The National Poverty Center (NPC) at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan was established in the fall of 2002 as a university-based, nonpartisan research center.  We conduct and promote multidisciplinary, policy-relevant research, mentor and train emerging scholars, and inform public discourse on the causes and consequences of poverty.

The NPC:

• Awards research grants to emerging scholars
• Conducts large-scale research projects, including the Michigan Recession and Recovery Study (MRRS)
• Mentors visiting scholars and postdoctoral fellows
• Trains individuals on poverty research and data analysis
• Engages nearly 200 research affiliates from institutions across the country
• Coordinates and presents at national seminars, conferences and policy forums
• Disseminates over 200 working papers and policy briefs
• Publishes edited volumes highlighting NPC-supported poverty research

NPC activities are currently supported with funding from the Ford Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, as well as generous support from units within the University of Michigan, including the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, Office of the Vice President for Research, the Rackham Graduate School, and the Institute for Social Research.

Our recent activities have also been supported with funding from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Census Bureau, Joyce Foundation, and Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

The National Poverty Center is directed by Sheldon H. Danziger.