Marking Five Decades of Impact
LEO co-founder Jim Sullivan joins Brookings to reflect on how the Earned Income Tax Credit continues to lift millions—and who’s still being left behind.
LEO co-founder Jim Sullivan joined a panel at The Brookings Institution to mark 50 years of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)—a policy that lifts nearly six million Americans out of poverty each year, including three million children.
Still, as Jim reminded the audience, there’s more work to do. “If you’re emphasizing who’s benefiting, it’s also important to highlight who’s not,” he said, pointing to families in deep poverty, workers without children, and the one in five eligible individuals who don’t claim the credit.
Fifty years in, the EITC remains one of the most effective poverty-fighting tools in U.S. history—and one of the clearest examples of how data can drive impact.
When Evidence Meets Action
In the latest Evidence Matters webinar, researchers and practitioners share how communities can adapt proven homelessness prevention models to meet local needs.
The evidence is clear: targeted, rapid, and flexible financial assistance prevents homelessness—and saves communities money. But every community is different.
That question—how to translate what works—was the focus of the latest Evidence Matters webinar. Panelists David Phillips (LEO), Chad Bojorquez (Destination: Home), Jessica Orozco (Santa Clara County OSH), and Alyson Moon (Mary’s Place) shared how research-practice partnerships can help communities adapt proven solutions to their own context.
Using Santa Clara County’s RCT-backed prevention system as a case study, the group introduced the new Homelessness Prevention System Toolkit, co-created by LEO, Destination: Home, and Results for America. The guide offers step-by-step support for communities seeking to design and launch their own local prevention systems grounded in evidence.
Watch the recording at leo.nd.edu/evidence-matters/homelessness-prevention
Introducing “Those Closest”
Meet the partners and changemakers whose daily work makes building evidence possible—and whose stories remind us why it matters.
At LEO, we believe those closest to the problem are closest to the solution.
Our new blog, Those Closest, highlights the partners, service providers, and community leaders whose daily work makes building evidence possible. These are poverty’s fiercest adversaries—people turning compassion into action and showing us not just what works, but why it matters.
Read the latest posts at leo.nd.edu/those-closest
Bringing Evidence to the National Stage
LEO co-founder Jim Sullivan joins the National Academies’ Committee on National Statistics, advancing data-driven solutions to our nation’s toughest challenges.
We’re proud to share that Jim Sullivan, LEO co-founder, has been appointed to the Committee on National Statistics at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
The National Academies advise the nation on issues where science, policy, and public life intersect. As a member of the committee, Jim will help advance the use of data and evidence in shaping smarter, more effective solutions to the country’s most complex social challenges.
Fall Weekend Highlights
(note: mostly pictures and a QR code to watch the video)
Every fall, the LEO community—partners, researchers, students, and supporters—comes together to step back, reconnect, and get real about the work ahead. Here’s a few highlights from an incredible weekend you made possible.
The Big Reveal: Watch What We Do Today
We debuted our new video, What We Do Today, that captures where LEO’s been, where we’re going, and why the choices we make now matter more than ever. Scan the code below to watch it or visit bit.ly/evidence-to-impact