From improved reading test scores to increased investments in evidence-based substance abuse treatments, these agencies are improving outcomes all across the country
Media Contact: Adam Peck
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, Results for America released the 2024 Invest in What Works Federal Standard of Excellence, a comprehensive assessment of the progress that 11 leading federal agencies have made in harnessing the power of evidence and data to invest in what works and expand opportunities for all.
“People expect us to invest their tax dollars on efforts that have an impact,” said Congressman Greg Landsman (D-OH), co-chair of the Congressional What Works Caucus. “We started the bipartisan What Works Caucus to promote a data-driven, evidence-based approach in Congress, so Americans’ hard-earned money is being spent on things that work.”
“The What Works Caucus exists to promote rigorous evaluation of existing programs and the establishment of new evidence-based policies that we can have greater confidence will solve problems,” said Congressman Rudy Yakym (R-IN), another co-chair of the Congressional What Works Caucus. “Evidence-based policy can be as simple as requiring grantmaking agencies to reserve a portion of appropriated funds for program evaluation or prioritizing applicants that have shown evidence of success. If we apply these small tweaks to our federal programs, congress will have access to better information that we can use during the appropriations process.”
U.S. Reps. Greg Landsman (D-OH) and Blake Moore (R-UT) joined Results for America and dozens of senior federal agency officials and Congressional staff on Tuesday morning to celebrate the release of the 2024 Federal Standard. In recognition of their work to advance Congress’ evidence-based approach to governance, RFA will award the inaugural Invest in What Works Congressional Champion award to five bipartisan leaders from the 118th Congress: Reps. Landsman, Yakym, Moore, Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) and Derek Kilmer (D-WA).
The 2024 Invest in What Works Federal Standard of Excellence and our related Shifting Dollars Technical Assistance℠ help leaders at federal agencies identify what works and shift dollars to the most effective solutions. These agencies — whose budgets totaled more than $311 billion in 2024 — are delivering results on a wide range of issues, from improved reading test scores and expanded early childhood education opportunities to increased investments in evidence-based substance abuse treatments and improved earnings.
Based on our analysis of this work, RFA awarded Platinum, Gold and Silver certifications to the following agencies:
Platinum: U.S. Department of Education and Millennium Challenge Corporation
Gold: U.S. Department of Transportation,* U.S. Department of Labor, AmeriCorps, the Administration for Children and Families, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (within HHS), and U.S. Agency for International Development
Silver: U.S. Department of Commerce,* U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Administration for Community Living (within HHS)
*new addition in 2024
“The dedicated staff of our federal agencies work tirelessly to improve people’s lives. By putting evidence and data at the heart of their work, these agencies are accelerating change and delivering results more effectively and efficiently than ever,” said Michele Jolin, CEO and Co-Founder of Results for America. “Their leadership by example charts a better course for the entire federal government to use taxpayer dollars to invest in what works and advance economic mobility and provide greater opportunities for everyone.”
“At RFA, we have seen more and more policymakers at every level of government harness the power of evidence and data to drive meaningful results for the American people,” said David Medina, co-founder and COO at Results for America. “The findings in our 2024 Federal Standard of Excellence make clear that federal officials are increasingly investing in what works.”
The 11 federal agencies featured this year are harnessing the power of evidence and data to improve outcomes in communities all across the country. Here are highlights of their impact:
- The U.S. Department of Education’s results-driven Promise Neighborhood grant program helped Indianola, Mississippi, achieve a 23 percentage point increase in the state reading assessment pass rate for 400 struggling third graders.
- AmeriCorps’ evidence-driven grantmaking led to more than 200,000 students being served by Reading Corps, which has been shown to increase reading fluency by up to nearly one full academic school year.
- The Administration for Children and Families’ Kinship Navigator Program at HHS has significantly increased family-centered permanent placement rates for children placed with relatives rather than in foster care. In Colorado, children placed in their state’s Kinship Navigator-funded program were 57% more likely to be reunified with a parent compared to those receiving standard county services and half as likely to require higher levels of care.
- The U.S. Department of Labor’s RESEA program has required states to invest at least 25% of grant funds in strategies proven to improve employment and earnings outcomes since FY23; an impact evaluation of Wisconsin’s RESEA program found that it led to $237-per-participant savings by shortening unemployment spells and decreasing the rate of individuals reaching their benefits cap.
These federal agencies are also leveraging their grant-making authority to ensure increased investments in what works for years to come. Some highlights include:
- The U.S. Department of Education updated its Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 2024 to help ensure that federal education dollars are invested in solutions that work.
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Mental Health Block Grant program at HHS has required that 10% of funds be invested in evidence-based solutions since 2016.
- Four agencies — MCC, SAMHSA, AmeriCorps and USAID — invested at least 1% of their budget in evaluation, a key component of RFA’s recommendations for evidence and data best practices.
- The White House Office of Management and Budget released new guidance in 2024 — with input from RFA — encouraging federal agencies to prioritize federal awards to applicants that propose evidence-based solutions. It also empowers state and local governments to invest federal funds to use evidence and data to help increase the impact of federal taxpayer dollars.