Useful Resources
Congressional Research Institute for Social Work & Policy (CRISP)
CHILDREN & YOUTH
Administration for Children & Families
The Administration for Children & Families (ACF) is a division of the Department of Health & Human Services. ACF promotes the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities. ACF administers more than 60 programs with a budget of more than $51 billion.
Child Trends Data Bank
Child Trends is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and families by providing research and data to inform decision-making that affects children. In addition to conducting its own research, Child Trends works with federal and state officials and other researchers to improve the quality, scope, and use of data on children and their families. We provide technical assistance to public agencies and private organizations that develop, analyze, track, and use statistical indicators of child and youth well-being. We also assist in the design and implementation of policy and program evaluations.
Annie E. Casey Foundation
The Annie E. Casey Foundation is a private charitable organization, dedicated to helping build better futures for disadvantaged children in the United States. It was established in 1948 by Jim Casey, one of the founders of UPS, and his siblings, who named the Foundation in honor of their mother. The primary mission of the Foundation is to foster public policies, human-service reforms, and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of today’s vulnerable children and families.
Kids Count Data Center
Sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, this website provides access to hundreds of measures of child well-being.
Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago
Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago has, since its inception in 1985 as a research and policy center, focused on a mission of improving the well-being of children and youth, families, and their communities. Chapin Hall takes a broad perspective, embracing an interest in policies that promote the well-being of all children and youth while devoting special attention to those facing significant problems. Their perspective also encompasses their families and their communities, recognizing that policies cannot improve circumstances for children and youth in isolation.
Center for Research on Child Wellbeing
The Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing (CRCW) is an interdisciplinary center at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the Office of Population Research at Princeton University. Our mission is to stimulate basic research, educate faculty and students about issues related to children’s policies, and influence policymakers and practitioners at the federal, state, and local levels.
Children’s Defense Fund
The Children’s Defense Fund grew out of the Civil Rights Movement under the leadership of Marian Wright Edelman, the first Black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar. In 1969, Mrs. Edelman began the Washington Research Project, a public interest law firm that monitored federal programs for low-income families and, out of that initiative, she founded the Children’s Defense Fund in 1973.
National Center for Children in Poverty
The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) is one of the nation’s leading public policy center dedicated to promoting the economic security, health, and well-being of America’s low-income families and children. NCCP uses research to inform policy and practice with the goal of ensuring positive outcomes for the next generation. We promote family-oriented solutions at the state and national levels.
Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness
The Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness (ICPH) is an independent nonprofit research organization based in New York City. ICPH focuses its research on homeless families, as well as those living in extreme poverty, examining the demographics of this growing population, the challenges these families face in becoming self-sufficient, and the programs that are most effective in helping them transition out of poverty.
Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development
The Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development unleashes the potential of youth, adults, organizations, and communities to engage together in creating a just and equitable society.