This Year Marks an Exciting Milestone for MDRC: Our 50th Anniversary
Founded in 1974 as the “Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation,” MDRC was premised on a conviction that was radical for its time: that new social programs, like new drugs, should undergo careful testing to validate their effectiveness.
Over the next 50 years, we held firm in this founding belief: that following the evidence wherever it leads, no matter how unexpected or uncomfortable, is the only way to truly reduce inequities and improve the lives of those living in poverty.
Yet the very strength of this conviction also drove us to evolve and adapt—from expanding our areas of focus to better address problems at their roots, to helping our partners use their own data to scale up and sustain impact.
Above all, the story of MDRC is the story of social policy over the last 50 years. And that story—even with all its ups and downs—is a story of hope: proof that progress on seemingly intractable problems, from improving high school graduation rates to reducing prison recidivism, is possible.
Over the coming months, we invite you to join us as we delve into the story of MDRC’s first 50 years—and the many impacts we are proud to have helped our partners create for those living in poverty—and explore what all of this means for what comes next.
Impact Cases
Measure for Measure
How Innovations in Course Placement are Helping Community College Students Succeed
From Job to Career
The Changing Landscape—and Growing Impact—of Career and Technical Education
The MDRC Gueron Scholars Program: Building Career Pathways into Policy Research
“Skills Are King”: The Story of Sectoral Training Programs — and Why They Work
LinkedIn Features
One long-forgotten MDRC project played a pioneering role in promoting equity for people with disabilities.
One little-known lesson from MDRC’s story?
The power of evidence-based policymaking does not stop at the U.S. border.
What’s the relationship between MDRC and academia?
We have a long history of shaping each other’s work.
How do we transform research into impact?
For the last 50 years, that challenge has been at the heart of MDRC’s work.
How can students from underrepresented groups break into the social policy sector?
Just ask Judy Gueron.
At the heart of MDRC’s 50-year story—and the impact we’ve created—is our work with federal agencies.
Behind the values and capabilities that MDRC has built up over 50 years are an incredible group of people.
And one of the people who most profoundly shaped MDRC’s work is Sharon Rowser.
How can formerly incarcerated people get a second chance at a better life?
From the beginning, that question has driven the work of our long-time partner, the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO).
