US State and Local Innovation Initiative

Through this initiative, state and local governments can apply for project development awards, including:

• Up to one year of pro bono technical support as they design randomized evaluations to inform critical policy questions;
• Flexible funding to help get these evaluations off the ground; and
• Connections with J-PAL’s network of leading academic researchers.

State and local governments that have partnered with a researcher from J-PAL’s network to design a high-quality randomized evaluation can apply for funding to carry out the evaluations.

The state and local leaders selected to participate in this initiative serve as a model for others across the United States, demonstrating that state and local governments can create and use rigorous evidence to address challenging social problems.

Be sure to check out our State and Local Learning Agenda, which summarizes the core research priorities from state and local governments and J-PAL affiliated researchers, discusses ongoing or completed evaluations, and outlines opportunities for future research.