Urban Institute

The Urban Institute serves as a reliable source for impartial and credible insights that guide important decisions regarding the welfare of individuals and communities across the United States. As a nonprofit research organization, we are committed to the idea that choices driven by data, rather than personal beliefs, can enhance public policy and practices, support community growth, and positively change lives.

National

English

Research Company/Group

Outlet metrics

Domain Authority

Ranking

Global

#134632

United States

#32418

Law and Government/Government

#644

Traffic sources

Monthly visitors

Articles

Sweeping HHS Cuts Will Put Disabled and Older Americans’ Right to Live in Their Communities at Risk

2 weeks ago | urban.org | Susan J. Popkin |Nina Russell |Barbara A. Butrica |Dana Ferrante

This week, the Trump administration began a large-scale reorganization of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including laying off staff at the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Food and Drug Administration. Among the hardest hit was the Administration for Community Living (ACL).
How Would SNAP Benefit Cuts Affect Your Community?

1 month ago | urban.org | Poonam Gupta |Elaine Waxman |Kassandra Martinchek |Aleszu Bajak

The Thrifty Food Plan, which is used to determine SNAP benefits, hadn’t been updated since 2006. In 2018, however, Congress approved a bipartisan provision to reevaluate the plan by 2022 and every five years thereafter. The resulting reevaluation, issued in 2021, ensured that SNAP benefit amounts reflected current dietary guidelines, costs of buying and preparing food, and household consumption patterns.
Imposing Per Capita Medicaid Caps and Reducing the Affordable Care Act’s Enhanced Match

1 month ago | urban.org | John Holahan |Claire O'Brien |Lisa Dubay

Leadership in the US House of Representatives is considering substantial federal funding cuts to Medicaid over the next 10 years. This paper is one in a series that assesses the implications of different proposals. This paper focuses on a policy proposal that would impose per capita caps on Medicaid spending and reduce the 90 percent federal matching rate that now applies to adults covered under the optional Medicaid expansion.
What is the Financial Risk of Nonprofits Losing Government Grants?

2 months ago | urban.org | Jesse Lecy |Laura Tomasko |Hannah Martin |Rachel Marconi

In every state, every congressional district, and more than 95 percent of counties in the United States, public charities receive government grants. Without these grants, most nonprofits would be unable to cover their expenses. Nationwide, 103,475 public charities reported receiving a total of over $267 billion from government grants in 2021. The inflation-adjusted total of over $300 billion represents almost three times the most recent estimates of foundation giving.
When Will Los Angeles Rebuild? Comparing Housing Recovery Timelines After Four Recent Wildfires

2 months ago | urban.org | Andrew Rumbach |Sara McTarnaghan |Kameron Lloyd |Aleszu Bajak

The recent wildfires in Los Angeles burned more than 11,500 homes across 60 square miles, making the fires one of the costliest disasters in US history and deepening the city’s housing crisis. State and local officials have already taken steps to speed the city’s housing recovery, but past disasters show that rebuilding can take years.
Government Grants and Contracts for Nonprofits in 2023

2 months ago | urban.org | Hannah Martin |Laura Tomasko |Lewis Faulk |Mirae Kim

In 2023, two-thirds of nonprofits from a nationally representative panel study in the United States received at least one government grant or contract, resulting in the average nonprofit generating one-quarter of its revenue from government sources that year. Over a third of nonprofits received more than a quarter of their revenue from the government, and about two in ten nonprofits received more than half of their revenue from the government.
Expanding Digital Opportunity: Charting a Path toward Full Inclusion

2 months ago | urban.org | Sarah Rosen Wartell |Corianne Scally |Fredric Blavin

Body In our interconnected world, digital participation is essential for quality of life and well-being. But the digital divide—the gap between those who have affordable access, skills, and support to effectively engage online and those who do not—threatens to leave some individuals and communities out. Join the Urban Institute as we highlight solutions to narrow the digital divide in this time of historic digital investments.
Unlocking Medicaid's Potential to Expand Supportive Housing

2 months ago | urban.org | Sarah Gillespie |Alyse Oneto |Devlin Hanson |Pear Moraras

Homelessness is rapidly increasing in Colorado and across the country, which poses a serious challenge for both the housing and health care sectors. Supportive housing—an evidence-based model that combines permanent housing assistance with supportive services, such as intensive case management and connections to physical and behavioral health care—has consistently proven to end homelessness for people with the highest needs.
Housing Finance: At A Glance Monthly Chartbook, January 2025

2 months ago | urban.org | Laurie Goodman |Janneke Ratcliffe |Michael Neal |Jung Hyun Choi

Housing Finance At A Glance is a monthly reference guide policymakers and industry professionals have used since 2013 to stay informed about the latest mortgage and housing market data. The chartbook includes more than 80 updated figures describing current trends in the US housing finance market, such as housing affordability, credit availability, and serious delinquency rates.
The Implications of Shrinking the Federal Workforce by DOGE’s Recommended 75 Percent

2 months ago | urban.org | Jonathan Schwabish

President-elect Donald Trump tasked Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy with running the new nongovernmental Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to “dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” or, in their own words, “cut the federal government down to size.” How DOGE plans to cut $2 trillion from the $6.1 trillion federal budget and reduce the federal workforce by 75 percent remains to be seen.