![Blue graphic with text "Fencing Off the Benefits Cliff," featuring a circular photo of a man labeled Ryan Erickson and subtitle "Social Finance in Governing.](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/15-1000x673.png")
Governing: Fencing Off the Benefits Cliff
A small bump in income can cost a family far more in lost public assistance, leading some to forgo opportunity. There are some promising efforts to get at the problem.
Insights
![A teacher and three young children sit on a blue rug in a classroom, interacting with colorful paper shapes. A chalkboard and desks are visible in the background.](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/pexels-rdne-8364069-1000x667.jpg")
Analyzing Texas’ Child Care Workforce: What Early Educators are Telling Us About Their Profession
We conducted a representative survey of 1,129 Texas child care program directors to understand the experiences of child care workers in the state and what can be done to improve the profession.
![Two adults walk hand-in-hand with a child through a forest, holding the child's hands and lifting them off the ground as they walk along a dirt path.](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/pexels-caleboquendo-3038369-1000x633.jpg")
Webinar: Impact Investing for Thriving Families
Thriving families are powerful drivers of economic mobility and community resilience. Yet many continue to face systemic barriers in securing the resources that allow them to prosper—access to capital, caregiving infrastructure, and wealth-building opportunities.
![A man helping a student with class work in classroom.](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/JVS-076-1-scaled-1-1000x668.jpg")
Pay for Success Issue Brief Series
This series of 10 issue briefs on Pay for Success (PFS) is intended to provide practical guidance and examples for government officials interested in pursuing PFS within their agencies or jurisdictions.
![](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/gi-img-1000x719.jpg")
Guaranteed Income in California: Exploring a New Approach to Supporting Communities
![Two little girls playing with wooden blocks in a room.](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/pexels-cottonbro-studio-3662667-1000x667.jpg")
Evaluating Preschool Development Grant Performance in Connecticut
Social Finance partnered with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC) at the beginning of 2022 to design a measurement and evaluation strategy to meet the quarterly and annual reporting requirements of the state's Preschool…
![Two boys writing in a book.](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/andrew-ebrahim-zRwXf6PizEo-unsplash-1000x667.jpg")
2024 ARPA Funds: Use it or Lose it
![Kids playing at daycare](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/pexels-pavel-danilyuk-8422170-1000x673.jpg")
Child Care in Connecticut: Initiatives to Address a Crisis
The OEC recognizes the difficult and essential work that underpaid and overworked staff in child care programs perform—work for children, families, and communities—and are seeking to leverage local, state, and federal resources to address this…
![Woman holding her newborn baby](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/austin-wade-uZjV42FWnag-unsplash-scaled-e1679438998712-1000x737.jpg")
Home Visiting Reauthorization Offers States New Opportunities to Support Families
For over a decade, Social Finance has worked with government and nonprofit partners to design and implement data-driven programs that support families in the transition to parenthood. Congress’ recent reauthorization of the Maternal, Infant, and…