Results for America

08/07/2026

🆕 Our latest from The Department of What Works is live!

In this week’s post, Michigan State Senator John Cherry shares how Democrats and Republicans came together to help fund Rx Kids, an evidence-based program that provides flexible cash transfers to families during pregnancy and a baby’s first months of life.

Senator Cherry represents Flint, where Rx Kids was piloted and is already delivering remarkable results:

➤ 18% decrease in preterm births
➤ 27% decrease in the proportion of infants born with low birth weights
➤ 29% reduction in admissions to neonatal intensive care, generating an estimated $6.2 million in healthcare savings
➤ 32% decrease in the rate of allegations of infant maltreatment
➤ 91% decrease in evictions for participants

Learn more about the bipartisan support behind Rx Kids and how the program is expanding across and beyond Michigan:
https://thedepartmentofwhatworks.substack.com/p/rx-kids-started-in-flint-now-its

This evidence-based, bipartisan program gives families support during pregnancy and a baby’s first year. It is already delivering strong results — and expanding across and beyond Michigan.

08/04/2026

A 2026 analysis from The Pew Charitable Trusts found that federal grants make up 36% of state revenue. Yet applying for and managing them is often so complex that the money is difficult to capture and harder to keep. In our latest post in The Department of What Works, learn how Grant Ready Kentucky helped the small town of Campton tap into critical federal funding to bring clean drinking water and much more to its residents.

Some of the results from Kentucky’s GRANT Match Program include:

🔑 Each dollar disbursed has unlocked more than seven in total project value across the state.

🏗️ More than $1 billion in total project value has been approved through the program for over 400 projects delivering clean water, safer bridges, working infrastructure, and much more, in places that couldn’t have broken ground otherwise.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Lives changed: families in Eastern Kentucky pouring clean water from their own taps for the first time, and thousands of other lives improved in myriad small but mighty ways across the Commonwealth.

Explore the story today!
https://thedepartmentofwhatworks.substack.com/p/kentuckys-solution-for-communities

08/03/2026

🏆 Congratulations to City of San Antonio - Municipal Government’s Department of Communications & Engagement for winning the 2026 Sharman Stein Award for Storytelling Changemakers!

The award recognizes local government teams that build trust between government and residents through collaboration and public communication.

“At the City of San Antonio, we believe great communication builds trust, removes barriers to participation, and gives every resident a voice in shaping our community,” said Alanna Reed, Director of Communications & Engagement.

Learn more at the link in our bio.

07/30/2026

Small towns across the country often struggle to make badly needed infrastructure improvements, even when federal funding is available. The problem is that federal grants usually require a local “match,” often hundreds of thousands of dollars that communities simply do not have.

Today in The Department of What Works, Grant Ready Kentucky 's Hannah Conover and Zach Matheson show how Kentucky is helping solve that problem through a story from Campton, where families who have relied on failing wells for generations will soon receive long-awaited city water.

🔗 Read the full story here:
https://thedepartmentofwhatworks.substack.com/p/kentuckys-solution-for-communities

How a tiny Kentucky town broke out of the "match trap" — and how Grant Ready Kentucky is helping the rest of the state, and the country, do the same.

07/29/2026

“As housing affordability becomes an increasingly urgent national challenge, New Jersey’s experience shows that state governments can play a meaningful role in expanding housing opportunity — and that with clear rules, accountability, and persistence, even longstanding political resistance can begin to shift,” write Fair Share Housing Center’s Jag Davies and Results for America’s Brittany Giroux Lane in the most recent post from The Department of What Works.

Learn more and read their post here. ⬇️
https://thedepartmentofwhatworks.substack.com/p/with-new-clear-statewide-rules-new

07/24/2026

Housing markets don't stop at municipal borders. When some towns refuse to allow affordable homes, the consequences are felt across an entire region.

That's why New Jersey requires every municipality to create its fair share of affordable homes. Thanks to the state's new law strengthening this framework, the Garden State is creating more affordable homes than ever before.

Our new article for Results for America's The Department of What Works, co-authored by Jag Davies and Brittany Giroux Lane, explains what other states can learn from New Jersey's groundbreaking model: https://thedepartmentofwhatworks.substack.com/p/with-new-clear-statewide-rules-new

07/24/2026

In the latest from The Department of What Works, Fair Share Housing Center’s Jag Davies and Results for America’s Brittany Giroux Lane share how recent efforts to strengthen and streamline New Jersey’s longstanding affordable housing framework have helped it work better. With several lessons for other states, the post explores New Jersey’s journey toward developing the nation’s strongest statewide framework, helping more communities across the Garden State build the affordable housing their residents need.

Read it today:
https://thedepartmentofwhatworks.substack.com/p/with-new-clear-statewide-rules-new

By requiring every municipality to create its fair share of affordable homes, the Garden State offers a compelling model for other states to build on.

07/15/2026

🏠How can communities improve housing quality while also protecting affordability?

Today in The Department of What Works, Stephanie Rouse, AICP from the City of Lincoln Government, shares how Lincoln is doing just that in its historic South of Downtown neighborhood. Through a creative rental rehab program, the city is helping landlords make critical repairs while ensuring current residents benefit from neighborhood revitalization rather than being pushed out by it.

🔗 Read the full story here: https://thedepartmentofwhatworks.substack.com/p/how-lincoln-nebraska-is-repairing

07/09/2026

🚨 Job Alert! What Works Cities is entering an exciting new phase and seeking a new team member!

The Associate, Strategy & Growth will play a key role in supporting the Strategy & Growth function by managing the operational backbone of city engagement while contributing to strategic insights that inform outreach and growth decisions.

🔗 Learn more and apply today!
https://results4america.org/careers/

07/08/2026

“I’ve watched evaluations influence public investments, strengthen public programs, and improve life for New Mexicans. And I’ve learned that government can change more quickly than many people think,” says Sarah Dinces, Ph.D., Principal Program Evaluator at the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee.

📊 In our latest post from The Department of What Works, learn how evaluations are helping decision-makers identify what’s working and what’s not to better serve New Mexicans: https://thedepartmentofwhatworks.substack.com/p/i-came-to-new-mexico-for-a-phd-i

From children’s behavioral health to universal prekindergarten, evidence is shaping public investments.