Building Evidence: Support for QEDs to Evaluate Social Programs and Policies (LOI)

Overview

Arnold Ventures (AV) is a philanthropy dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through evidence based policy solutions that maximize opportunity and minimize injustice. AV focuses on improving systems where outcomes are falling short, incentives are misaligned, and the time is right for change. By funding rigorous research, we strive to better understand the root causes of problems and build the evidence about what works to solve them. Using this research, we advocate for policy reforms at all levels of government and build durable, bipartisan coalitions to drive lasting change and impact. 

The Evidence and Evaluation team has been at the forefront of AV’s mission to inform policy solutions through an evidence-based lens. We are driven by the core belief that by increasing the body of evidence about ‘what works’ – while also identifying programs and policies that do not demonstrate impact – we create opportunities for government to better target limited resources and drive improved outcomes. 

The Opportunity 
The Evidence and Evaluation team aims to identify, evaluate, and scale evidence-based solutions targeting the nation’s most pressing social problems. This funding targets the first two phases of that goal – identifying and evaluating potential solutions – and is geared toward studies examining the causal effects of a policy, program, or intervention that aligns with key AV policy areas. Causal research employing strong, quasi-experimental methods are a critical component of the evidence-building process and are important for increasing the knowledge base for decision-makers and stakeholders. 

Examples of causal research methods include natural experiments, regression discontinuity, difference-in-differences, and instrumental variable designs. If you are thinking about a study employing random assignment, you should check out our other RFP focused on randomized controlled trials here and if you are focused on criminal justice outcomes see a separate RFP here. 

This Request for Proposals (RFP) aims to bolster the knowledge base about potentially effective policies, programs, and interventions by funding researchers to conduct rigorous, causal research using quasi experimental methods that aligns with key AV policy areas. We seek studies that will advance the knowledge base within key AV policy areas, including higher education, career education and training, infrastructure, contraceptive choice and access, and public finance: 

Higher Education: The Higher Education initiative seeks to identify and scale policies, programs, and practices that improve student success and address equity gaps. Projects funded under this RFP will help build credible evidence about ‘what works’ in higher education to improve outcomes, including but not limited to retention, persistence, successful transfer, degree or certificate completion, job placement, post-college earnings, and loan repayment. More details on this initiative are provided here.

Career Education and Training: The Career Education and Training initiative seeks to identify and expand programs and policies that improve access to good jobs, meaningful careers, and economic mobility, with a focus on pathways other than a traditional college degree. Projects responding to this RFP will help build policy relevant evidence for promising program models and policies that improve student outcomes, with a focus on equitable access to, and success in, career pathways that contain high-quality jobs and provide opportunities for advancement. 

LOI is Required. We ask interested researchers to submit a letter of interest for AV consideration (maximum of three pages) via our applicant portal. This RFP will remain open until March 14, 2025, and all letters of interest must be submitted by that date. 
Partners may use their own format, with single or double spacing, and an 11-point font or larger. In addition to the letter of interest, please also share the following (this will not count towards the LOI page limit):  
When working on a letter of interest (LOI), we ask interested partners to address the following: policy relevance, study design, and implementation feasibility. In addition to the selection criteria above, we encourage LOIs for causal studies that also demonstrate: •  If appropriate, there is a clear pathway to more rigorous testing of the program (such as an RCT or additional quasi experimental study) following this study. This can be demonstrated by including letters of support for further evaluation from policy or program leadership (these are not necessary for the LOI stage). •  The primary outcomes have significant policy importance to the AV policy areas listed above. •  The study assesses key outcomes in both the short- and longer-term, as appropriate for the type of program  and study. •  Researchers that have not previously received funding from AV, including those from groups historically underrepresented in the research community, such as researchers of color and women. 
Statement on Commitment to Transparency and Research Integrity 
AV is committed to the principles of research transparency and integrity, as explained in our Guidelines for Investment in Research. As a condition of any grant award, we will ask awardees to pre-register the study on the Open Science Framework website. Prior to the commencement of the study, we will ask grantees to make public a copy of the research and analysis plan described in the proposal. In addition, we will ask grantees to make their datasets and related materials (e.g., de-identified data, programming/code, and output) publicly available if permitted through data sharing agreements.