Financial and peer support for transgender adults during COVID-19
Creating Access to Resources and Economic Support (CARES)
See if small cash grants, financial education, and peer mentoring help transgender adults reduce financial stress, improve mental health, and increase COVID-19 prevention behaviors.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11375031 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you would be one of 360 transgender adults randomly placed into one of three groups for 12 months. One group receives a one-time microgrant plus monthly financial literacy, another gets monthly microgrants, and the third gets monthly microgrants plus peer mentoring. The study combines surveys and interviews to measure changes in psychological distress, financial harms, and COVID-19 prevention behaviors and to understand how the supports work. Researchers will also ask participants about their experiences with the interventions to learn what felt helpful or not.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Transgender adults (age 21 and older) who have experienced COVID-19–related financial or mental health harms are the intended participants.
Not a fit: People who are not transgender, are below the study's age cutoff, or already have stable finances and mental health are unlikely to benefit from these specific interventions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reduce financial hardship and distress and increase protective COVID-19 behaviors among transgender adults.
How similar studies have performed: Related microgrant and peer-support approaches have shown promise in other vulnerable groups, but they have not been rigorously tested in transgender communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Where this research is happening
Durham, United States
- Duke University — Durham, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Poteat, Tonia C — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Poteat, Tonia C
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.