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.

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The Past, Present, and Future of Credit Scores in Housing Finance

1 week ago | urban.org | Janneke Ratcliffe |Laurie Goodman |Jung Hyun Choi |Sarah Rosen Wartell

Body Credit scores are a foundational component of the US housing finance system and a key indicator of a homebuyer’s ability to access homeownership’s wealth-building benefits.Credit scores are central to risk-based pricing decisions, loan terms, down payment requirements, and more. Join the Urban Institute for a data-driven, evidence-based discussion on the evolution of credit scores in the housing finance ecosystem.
The Impact of Lowering Federal Matching Commitments to Medicaid in 10 States and the District of Columbia

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

Majority leadership in the House of Representatives has proposed implementing substantial federal funding cuts that would affect the Medicaid program over the next 10 years. This paper is one in a series that assesses the potential impacts of different policies being considered for Medicaid.
Analyzing the Effect of Per Capita Caps on the Medicaid Expansion Population

2 months ago | urban.org | John Holahan |Claire O'Brien |Lisa Dubay

In this paper, we make estimates of a policy that would impose per capita caps on the Medicaid expansion population created by the Affordable Care Act. Per capita caps limit the growth in federal spending on a per-enrollee basis. This paper builds upon previous work that imposed per capita caps on the entire Medicaid program. In response to concerns about the dramatic impact of that policy, per capita caps on the expansion population would represent a more narrow targeted policy.
Nonprofit Leaders' Top Concerns Entering 2025

2 months ago | urban.org | Katie Fallon |Hannah Martin |Grace Koch |Laura Tomasko

Entering 2025, nonprofit leaders were most concerned about the intersecting challenges of financial instability owing to uncertain revenues and rising expenses, increasing program demand, and supporting their workforces amid these changes. This brief analyzes an open-ended survey response from late 2024 which asked nonprofit leaders about their primary concerns for their organizations in 2025.
Sweeping HHS Cuts Will Put Disabled and Older Americans’ Right to Live in Their Communities at Risk

2 months 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?

Mar 5, 2025 | 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

Feb 27, 2025 | 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?

Feb 21, 2025 | 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

Feb 19, 2025 | 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

Feb 7, 2025 | 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.