What Center For Policy Research does

The Center for Policy Research (CPR) is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization founded in 1981 by Dr. Jessica Pearson. CPR provides program evaluation, policy analysis, technical assistance, strategic planning, and design of pilot projects to federal and state government agencies, courts, Tribal Nations, and community organizations. Its practice areas span child support policy, child welfare, domestic and sexual violence prevention, fatherhood research, and youth and family homelessness. The organization is recognized nationally for its work on child support guideline economics — Economist Jane Venohr has consulted on guideline formulas with 35+ states — and for convening the Fatherhood Research & Practice Network (FRPN). CPR's methodologies emphasize quantitative rigor, including randomized control trials and multi-system administrative data linkage (e.g., linking homeless services, education, and child welfare records to estimate youth homelessness prevalence).

CPR's business model is grant- and contract-funded professional services; as a nonprofit it does not charge clients fees but rather secures funding through cooperative agreements and contracts with federal agencies (Office of Child Support Services, HHS, HUD) and state and Tribal entities. Its revenue streams include multi-year federal center awards (SAVES Center, FRPN, YARH Colorado Pathways), state-level program evaluations (Colorado DCSS, Arizona and Tennessee domestic violence coalitions), technical-assistance subcontracts (CGI on Minnesota Section 1115), and discretionary philanthropy (Rise Together, Melinda French Gates–backed funding in 2025). Geographic reach spans more than 35 states and Tribal programs, with deep concentration in Colorado through state-agency partnerships. Marketing is conducted through publications, peer-reviewed journals, conferences, and an email newsletter rather than commercial channels.

CPR has produced regulatory-grade work, including analytic contributions to a 2024 federal rule permitting child support programs to fund employment and fatherhood services, and to Colorado's first-in-the-nation policy disregarding 100% of child support paid to TANF families. The organization is governed by a nine-member Board of Directors and led by Founder/Co-Director Jessica Pearson and Co-Director Lanae Davis, with a research staff of approximately ten professionals supported by academic and Tribal partners across the country.

Name

Center For Policy Research

Legal name

Center for Policy Research

Website

https://centerforpolicyresearch.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Center for Policy Research is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1981 that provides program evaluation, technical assistance, and policy analysis to federal and state agencies, courts, and Tribal Nations in child support, fatherhood, domestic violence, and family homelessness.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Program Evaluation Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research (BPAHALAF), Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)

Keywords

• Policy research services
• Program evaluation
• Technical assistance
• Child support research
• Nonprofit consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts and Grants: CPR generates revenue through contracts and grants from federal and state government agencies. Funding sources include federal Office of Child Support Services (OCSE), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and various state agencies including Colorado Department of Human Services. As a nonprofit, CPR does not charge for services but operates on grant and contract funding.
2. Technical Assistance Services: Provides technical assistance services to agencies including identifying best practices, designing implementation guides, producing toolkits, manuals, and policy briefs, preparing customized reports, and providing expert testimony in legislative or judicial settings. These are fee-for-service engagements with government partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Center for Policy Research is a nonprofit research organization that delivers research, program evaluation, policy analysis, demonstration project design, strategic planning, and technical assistance services to federal and state government agencies, courts, Tribal Nations, and community organizations. Its work focuses on child support, fatherhood, domestic violence, homelessness, and family wellbeing policy areas, supported by government grants and cooperative agreements.

Product overview

Center for Policy Research (CPR) is a nonprofit research organization offering a portfolio of research, evaluation, and technical assistance services to government agencies and community organizations. The organization provides five core service offerings: Design of Pilot Projects & Demonstration Funding Support, Strategic Planning & Technical Assistance, Program Evaluation, Best Practices & Policy Analysis, and Performance Measurement & Continuous Quality Improvement. CPR's work is organized around multiple thematic project areas including the Fatherhood Research & Practice Network (FRPN), Safe Access for Victims' Economic Security (SAVES) Center, Youth-at-Risk-of-Homelessness (YARH) Colorado Pathways, and various domestic violence prevention, child support equity, and tribal engagement initiatives. The organization does not operate as a technology product company but rather delivers research services through collaborative partnerships with federal and state agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Design of Pilot Projects & Demonstration Funding Support Assists organizations in identifying innovation opportunities, designing research-informed interventions, and developing competitive demonstration grant proposals with independent third-party evaluations.
• Strategic Planning & Technical Assistance Facilitates strategic planning processes and provides technical assistance including best practices identification, implementation guides, toolkits, policy briefs, customized reports, and expert testimony.
• Program Evaluation Rigorous, practical evaluation services including single- and multi-site assessments, examining implementation fidelity, outcomes, and opportunities for continuous improvement, employing randomized control trials and tailored methodologies.
• Best Practices & Policy Analysis Reviews current research, identifies best practices, and produces evidence-based policy analyses, with nationally recognized expertise in child support guidelines.
• Performance Measurement & Continuous Quality Improvement Helps agencies develop performance measurement plans, collect and interpret performance data, and build internal capacity for continuous quality improvement.
• Fatherhood Research & Practice Network (FRPN) A national clearinghouse and network supporting fatherhood research, programming, and policy through practitioner-led research, state-level coordination, measurement tools, training media, and research briefs.
• Safe Access for Victims' Economic Security (SAVES) Center National resource center providing technical assistance and training to child support agencies, judicial officers, and domestic violence service providers to enhance safe delivery of child support and parenting time services to survivors.
• Youth-at-Risk-of-Homelessness (YARH): Colorado Pathways Multiphase initiative evaluating a model intervention to prevent and address homelessness among youth aging out of foster care, supporting implementation, data collection, and summative evaluation across Colorado counties.
• Rape Prevention Education (RPE) Evaluation partnership with the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence on CDC-funded sexual violence prevention, focusing on building infrastructure and implementing prevention approaches.
• Domestic Violence Prevention Education & Leadership Through Alliances (DELTA) CDC-funded primary prevention program evaluating intimate partner violence prevention through community and state-level policy and program strategies with Arizona and Tennessee coalitions.
• Policies and Programs Affecting Fathers Research highlighting federal and state-level policies affecting low-income fathers, including state-by-state reports and economic analyses of investments in fatherhood programs.
• Colorado Rural Collaborative for Runaway & Homeless Youth Consortium of agencies serving youth experiencing homelessness across 31 rural Colorado counties, providing evaluation, performance monitoring, and continuous quality improvement.
• Improved Payments & Child Success (IMPACS) Colorado initiative evaluating how employment services and flexible assistance help noncustodial parents meet child support obligations and strengthen parent-child relationships.
• Advancing Equity in Child Support Research helping states understand how child support policies affect families from historically underserved communities, examining inequities and identifying strategies for more inclusive programs.
• Native Youth Productions (NYP) Film-based intervention engaging urban Native youth in transformational learning, aiming to advance cultural connectedness and economic mobility through peer-developed messaging.
• Trailbuilding / Life. As Told By Youth Youth-driven demonstration project developing films about education and delaying parenthood, disseminated through social media platforms to at-risk youth audiences.
• The Good Life - Bright Futures for Ojibwe Youth Tribal partnership with Lac Courte Oreilles child support program to build Native youth's connection to Ojibwe traditions, culture, and identity as prerequisites for economic mobility.
• Needs Assessment for Domestic Violence Program (DVP) Assessment of domestic violence survivor needs and community-based anti-violence organization services through literature reviews, interviews, and focus groups.
• Building a Sustainable & Replicable Approach to Estimating Youth Homelessness Study developing sustainable methodology using linked administrative data from homeless services, education, and child welfare systems to estimate youth homelessness prevalence.
• Generational Opportunities to Achieve Long-Term Success (GOALS) Two-generation program providing comprehensive services to families experiencing homelessness, incorporating randomized controlled trial evaluation of housing, economic, and wellbeing outcomes.

Quantifiable outcome

• CPR's research contributed to federal rule allowing child support programs to fund employment and fatherhood services
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Battered Women's Justice Project (BWJP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2021BWJP is a partner in the SAVES Center cooperative agreement with the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement and Colorado Department of Human Services. The SAVES Center aims to enhance safe delivery of child support services to survivors of domestic violence.
• Centre for Public Impact (CPI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2021CPI is a partner in the SAVES Center cooperative agreement. Together with CPR and BWJP, they work to enhance the safe delivery of child support, paternity, and parenting time services to survivors of domestic violence.
• Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCSE awarded a five-year cooperative agreement to Colorado Department of Human Services to establish the SAVES Center, with CPR as a key partner providing technical assistance and evaluation services to 13 demonstration projects.
• Colorado Department of Human Services, Division of Child Support Services (DCSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDCSS serves as the host of the SAVES Center and works with CPR on multiple initiatives including demonstration projects, IMPACS evaluation, and various Charting a Course for Economic Mobility projects.
• MathematicamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMathematica is a partner in the Youth At-Risk for Homelessness (YARH) national initiative. CPR works with Mathematica as part of the multi-phase grant with funding from the Children's Bureau of HHS.
• Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab at the University of DenvermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPR led a study with partners at the Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab and University of Colorado School of Medicine to develop methodology for estimating youth homelessness prevalence.
• University of Colorado, School of MedicinemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with CPR and Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab on the study developing sustainable methodology for estimating youth homelessness using linked administrative data.
• Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (ACESDV)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPR serves as evaluator for ACESDV on their Rape Prevention Education (RPE) grant funded by CDC, conducting capacity assessments and supporting sexual violence prevention infrastructure development.
• Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (ACESDV)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPR serves as evaluator for ACESDV on their DELTA AHEAD grant focused on primary prevention of intimate partner violence, working with community partners on data-driven prevention strategies.
• Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence (TCEDSV)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPR serves as evaluator for TCEDSV on their DELTA AHEAD grant, gathering and using reliable data to design, implement, and evaluate community-level strategies to prevent intimate partner violence.
• Family TreemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily Tree is a nonprofit community service provider partnering with Arapahoe County and CPR on the GOALS program providing comprehensive, residentially-based services to families experiencing homelessness.
• Denver Indian Family Resource Center (DIFRC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIFRC collaborated with CPR on Native Youth Productions, recruiting urban Native youth to engage in a transformational process of learning and creation culminating in developing films for their peers.
• Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) Tribal Child Support ProgrammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPR partnered with LCO tribal child support program to evaluate the Charting a Course for Economic Mobility and Responsible Parenting grant. The Good Life Vision project built youth connection to Ojibwe culture and traditions.
• CGImajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCPR is a subcontractor to CGI on the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families' federal Section 1115 grant from OCSS to strengthen equity in the child support program.
• State Child Support Programs (California, Michigan, Minnesota)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPR is partnering with California, Michigan, and Minnesota to pilot ways administrative data can be used to answer equity-related questions in child support programs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Abt Associates: Global research and program implementation firm with deep federal health and human services practice. Broad incumbent: competes on OCSE, HHS, and HUD contracts and operates at far greater scale and geographic breadth than CPR.
• RTI International: Large nonprofit research institute providing science-based solutions across health, education, and social policy. Broad incumbent competitor: competes with CPR on federal social services evaluation RFPs but operates at far greater scale across many domains.
• NORC at the University of Chicago: Independent research institution conducting survey research, program evaluation, and policy analysis across health, social, and economic issues. Broad incumbent: comparable on social science R&D and federal agency research, but much larger and broader in scope.

Direct peers

• Mathematica: Large, mission-driven policy research and evaluation firm conducting rigorous social program evaluations for federal and state agencies. Direct peer: already partners with CPR on the YARH national initiative and competes for the same federal RFPs (HHS, ACF, OCSE).
• MDRC: Nonprofit social policy research organization focused on education, employment, and family wellbeing program evaluations using randomized controlled trials. Highly comparable to CPR's methodology, federal agency client base, and human services domain focus.
• Child Trends: Nonprofit research organization focused exclusively on improving the lives of children and youth through rigorous research. Direct peer: highly overlapping client base (HHS, ACF, state agencies) and thematic focus on child welfare, child support, and family wellbeing.
• Urban Institute: Major economic and social policy research nonprofit producing evidence to inform public debate and policy. Direct peer: shares CPR's mix of federal/state commissioned research, child and family policy expertise, and rigorous quantitative methods.
• Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago: Policy research center focused on child, youth, and family wellbeing with strong emphasis on child welfare and homelessness. Direct peer: highly aligned thematic focus (youth homelessness, child welfare, housing instability) and similar research methodology.
• Public Policy Associates: Smaller Michigan-based public policy research and evaluation firm serving state and federal clients with comparable services. Direct peer: comparable scale, social policy evaluation focus, and government client base, though geographically concentrated in the Midwest.

Emerging players

• National Fatherhood Initiative: National nonprofit focused on fatherhood research, education, and advocacy. Adjacent peer: co-authored CPR's $154 Billion Man report and operates in CPR's fatherhood domain, but more focused on practitioner resources than rigorous evaluation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-policy-research

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center For Policy Research