Housing affordability is one of the most pressing challenges for American families right now. From the biggest coastal cities to the smallest mountain towns, renters and homeowners alike are struggling to keep pace with skyrocketing costs, and housing supply remains millions of units shy of meeting market demand.
But the housing challenge is about even more than whether you can make rent or afford your mortgage. It also matters where you live. Living in a high-opportunity community — with access to good schools, safe streets, and quality jobs — can make all the difference for economic outcomes.
That’s why RAND wanted to study the impact of a housing policy that aims to expand access to high-opportunity communities – specifically looking at children who moved to neighborhoods with high-performing schools. Their research was recently funded through AV’s Building Evidence RFP and will examine the impacts of Small Area Fair Market Rents (SAFMR): a voucher program that offers low-income families more rent support if they live in a high-cost but opportunity-rich neighborhood. As federal and local leaders consider expanding the use of SAFMRs to more metropolitan areas, this research will help guide decision-making.
“We hope that the insights from our work — highlighting whether, where, and how SAFMRs are effective — can come at a critical time to inform the future policy expansion,” said Susha Roy, associate policy researcher at RAND, and Jason Ward, codirector of the RAND Center on Housing and Homelessness, who are leading the research. “We also hope that public housing authorities can use the findings to decide how best to implement SAFMRs.”
RAND’s study is one of fourteen research projects supported by Arnold Ventures in our 2024 Building Evidence research grant initiative. Under this umbrella, we’re investing more than $4 million into rigorous studies that examine promising policy interventions in AV’s core focus areas: higher education, infrastructure, public finance, and contraceptive choice and access.
What distinguishes these studies from the research funded under other AV grant initiatives is their use of quasi-experimental research designs. Simply put, quasi-experimental designs tease out naturally occurring group differences to assess policy outcomes and provide evidence on the real-world impacts of existing policies and programs. This sort of research is aimed at determining which programs actually work — and building a body of evidence to prove it — to help make demonstrable progress in addressing the most pressing public policy challenges facing our nation.
“This causal research we support isn’t merely academic -- it’s a roadmap for effective policy,” said Justin Milner, Arnold Ventures executive vice president of evidence and evaluation. “Each study brings us closer to understanding what works, ensuring that America’s policy choices are as impactful as they are informed.”
Housing Affordability
In addition to the RAND study, two more grantees are looking at ways to bring down housing costs by bolstering the housing supply. The University of California, San Diego, is investigating whether easing permit requirements for Accessory Dwelling Units in California has led to more homes being built — while the Urban Institute wants to learn if the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit has encouraged developers to build more. Similarly, a team at the University of Michigan is determining whether historic property tax credits are solely an engine for real estate development, or if they can also unlock broader economic growth in local communities.
Higher Education
Another area of focus for our grantees is higher education, examining whether secondary degrees remain a valuable investment both for students and taxpayers.
At the University of Chicago, researchers are looking at three city-wide initiatives aimed at improving graduation rates. The first is a pipeline program that offers high school students college counseling, tuition assistance, and financial support for their families. The second is a scholarship program that offers free city college tuition to any high-performing student in Chicago public schools. And the third is a grant program that offers financial, academic, personal, and professional resources to community college students in the city and surrounding suburbs. At the same time, the University of California at Irvine is studying whether eliminating textbook costs for community college students improves persistence and performance — while Wayne State University is assessing the impact of switching from costly textbooks to free-to-distribute course material.
Our grantees are also studying the connection between education policy and professional success. Temple University is examining the results of a Virginia initiative that offered financial aid to community college students who studied in fields that would address staff shortages in the state’s workforce. The University of Kentucky is scrutinizing the state’s scholarship program focused on helping high school students afford dual-credit courses in career and technical education. At the University of Maryland, researchers are reviewing whether students who participate in a certification program from Microsoft have stronger employment and earning outcomes.
Contraceptive Care and Access
Access to contraceptive care and access is another key focus of AV’s work. This cycle, two of our grantees will study the outcomes of existing statewide laws that aim to make it easier to access contraception. At the University of Oregon, researchers are estimating the impact of policies that allow pharmacists, rather than doctors alone, to prescribe hormonal contraception. Meanwhile, at the University of Southern California, a team is evaluating the effectiveness of the Massachusetts standing order that allows pharmacies to dispense both prescription-only and over-the-counter emergency contraception without needing orders from a doctor.
Pointing Policymakers Toward Effective Solutions
Projects such as these, like the scores of other programs supported by AV, are pointing policymakers toward effective solutions already at work in the real world. As lawmakers grapple with limited budgets and difficult tradeoffs, these proven policies and programs can help make sure taxpayers get the best bang for their buck — and everyday families will be better off for it.
For more information on current funding opportunities, please see the following requests for proposals (RFPs): Strengthening Evidence and Building Evidence. Both RFPs aim to fund rigorous, causal research to expand and bolster the evidence base for promising social policies and programs. Letters of interest for both RFPs are due by March 14, 2025. Funding for causal research related to the criminal justice system is offered through a separate RFP with rolling deadline.
