Many government agencies either administer programs that assist
low income families or maintain data relevant to poverty
researchers. These links provide access to relevant data,
program statistics and rules, and agency structure and contacts.
The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) is the
principal advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services on policy development, and is
responsible for major activities in policy coordination,
legislation development, strategic planning, policy research,
evaluation, and economic analysis. The Center for Poverty
Research at UC Davis receives core funding from the ASPE.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) is an agency of the
Department of Commerce. Along with the Census Bureau and
STAT-USA, BEA is part of the Department’s Economics and
Statistics Administration. BEA collects source data, conducts
research and analysis, develops and implements estimation
methodologies, and disseminates statistics to the public.
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is a federal
agency funding state, territory, local, and tribal organizations
to provide family assistance (welfare), child support, child
care, Head Start, child welfare, and other programs relating to
children and families.
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), formerly known as the Food
and Consumer Service, administers the nutrition assistance
programs of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The mission of
FNS is to provide children and needy families better access to
food and a more healthful diet through its food assistance
programs and comprehensive nutrition education efforts.
The NICHD, established by congress in 1962, conducts and supports
research on topics related to the health of children, adults,
families, and populations. Some of these topics
include:
Reducing infant deaths
Improving the health of women, men, and families
Understanding reproductive health and fertility/infertility
Learning about growth and development
Examining, preventing and treating problems of birth defects
and intellectual and developmental disabilities
Enhancing well-being of persons through the lifespan with
optimal rehabilitation research
