-risk youth and young adults leaving foster care, juvenile justice, and mental health systems with intensive in-home support and guidance to make a successful transition to adulthood. LifeSet specialists meet weekly with participants to support progress toward goals related to education, employment, housing, and well-being, as well as provide 24/7 crisis support.

This study will build on the initial LifeSet evaluation, which randomly assigned 661 eligible young adults to a treatment group that was offered the LifeSet program (384 individuals) or a control group that received services as usual (277 individuals).

The study will use state and national administrative data to measure the impacts on two primary outcomes: (i) connection to education and/or employment (meaning whether the individual is engaged in either work or education), and (ii) educational attainment, both measured two years after randomization. The study’s pre-analysis plan is linked here .

Long-Term Follow-Up of the Project Connect RCT Grant Recipient: Urban Institute Principal Investigator: Marla McDaniel, Urban Institute Michael Pergamit, Urban Institute Summary: This project is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to examine the impact of Project Connect in Rhode Island. Project Connect is a home-based intervention for families involved in the child welfare system affected by substance use.

The program assigns each family to a primary program worker and depending on the case, any combination of a multi-disciplinary team that includes a nurse, a parent educator, a visitation worker, a supervisor, and a manager. All primary program workers are trained in recovery support and can screen families for mental health and substance use concerns.

This study builds on a previous RCT which randomized 196 families requiring substance use services whose children were in out-of-home care at the start of the study (98 treatment and 98 control) that examined the rate and strength of eventual family reunification at 12 months post-randomization.

This study will estimate impacts on two primary outcomes at 24 months post-randomization (roughly 12 months post-treatment): (i) the share of children reunified; and (ii) the share of children reunified with no placement disruptions within the prior six months.

RCT of Kentucky’s Hi-Fidelity Wraparound Program Grant Recipient: Urban Institute Principal Investigator: Devlin Hanson, Urban Institute Bridgette Lery, Urban Institute Summary: This project is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate Kentucky’s Hi-Fidelity Wraparound Program. The program implements a care-coordination model designed to support children at risk of foster care placement and their families.

The program uses a “Wraparound Team” to develop and implement tailored service plans using elements of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for children facing significant emotional or behavioral challenges. The study will randomize approximately 2,684 eligible children to either a treatment group who will receive a referral for Wraparound services or a control group who will continue receiving services as usual.

The study will measure the impact on out-of-home placement 12 months after randomization. The study’s pre-analysis plan is linked here . RCT of Keeping Families Together in New Jersey Grant Recipient: Urban Institute Principal Investigator(s): Michael Pergamit, Urban Institute Devlin Hanson, Urban Institute Summary: This project is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating New Jersey’s Keeping Families Together (KFT) program.

KFT is a supportive housing program that provides safe, permanent housing alongside evidence-based, trauma-informed services for families involved in the child welfare system. Using a Housing First model, the program offers housing vouchers, intensive case management, and individual and group clinical services to families experiencing homelessness or housing instability and other co-occurring risk factors.

In this study, 878 eligible families will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: a treatment group that will be offered a housing voucher and KFT program services, or a control group that will continue to receive child welfare system services-as-usual based on their assessed needs.

The study will measure two-year impacts on child welfare outcomes, specifically the rate of removals or the rate of reunifications, depending on the family’s classification within KFT.

RCT of Mississippi’s Kinship Care Navigator Program Grant Recipient: Regents of the University of Michigan Principal Investigator: Marilyn Sinkewicz, University of Michigan Summary: This project is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate Mississippi’s Kinship Care Navigator Program.

This program was designed to support kinship caregivers of children by offering information, referrals, and connections to federal, state, and local programs while removing barriers to needed resources, as well as promoting child safety, permanency, and well-being.

This study will randomly assign approximately 84 caregivers to either a treatment group which will receive the Kinship Care Navigator Program or to a waitlisted control group that will receive services as usual. The study will measure impacts on child permanency rates, defined as the caregiver either seeking or having attained legal custody and the child not having re/entered into state custody, 12 months after random assignment.

RCT of SafeCare – an in-home, parent-training program that aims to reduce child neglect and maltreatment This project is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of SafeCare, an in-home, parent-training program for families with substantiated allegations of child abuse or neglect at risk of having their child(ren) removed from the home. A randomized controlled trial to evaluate KIN