Our investment approach
We focus on research to drive long-term, population-level impact on reducing poverty and advancing thriving in Minnesota and beyond. This requires a multifaceted approach.
Listening
We invest in ground-up research on what people living in poverty say they need for long-term thriving. This informs CoLab’s research agenda and serves as a broader community asset.
Impact evaluation
We fund high-quality impact evaluations that use credible comparison groups to determine the effects programs and practices have on meaningful outcomes.
Longitudinal outcomes
Leveraging data from public agencies and surveys, CoLab-funded research assesses the impact of programs on educational, economic, and well-being outcomes over many years.
Mixed-methods
We fund qualitative and other quantitative research methods to help understand and explain impact evaluation results and people’s experiences.
Contextual analysis
CoLab elevates contextual and culturally informed solutions and careful analysis of the effectiveness of different solutions for different contexts and populations.
Collaboration
CoLab develops research and translates evidence to impact through collaboration among communities, nonprofits, government, philanthropy, and researchers.
CoLab Decision-making Filters for Impact Evaluation Investments
CoLab sets research investment priority solution areas using a life course economic mobility framework and considering the best available evidence on opportunities for population-level impact on upward mobility. CoLab’s current priority solution areas include two-generational solutions during early childhood, early-elementary school success, career pathways for youth and young adults, and housing and homelessness prevention for children and young people. We periodically review the evidence and update these priority areas. Within CoLab’s priority areas, we use common standards when considering specific projects to invest in—especially for longitudinal impact evaluations.
CoLab applies four decision-making filters when considering proposals for longitudinal impact research. These filters reflect a hard-won lesson from decades of social science research: Even the most important program or policy impact questions can be poorly served by evaluations that are not well-designed, not studying an intervention that is implemented as intended or replicable, or not positioned to produce findings that can influence real decisions at scale.
Intervention
The intervention is clearly defined and replicable, with well-specified standards for fidelity and adaptability.
Impact Potential
The intervention has strong rationale for potential impact on upward mobility outcomes, a large population that could benefit, realistic pathways to scale through policy or philanthropy, and clear need for this evidence to inform action.
Implementation
The implementing partner(s) have the capacity and stability to deliver the intervention well, are trusted by the communities they serve, and are committed to transparency and learning.
Evaluability
The study uses a rigorous design to estimate causal effects and cost-benefit, with an adequate sample size, clear near- and long-term outcome measures, and a strong plan for accessing key administrative data.
Investments
Our Standards for Research Excellence
CoLab funds research that meets the highest professional standards of ethics, rigor, and transparency — because the families and communities our work aims to serve deserve nothing less. Our Research Funding Requirements outlines what we ask of the researchers we partner with, from institutional review and trial registration to transparent reporting and community engagement. Each requirement is designed not as a bureaucratic hurdle, but as a shared commitment to producing evidence that decision-makers can trust and act upon. Download the full document below.