Project: Improving Family Economic Security Through Evidence-Based State Policy Reforms

NCCP presents a current (as of 9/18/26) “dashboard” view of the federal guidelines for benefits and refundable tax credits for mixed-status families (families with immigrant parents that include U.S.-born children). Included is an explainer of the recent public charge rule and its implications for mixed-status families. Note: States likely have their own rules and provisions […]

Research using data from 2004 to 2016 showed that seven restrictive state TANF policies predicted increases in the incidence of child neglect and foster care placement. In this resource, NCCP provides an updated scorecard of the same policies in 2026, demonstrating which states effectively protect more children and families by re-framing each policy to expand […]

NCCP has conducted a nation-wide review of state TANF guidelines for the administration and distribution of cash assistance to families with adults and children. This resource offers comparison of the maximum amount of cash assistance provided by each state and D.C. to a family of three. It presents the maximum amount of TANF cash assistance […]

This fact sheet features a close look at recently proposed legislation to alter federal SNAP guidelines for states and households. Its provisions would: increase food insecurity for low-income families with children; and expand both states’ costs and administrative responsibilities for the program. The implementation demands alone would weigh heavily on state administrative bodies in the coming years.

The National Center for Children in Poverty’s (NCCP) 50-State Comparison of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Policies Linked to Child and Family Protection can support the work of policymakers and advocates. Research using data from 2004 to 2016 shows that states that adopted any of seven restrictive TANF policies in those years saw increases […]

The National Center for Children in Poverty’s (NCCP) 50-State Comparison of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) Policies Linked to Child and Family Protection for the program can support the work of policymakers and advocates. In states that enacted them during the years 2004 through 2016, each of four policies included here contributed to reductions in […]

This resource presents a comparative view of the 2024 status of five restrictive state TANF policies that affect family and child well-being across 50 states and the District of Columbia.