Duke Center for Child and Family Policy

What Duke Center for Child and Family Policy does

Duke Center for Child and Family Policy (CCFP) is a non-profit academic research center housed within Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy in Durham, North Carolina, founded in 1999/2000 and currently employing approximately 36 people. The center conducts rigorous empirical research on issues affecting child and family well-being, including early childhood education, K-12 education, poverty and inequality, race equity, child welfare, and adolescent development. Its work combines longitudinal studies (such as Baby's First Years and the STEPS study with the University of Pittsburgh) and randomized controlled trials to produce causal evidence used by federal, state, and local policymakers — most notably informing North Carolina's More at Four pre-kindergarten program and Smart Start initiative.

The center's core "products" are research outputs (peer-reviewed publications, NBER working papers, policy briefs), the Child Policy Research Certificate offered to Duke students, and data infrastructure such as the North Carolina Education Research Data Center. It also operates collaborative research hubs, including the National Center for Research on Hispanic Children and Families (with Child Trends, UNC Greensboro, and University of Maryland) and a 15+ year research partnership with Durham Public Schools on student assignment redesign.

CCFP does not operate a commercial business model; revenue is grant-based rather than transactional. Funding flows from federal agencies (NICHD, ACF/HHS), major philanthropic foundations (Pritzker Children's Initiative — $30M, 10-year in April 2026; Bukhman Philanthropies — $10.5M in February 2026), and other research funders (Spencer Foundation, WT Grant Foundation). Go-to-market is policy- and academic-channel driven: peer-reviewed journals, NBER working papers, the center's blog and newsletter, earned media coverage, and direct engagement with state and federal agencies rather than product sales.

Name

Duke Center for Child and Family Policy

Legal name

Duke Center for Child and Family Policy

Website

https://childandfamilypolicy.duke.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Duke Center for Child and Family Policy is a non-profit academic research center at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy that conducts rigorous empirical research on child development, early education, poverty, and family policy, serving federal and state policymakers, foundations, and academic audiences through grants rather than commercial revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Policy Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADADAJ

Early Childhood & Child Development Policy Research

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Policy, Research & Think Tanks

Keywords

• Child policy research
• Family policy analysis
• Early childhood education research
• Evidence-based policy research
• Social policy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Duke Center for Child and Family Policy conducts academic research, policy analysis, and educational programs aimed at improving child and family well-being. It carries out longitudinal studies and randomized controlled trials (including the Baby's First Years study) to generate evidence used by government agencies and foundations for child welfare, early childhood education, poverty, and equity policy decisions. The center also offers the Child Policy Research Certificate for Duke University students and operates the North Carolina Education Research Data Center.

Product overview

Duke Center for Child and Family Policy is a university research center (not a commercial product company) that conducts research, provides education programs, and engages with communities to improve child and family well-being through evidence-based policy. The center's offerings include research and policy analysis services, the Child Policy Research Certificate educational program, the North Carolina Education Research Data Center, and collaborative research initiatives like the National Center for Research on Hispanic Families and Children.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• National Center for Research on Hispanic Families and Children: A research hub to generate evidence and support programs and policy to better serve low-income Hispanic children and families. Collaboration with Child Trends, UNC Greensboro, and UMD.
• STEPS: Study of Teen Experiences that Promote Success

Products and services

• Research and Policy Analysis Services
• Child Policy Research Certificate
• North Carolina Education Research Data Center
• National Center for Research on Hispanic Families and Children

Quantifiable outcome

• Research informs North Carolina state pre-kindergarten programs (More at Four, Smart Start) with documented long-term educational benefits
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Child TrendscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner in the National Center for Research on Hispanic Children & Families. Child Trends directs this research hub in collaboration with Duke University, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and University of Maryland, College Park. The center focuses on poverty reduction, family stability, and early care and education for Hispanic families.
• University of North Carolina at GreensborocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution in the National Center for Research on Hispanic Children & Families collaboration, contributing research expertise on low-income Hispanic children and families.
• University of Maryland, College ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution in the National Center for Research on Hispanic Children & Families, collaborating on research to support Hispanic children and families.
• Durham Public Schools FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner15+ year research partnership recipient with Durham Public Schools and Duke University. DPSF helps connect the school district with families for the Growing Together student assignment initiative research.
• Durham Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding research partnership spanning over 15 years with Duke University's Center for Child and Family Policy. Current collaboration examines implementation of the Growing Together student assignment redesign.
• North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early EducationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency overseeing More at Four and Smart Start programs that are being evaluated by center researchers for long-term effects on school readiness.
• University of PittsburghcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint grant partner with Duke University for the STEPS study on adolescent well-being, conducting data collection at both Duke and Pitt with researchers including Portia Miller, Jamie Hanson, and Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MDRC: MDRC is a nonprofit social policy research organization that designs and evaluates programs aimed at improving education and family outcomes. Its focus on rigorous randomized evaluations of social programs makes it a close methodological peer.
• Brookings Institution: Brookings is a major public policy think tank that conducts research on children and families, education, and economic opportunity. While broader in scope, Brookings publishes policy analyses that often draw on the same evidence base Duke CCFP produces.
• Urban Institute: Urban Institute is a major economic and social policy think tank in Washington, DC, conducting research on poverty, education, and family economic security. It shares Duke CCFP's evidence-based approach to informing federal and state policy.
• Abt Global: Abt Global is a research and consulting firm with deep federal contracts in social programs, including early childhood, education, and family welfare research. It operates at a larger scale than Duke CCFP but addresses overlapping research questions.
• Mathematica Policy Research: Mathematica is one of the largest U.S. social policy research firms, conducting rigorous impact evaluations and policy research for federal and state agencies. While much larger and broader in scope, it directly competes for the same federal and foundation research dollars Duke CCFP targets.
• RAND Corporation: RAND is a large, established research organization conducting policy analysis across health, education, and social welfare. While broader in scope, RAND competes for many of the same federal research contracts and foundation grants as Duke CCFP.

Direct peers

• Child Trends: Child Trends is the lead partner of the National Center for Research on Hispanic Families and Children alongside Duke CCFP, UNC Greensboro, and UMD. It is one of the most prominent U.S. nonprofit research organizations focused on child and family well-being, making it a direct operational peer.
• Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago: Chapin Hall is a policy research center at the University of Chicago focused on child, family, and community well-being. Like Duke CCFP, it conducts rigorous evidence-based research informing public policy and programs for children and families.
• NORC at the University of Chicago: NORC is an independent research institution affiliated with the University of Chicago that conducts studies on social issues including child and family welfare, education, and health. Its academic affiliation and research portfolio make it a closely comparable peer.
• Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis: Stanford CEPA conducts rigorous quantitative research on education policy and inequality, including causal studies similar to Duke CCFP's work on More at Four and Smart Start. Both centers occupy the academic-policy intersection focused on K-12 and early childhood outcomes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DukeChildPol
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCXknubDIYRn3aHcKXMia2Ag
• Facebookfacebook.com/DukeChildandFamilyPolicy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/duke-center-for-child-and-family-policy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Duke Center for Child and Family Policy