Institute for Research on Poverty

**About IRP** IRP is a nonpartisan research institution dedicated to producing and disseminating rigorous evidence to inform policies and programs to combat poverty, inequality, and their effects in the United States. We do this through the orchestration of a national [research](https://www.irp.wisc.edu/research/), [training](https://www.irp.wisc.edu/training/), and dissemination agenda (see our [resources](https://www.irp.wisc.edu/resources/) and [events](https://www.irp.wisc.edu/events/) pages) grounded in extensive collaboration among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners. The Institute was created in 1966 with funding from the federal government to serve as a national center for the study of the nature, causes, and cures of poverty. We function as an independent, multidisciplinary center within the [College of Letters and Science](http://ls.wisc.edu/) at the [University of Wisconsin–Madison](https://www.wisc.edu/). IRP’s ongoing success stems from our ability to: - build, support, and develop a large and collaborative core of poverty scholars from multiple disciplines; - produce and promote rigorous, diverse, and interdisciplinary poverty research; - facilitate wide-ranging linkages to the policy and practice world; and - distill, translate, and widely disseminate applied poverty and policy research. Specifically, our integrated program of research, training, and dissemination effectively produces and applies research evidence to key policy questions and rigorously trains researchers in a variety of disciplines by leveraging IRP’s exceptional [affiliates](https://www.irp.wisc.edu/people/affiliates/) and research and administrative staff; our [U.S. Collaborative of Poverty Centers (CPC)](https://www.irp.wisc.edu/u-s-collaborative-of-poverty-centers-cpc/) partner institutions; long-standing connections with researchers and research institutions in academia, government, and the nonprofit and for-profit sectors; and experience working collaboratively with policymakers, practitioners, and their membership organizations. IRP currently serves as the sole federally funded [National Research Center on Poverty and Economic Mobility](https://www.irp.wisc.edu/national-poverty-research-center/) through a 5-year (2021–2026), $10.6 million cooperative agreement with the Office of the [Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)](https://aspe.hhs.gov/) of the [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)](https://www.hhs.gov/). **Mission** The Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) advances the understanding of the causes and consequences of poverty and inequality by producing rigorous research, training scholars, engaging with policymakers and practitioners, and widely disseminating evidence. **Vision** Policies and practice are informed by evidence and lead to the reduction of poverty and inequality in the United States.