Mission

We believe that academic researchers, service providers, and policymakers all play a critical role in ending poverty. LEO matches top researchers with passionate leaders in the social service sector to conduct impact evaluations that identify the innovative, effective, and scalable programs and policies that help people move permanently out of poverty.

We partner with service providers who want to disrupt the anti-poverty space. They realize that decades of "business as usual" have not sufficiently turned the tide on poverty and have left us with scant understanding of what works to lift lives up. They are early adopters, generating innovative ideas about ways to end the cycle of poverty for American families. As poverty's fiercest adversaries, they also have the courage to test their ideas, build evidence, and share what works with more people who need it. They believe that rigorous research can be an end to poverty and a new beginning for millions of families who are ready to thrive.

• Poverty is complex.
• Poverty is stubborn.
• Poverty is aggressive.
• Poverty fights hard.

But poverty has met its match with our partners. Because our partners are brave. They are tenacious. They are creative. They want to solve poverty.

LEO partners with poverty’s fiercest adversaries. They know that understanding what works is critical to outsmarting poverty.