funded Research
CoLab catalyzes, funds, and supports actionable research on poverty-fighting solutions that bolster upward mobility. The focus is on longitudinal research that can assess the long-term impact of these interventions. All research projects that have been funded by CoLab since its founding are summarized here. If research findings have been published, we will provide a summary of those findings as well, along with links to full articles as available.
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Project Summary
Evaluation of the Illinois Stability Investment for Family Housing Program
During the 2022–2023 school year, nearly 1.4 million students in the United States experienced homelessness. State and local governments are increasingly turning to one-time cash assistance as a tool for homelessness prevention, yet rigorous evidence on whether this approach works for families with children remains limited.Active Through: 09/30/2029
Published: April 22, 2026 | Updated: April 27, 2026 -
Project Summary
Evaluating Program Connecting Shelter Families with Early Childhood Resources
Nearly half of all children who stay in emergency shelters are under age 6 — a period when experiences, good and bad, have an outsized and lasting impact on development. Yet families experiencing homelessness are among the least likely to be enrolled in early childhood programs, perhaps because shelter and early childhood systems typically operate independently, with few structured connections between them.Active Through: 12/31/2029
Published: April 21, 2026 | Updated: April 27, 2026 -
Project Summary
CoLab Funds Long-Term Study of Housing Mobility Program’s Impact on Children
The Creating Moves to Opportunity (CMTO) demonstration in Seattle and King County, Wash., enrolled over 700 families offered housing vouchers into a research study that rigorously evaluated whether housing mobility services would support them in moving to neighborhoods with better schools, safer streets, and stronger job markets. After three years, results were promising.Active Through: 09/30/2028
Published: April 17, 2026 | Updated: April 27, 2026 -
Project Summary
Evaluating PHLHousing+ Cash-Based Rental Assistance Program
Safe, stable housing is one of the most powerful drivers of children’s health, education, and long-term opportunity. Yet nearly 40% of households offered a federal housing voucher cannot successfully use it, often because of complex administrative requirements or landlord reluctance. PHLHousing+ tried a different approach: providing rental assistance via unconditional monthly cash payments directly to low-income families with children.Active Through: 12/31/2028
Published: April 17, 2026 | Updated: April 27, 2026 -
Project Summary
CoLab Funds Research on Housing Choice Vouchers’ Impact on Children’s Pathways to Opportunity
In 2022, half of U.S. renters paid over 30% of their income toward rent, with 83% of families earning under $30,000 facing severe rent burden. In response, the federal government’s Housing Choice Vouchers program (also known as Section 8) serves 5 million Americans annually as the nation’s largest rental assistance program.Active Through: 12/31/2028
Published: April 15, 2026 | Updated: April 27, 2026 -
Project Summary
Evaluation of the Wallin Scholars Program
After a successful planning period, CoLab at the Constellation Fund awarded its first longitudinal impact evaluation grant to MDRC to conduct a rigorous seven-year evaluation of poverty-fighting impacts of providing comprehensive support to low-income students to persist in and complete post-secondary education and start meaningful careers.Active Through: 05/31/2030
Published: April 14, 2026 | Updated: April 27, 2026 -
Project Summary
Planning an Evaluation of the Wallin Scholars Program
CoLab at the Constellation Fund awarded its first evaluation planning grant to MDRC to prepare a rigorous evaluation of the poverty-fighting impacts of providing comprehensive support to low-income students to persist in and complete post-secondary education and start meaningful careers.Active Through: 08/31/2024
Published: April 1, 2026 | Updated: April 27, 2026 -
Project Summary
Pass the Mic: A Pilot Study of What People Living in Poverty Say They Need to Thrive
CoLab awarded its first research grant to Research In Action to conduct the first systematic study of what Minnesotans living in poverty say they need for long-term thriving.Active Through: 10/31/2024
Published: April 1, 2026 | Updated: April 27, 2026+ Findings Available
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Project Summary
ParentChild+ Formative Evaluation
CoLab at the Constellation Fund awarded its second innovation grant to Wilder Research to conduct a formative evaluation of the ParentChild+ program to solicit former families’ and current frontline staff input on what adaptations and supplemental programming could maximize the impact of its home visiting services on children and families’ economic mobility.Active Through: 06/30/2024
Published: April 1, 2026 | Updated: April 27, 2026
Field Resources
CoLab curates a collection of third-party resources to help policymakers, researchers, and practitioners find and apply high-quality evidence and data tools in their work to advance upward mobility. Resources include program clearinghouses, administrative data guidance, evidence-based decision-making frameworks, research on drivers of economic opportunity, and approaches for meaningfully engaging communities as partners.