MDRC

Programs

1. Youth development, criminal justice, and employmentMdrc is testing tailored interventions for young people disconnected from the worlds of school and work, young people and adults at risk of entering the criminal justice system, returning citizens reentering their communities, and people with work-limiting disabilities. The findings of our new studies as they emerge are intended to expand implementation of effective programs in the different public assistance, enforcement, and service delivery systems that interact with populations that face barriers to employment.

   $17,914,955 spentof which $20,000 as grants$380,806 earned by the program
   24% of program spending

2. Family well-being and child developmentfor decades, Mdrc has been a leader in developing and studying interventions to improve outcomes for children living in families with low incomes. Our current work in this area focuses on two main domains: early care and education (ece) systems and family-focused service systems. In early care and education, we've worked with practitioners to develop and test interventions to improve classroom quality, curriculum and professional development, math interventions and supports, early childhood assessments, and p-3 alignmentas well as studied ways to support and build the ece workforce. (see schedule o)family well-being and child development (continued):in family-focused services, Mdrc has been evaluating various home visiting models and has been a leader in cocreating and studying services in fatherhood programs.

   $16,903,147 spentof which $6,000 as grants$250,417 earned by the program
   22% of program spending

3. K-12 educationfor 25 years, Mdrc has been learning what may be most effective to raise the academic achievement of young people who are at risk of failing. We collaborate with public school systems, charter organizations, and national nonprofits to evaluate their programs and to use that information to help them develop evidence-based strategies for continuous program improvement.

   $13,353,682 spent$150,772 earned by the program
   18% of program spending

4. Economic mobility, housing, and communitieslong regarded as the premier investigator of policies to improve the lives of families participating in public benefits programs, Mdrc has brought its program development skills and reputation for methodological rigor to the challenge of learning how best to improve the economic health of workers and communities. The concentration of poverty and an associated lack of access to good jobs, affordable housing, quality goods and services, and economic and political resources presents special challenges for improving the prospects of residents of neighborhoods with high poverty rates. Mdrc has evaluated a number of "place-based" projects that addressed urban poverty and joblessness. We are also evaluating a number of housing choice voucher reforms, helping to improve the nation's principal housing assistance programs.

   $7,286,457 spentof which $673,903 as grants
   10% of program spending

5. Postsecondary educationpolicymakers and the philanthropic sector have focused new efforts on increasing student persistence and achievement in postsecondary education. Mdrc has identified the most effective programs developed by others, helped replicate those programs in new contexts, and assisted communities and institutions in developing new interventions based on the evidence developed in the studies available. We are now focused on helping states and higher education institutions adopt and scale the more successful interventions that have been developed and tested.

   $7,066,732 spent$11,311 earned by the program
   9% of program spending

6. Information and dissemination: for Mdrc's evidence to make a difference in the public policies and practices that affect people with low incomes, it must reach a broad audience. We produce clearly written research reports as well as policy briefs, "how-to" guides and toolkits, interactive tools, infographics, blog posts, commentaries, videos, and podcasts that distill the results of our studies and discuss their implications for policy and practice. We widely disseminate our findings to the media and public interest groups; to government officials and philanthropy; to practitioners and managers in states, localities, education systems, and communities; at professional conferences and in journal articles; through news bulletins e-mailed to more than 14,000 people; via our comprehensive website; through a robust social media presence, particularly on linkedin, facebook, x/twitter, bluesky, and instagram (with a combined 60,000+ followers); and through the provision of hands-on technical assistance to public and nonprofit program operators. We maintain several well-read blogs, including ideas and evidence, the implementation research incubator, reflections on methodology, inpractice,…

   $6,916,920 spentof which $10,000 as grants$15,567 earned by the program
   9% of program spending

7. Center for data insightsthe center for data insights furthers Mdrc's long-standing commitment to helping organizations with which we collaborate their programs and systems by harnessing the benefits of operational data-science techniques those that produce actionable insights that can affect daily practice. Ranging from simple descriptive summaries to advanced machine learning algorithms, the center's projects aim to use institutions' increasingly rich data to provide new insights that can help them refine and target their services.

   $3,735,890 spent$18,579 earned by the program
   5% of program spending

8. Center for applied behavioral science (cabs)too often, programs and policies do not consider the way people actually think and behave. It is often assumed that those most in need will find a way to overcome obstacles, but behavioral science demonstrates that even small hassles create barriers that prevent those in need of services from receiving them. Applying these insights can improve the way programs are designed and services are delivered. Cabs has collaborated with more than 100 agencies, educational institutions, and nonprofits in 26 states to develop and test behavioral interventions to improve outcomes for clients and students.

   $2,989,531 spentof which $10,000 as grants$51,305 earned by the program
   4% of program spending

The 8 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $76,167,314.