The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation of the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded a five-year contract to MDRC — with partners MEF Associates and Abt SRBI — to evaluate Responsible Fatherhood programs in the Building Bridges and Bonds (B3) study.

Since 2006, Congress has authorized dedicated funding (currently $75 million per year) for discretionary grants to organizations that help fathers attain economic stability, increase involvement with and provide emotional and material support for their children, improve their parenting and co-parenting skills, and build stronger couple relationships. The Building Bridges and Bonds study will feature a multisite, random assignment study of the impacts and implementation of specific elements of programs that support fathers’ efforts to improve their economic well-being, parenting, and family relationships.