Giving parents extra monthly cash to help children's health and well-being
Experimental Evidence on the Impact of Parental Income on Child Health and Well Being
This project gives some parents $1,000 a month for three years to find out whether the extra money improves their children's physical and mental health and overall well-being.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11167830 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are a parent or caregiver, this research randomly selects some households to receive $1,000 per month and others to receive $50 per month for three years. About 3,000 adult participants with roughly 3,640 children under 18 are followed over time. Researchers collect information on children’s physical health, mental health, and measures like schooling and well-being to compare outcomes between the cash and comparison groups. The design uses random assignment so differences in outcomes can be linked to the extra household income.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are parents or primary caregivers in the enrolled households with children under 18, especially those in lower-income families who were part of the Y Combinator Research basic income trial.
Not a fit: People without children, those in higher-income households, or individuals not enrolled in the YCR trial are unlikely to be eligible or to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could show that modest, regular cash support to parents improves children's health and long-term prospects.
How similar studies have performed: Previous cash-transfer and basic income experiments have improved financial security and some caregiver mental-health outcomes, but long-term randomized evidence on child health and educational impacts is still limited.
Where this research is happening
Ann Arbor, United States
- University of Michigan at Ann Arbor — Ann Arbor, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Miller, Sarah Marie — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Miller, Sarah Marie
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.