The HPOG University Partnership 2.0 Research Grants

The Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Program funds demonstration projects that provide training and education to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families recipients and other low-income individuals for occupations in the healthcare field that pay well and are expected to either experience labor shortages or be in high demand. The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) is evaluating the HPOG Program using a multipronged strategy to examine program implementation, systems change, and outcomes and impacts for participants.

The HPOG University Partnership Research Grants (HPOGUP) are part of OPRE’s comprehensive HPOG evaluation strategy and fund studies conducted by university researchers partnering with one or more HPOG program to answer specific questions about how to improve HPOG services within local contexts. In 2016, OPRE awarded a second round of HPOGUP grants (HPOGUP 2.0) to the following universities:

• Brandeis University, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Institute on Assets and Social Policy (IASP), conducting a study titled, Study of Career Advancement and Quality Jobs in Health Care in partnership with the WorkPlace, Inc. in Bridgeport, Connecticut;
• Loyola University of Chicago, conducting a study titled, Evaluation of Goal-Directed Psychological Capital and Employer Coaching in Health Profession Opportunity Development in partnership with Chicago State University in Chicago, Illinois;
• Northwestern University, Institute for Policy Research, conducting a study titled, The Northwestern University Two-Generation Study (NU2Gen) of Parent and Child Human Capital Advancement in partnership with the Community Action Project of Tulsa County, (CAP Tulsa) in Oklahoma.