Projects
Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 TANF Pilot Evaluation (Project SUPPORTT)
2024-2032
Project Overview
Objective
To design and conduct implementation and outcome studies in states that are piloting new outcomes-based performance measures in their TANF programs.
Project Motivation
To understand how the shift from the Work Participation Rate to outcomes-based accountability affects key outcomes for TANF programs and participants.
Partners in Progress
The Adjacent Possible, American Public Human Services Association
Prepared For
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation
During the planning year for the FRA TANF Pilots, Project SUPPORTT is partnering with state and local TANF staff, participants, and partners to co-create rigorous implementation and outcomes studies that produce evidence to inform policy and practice.
The implementation study will provide a detailed account of how states determine additional performance measures and how states design, operate, and manage the pilot programs to achieve outcomes. The outcomes study will document how the shift from the Work Participation Rate to outcomes-based accountability affects key outcomes for TANF programs and participants, including employment and economic security.
Throughout the study, pilot states will have the opportunity to receive research, evaluation, and data-related technical assistance as they operationalize new outcomes-based performance measures, establish processes for collecting data, measure interim progress toward outcomes, and prepare to participate in the implementation and outcomes studies. They will also be able to participate in peer learning communities to share experiences and lessons learned with other states and the broader TANF field.
The Project SUPPORTT team will publish findings throughout the study period, with a report on early implementation of the pilots expected in 2027 and final implementation and study outcomes in 2032.
Project Impact
The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 authorized five states to carry out pilots to adopt outcomes-based performance measures in their TANF programs—holding programs accountable for helping participants gain employment, increase earnings, and reduce dependence on public benefits. Since the creation of the TANF program, states have been required to meet the Work Participation Rate, a measure of participation in “work activities” like job search or unsubsidized employment, but have not been required to demonstrate that they improve participant outcomes. Through the pilot, states will have the flexibility to engage families in new ways and be measured on how well they meet their goal of moving families to work and independence. Findings from the implementation and outcomes studies will help other states that are interested in carrying out similar changes and policymakers considering the future of performance measurement in TANF.
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