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Learning from the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 TANF Pilots
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Learning from the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 TANF Pilots

Designing studies of outcomes-based performance measurement in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Programs
Published: Nov 06, 2026
Publisher: Mathematica
Evaluation Design Policy Analysis Human Services TANF and Employment Issues Federal

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Associated Project

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 TANF Pilot Evaluation (Project SUPPORTT)

Time frame: 2024-2032

Prepared for:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation

Key Findings

  • In September 2025, the Administration for Children and Families selected five states to conduct pilots of outcomes-based performance measures: Arizona, Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio, and Virginia. After a planning year that ended in September 2026, the five states will implement their pilots from October 2026 through September 2031. 
  • The TANF Pilot Evaluation includes implementation and outcomes studies to address six research questions: (1) How did states design their pilots? (2) How did states implement their pilots? (3) What were TANF programs’ outcomes during the pilot period? (4) What were TANF participants’ outcomes during the pilot period? (5) How did the shift to outcomes-based performance measures relate to participant outcomes? (6) What were the lessons learned from the pilots? 
  • The TANF Pilot Evaluation will draw on multiple data sources including: (1) interviews and surveys with TANF program and partner leaders and staff, including a staff time-use survey; (2) interviews and surveys with TANF participants; (3) a costs and resources workbook; (4) interviews with federal staff; and (5) administrative data on TANF participants, including state administrative data and Unemployment Insurance information maintained in the National Directory of New Hires. 
  • The TANF Pilot Evaluation includes interim and final implementation and outcomes reports and plans to publish findings throughout the duration of the pilots. 
This brief provides an overview of the design of the TANF Pilot Evaluation and the research questions it will address. Under the TANF Pilots, authorized by the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (FRA), five states will negotiate TANF performance benchmarks for work and family outcomes instead of the standard TANF performance measure known as the Work Participation Rate or WPR. Through implementation and outcomes studies, the TANF Pilot Evaluation aims to describe how states designed and implemented their pilots and how the participant outcomes related to employment, earnings, and self-sufficiency changed after pilot implementation.

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