The Institute for Innovation & Implementation

Name

The Institute for Innovation & Implementation

Legal name

The Ruth Young Social Impact Institute at the University of Maryland School of Social Work

Website

https://theinstitute.umaryland.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Work Research, Training, and Policy Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAEAE

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYEDADALAK

Research, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Partnerships

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Partnerships, Intergovernmental & NGO Programs

SECONDARYBPAGAEAC

Family & Parenting Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYEDAAAFAF

Family & Parenting Education (Family Literacy, Parenting Skills)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Community & Public Education Programs (Libraries, Community Centers)

Keywords

• Child welfare training
• Social work research
• Workforce development services
• Evidence-based practice implementation
• Policy systems change

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Institute partners with public agencies, practitioners, and communities to strengthen child and family-serving systems through four integrated service areas: Research & Evaluation, Training & Workforce Development, Community Partnerships, and Policy & Systems Change. It serves as Maryland's designated child welfare training partner and provides specialized training and implementation support in evidence-based models including Functional Family Therapy, Multisystemic Therapy, and the Pyramid Model. The Institute also administers academic programs (MSW and DSW), the Office of Practicum Education, and one of the nation's largest Continuing Professional Education programs for social workers.

Product overview

The Ruth Young Social Impact Institute operates as a research, training, and policy institute within the University of Maryland School of Social Work. Its portfolio consists of four integrated service areas: Research & Evaluation Services, Training & Workforce Development, Community Partnerships, and Policy & Systems Change. The Institute also administers the MSW and DSW academic programs, the Office of Practicum Education, and one of the nation's largest Continuing Professional Education (CPE) programs for social workers. These offerings are interconnected—the Institute's research informs its training curricula and policy recommendations, while its community partnerships provide real-world implementation contexts for evidence-based models such as Functional Family Therapy, Multisystemic Therapy, and the Pyramid Model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Center for Behavioral Health & Well-Being Research: Research center focused on behavioral health and well-being
• The Center for Restorative Change
• Daniel Thursz Social Justice Endowed Chair and Initiatives
• Family Trauma Research Assessment Education and Treatment
• Family Welfare Research and Training Group
• Financial Social Work Initiative
• Prevention of Adolescent Risks Initiative

Products and services

• Research & Evaluation Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 250 unique training events to over 4,000 individuals in FY 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 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.

• Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Institute serves as Maryland's child welfare training partner, advising DHS/SSA on kinship, permanency, and motivational interviewing matters. Supported DHS in developing Child and Family Service Review report and statewide assessments.
• Maryland Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with the Department of Education on policy and systems change initiatives strengthening child and family-serving systems.
• Maryland Department of Juvenile ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsults with Department of Juvenile Services on policy development and implementation support for child and family-serving systems.
• Maryland Higher Education CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on cross-sector initiatives to advance policy and systems change in education and social services.
• Public Agencies and PractitionerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with public agencies and practitioners to strengthen systems supporting children and families through collaborative, data-driven approaches combining national expertise with local knowledge.
• Model PurveyorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks alongside model purveyors to support sustainable implementation of evidence-based approaches including Functional Family Therapy, Multisystemic Therapy, and Pyramid Model.
• Community ProviderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with community providers to implement evidence-based practices through aligned workforce development and technical assistance.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• WestEd: Nonprofit research, development, and service agency that works extensively on education and human services; comparable in their evidence-based practice training and evaluation work for state agencies.
• Casey Family Programs: National operating foundation focused on child welfare systems change; offers similar research, training, and policy support but with a much larger endowment and broader geographic scope.
• Child Welfare League of America (CWLA): National membership-based organization focused on child welfare practice, policy, and workforce development; comparable in providing training, technical assistance, and standards to public agencies.

Emerging players

• Actionable Insights for Public Policy (now Child Trends): Foreshadowed peer illustrating the overlap of university-affiliated child welfare research and evaluation firms providing state-level assessment and policy support.
• University of Kentucky Center for Research on Violence Against Women: University-based research center focused on violence, trauma, and family well-being; comparable as a smaller academic center delivering research, training, and policy support to public systems.

Direct peers

• MDRC: Social policy research organization conducting rigorous evaluations of programs serving low-income families and children; comparable in social program research, evaluation, and implementation support.
• JBA (James Bell Associates): Research and evaluation firm specializing in child welfare, juvenile justice, and education systems; comparable in delivering federal- and state-funded program evaluations and technical assistance.
• Child Trends: Nonprofit research organization producing rigorous evidence on child and family well-being, with strong overlap in evaluation, policy work, and training for child-serving systems.
• National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD): Research and policy organization focused on juvenile justice and child welfare systems; directly comparable in providing research, training, and technical assistance to public agencies.
• Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago: University-based research center focused on child welfare, child and family services, and policy research; directly comparable in delivering research, evaluation, and technical assistance to public child welfare agencies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mdsocialwork
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UMBSocialWork
• Facebookfacebook.com/UMSSW
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theinstituteforinnovation
• Instagraminstagram.com/mdsocialwork

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Institute for Innovation & Implementation