Program Description
How Housing Matters to Families and Communities is a five-year, $25 million research initiative to deepen the literature on the effect that investments in housing have on social and economic outcomes, beyond shelter.
In the 2012-2013 competition, the MacArthur Foundation seeks to expand the body of empirical evidence on the difference that living in decent, stable, and affordable housing makes in the lives of children, families, and communities. The Foundation places special emphasis on how such evidence can be put to use by decision-makers to strengthen policies and programs.
While we welcome proposals on all topics, the Foundation is especially interested in studies that address the ways in which housing impacts the economy, as well as individual, community and regional economic success. Below are some illustrative examples of research topics that the Foundation would consider acceptable under this area of focus:
- The role of housing in promoting economic mobility
- The neighborhood-level economic effects of programs enacted to address the foreclosure crisis (e.g., REO to Rental, HARP, HAMP)
- An evaluation of pilot programs that integrate housing supports (e.g., rent subsidies, housing counseling) with a workforce support structure (e.g., unemployment insurance, One Stops)
- The effect of the housing downturn on the fiscal challenges faced by state and local governments
- The effect of energy efficient or environmentally friendly designs on household finances
This year's competition will proceed in two stages. First, we invite the submission of a research abstract by no later than Friday, January 11, 2013. By Tuesday, March 19, 2013, we will select a number of abstracts for which full proposals will be invited. Full proposals will be due by Monday, April 29, 2013. These proposals will undergo an external review process with final funding decisions made in September 2013.