Posted on February 9, 2011

MacArthur Foundation Awards $5.6 Million to Support Housing Research

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has announced nine grants totaling $5.6 million for research that explores the role housing plays in the long-term health and well-being of children, families, and communities.

Awarded through the foundation's $25 million How Housing Matters to Families and Communities initiative, the grants will support a mix of studies about the relationship between housing and social and economic concerns such as education, health, and economic opportunity. Grants include $1 million to the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City for a study on the role that subsidized housing plays in the education and financial and physical health of children and families; $600,000 to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to study the effects of federal and state income support policies on homeownership stability and child maltreatment; and $500,000 to Brown University for a study about the relationship between compulsory savings and homeownership in Mexico and the effects of homeownership on formal labor market participation.

"MacArthur's support for these research efforts will arm policy makers, housing and social service providers with evidence about the long-term implications of housing programs and policies," said Michael Stegman, the foundation's director of policy and housing. "The awardees have gained unprecedented access to data sets that have never before been integrated and analyzed. We expect their findings to provide powerful information for policy makers and the public to make sound decisions about the future of housing and social policy in this country."

For a complete list of grantees, visit the MacArthur Foundation Web site.