Supporting Access to Opportunity with a Tiered-Evidence Grantmaking Approach

Living in safe “opportunity neighborhoods” that provide quality services, employment, and schools is a recognized way for children and families to increase their economic opportunities and class mobility. The authors of this Urban Institute paper propose using tiered-evidence grantmaking, or funding programs based on the evidence-based robustness of their underlying approach, to increase access to opportunity zones for all. If a program shows promise, tiered-evidence grantmaking lets them apply for more funding for evaluation, scaling, and replication. This model is accessible to local institutions with intimate knowledge of their community’s situations, and also can incentivize new ideas while strongly supporting proven interventions.