The Center for Policy Research (CPR) is established as a Colorado-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit to evaluate and improve policies and programs affecting children, families, and communities.
1981
CPR is Founded
Early 1980s–1990s
Transforming Family Court Practice
CPR partners with courts, policymakers, and practitioners to reduce conflict in family law and child protection systems.
- Conducts landmark research on divorce and custody mediation
- Helps establish mediation as a widely adopted alternative to adversarial court processes
- Leads seminal evaluations of child protection mediation, shaping national practice
1990s
Advancing Parent Engagement
CPR pioneers research on parent education, supervised visitation, and parenting plans, demonstrating how these approaches support safe, positive parent–child relationships for divorcing and unmarried parents.
Late 1990s – 2000s
Expanding Child Support Research
CPR begins extensive work with state child support programs, focusing on policies that better serve low-income families.
- Supports guideline reviews examining child-rearing costs, low-income adjustments, and parenting time
- Evaluates innovative child support practices in states across the country
Early 2000s
National Leadership on Domestic Violence
CPR conducts some of the earliest studies on survivors' experiences in the child support system.
- Leads the first National Violence Against Women Survey, interviewing 16,000 adults nationwide
- Evaluates domestic violence programs and survivor services across multiple states
2000s-2010s
Building Fatherhood Research and Practice
CPR becomes a national leader in fatherhood policy and research.
- Evaluates the federal Responsible Fatherhood Demonstration Projects in eight states
- Launches the Fatherhood Research & Practice Network (FRPN), connecting practitioners, researchers, and policymakers
- Supports practitioner-led research and state-level coordination of fatherhood initiatives
2010s
Addressing Homelessness and Housing Stability
CPR conducts leading national research on homelessness and housing insecurity.
- Evaluates two-generation (2Gen) approaches to preventing homelessness
- Uses administrative data to improve prevalence estimates of youth homelessness
- Studies prevention and services for youth experiencing homelessness, including in rural areas
2010s - 2020s
Shaping Child Support Policy Nationwide
CPR partners with state and tribal child support programs across the country to evaluate program innovations that create a more family-centered child support program.
- CPR works with more than 35 states on child support guideline reviews and program improvements.
- Advances policies addressing debt during incarceration and unemployment
- Supports early outreach, employment programs, and family-centered service models
- Helps states adopt low-income and shared parenting-time adjustments
2020s
Improving Safety and Economic Security for Survivors
CPR leads research and evaluation for the Safe Access for Victims’ Economic Security (SAVES) Center, funded by the Office of Child Support Services and housed within the Colorado Department of Human Services.
- Works with 12 states and one Tribal child support program
- Focuses on improving safe access to child support services for survivors of domestic violence
2024
National Policy Impact
CPR’s research contributes to a federal rule allowing child support programs to fund employment and fatherhood services.
Colorado becomes the first state to pass through and disregard 100% of child support paid to families receiving TANF, informed by CPR’s analysis.
Ongoing
Research with Purpose
Today, CPR continues to partner with federal and state agencies, courts, and community organizations to generate evidence that strengthens systems, centers lived experience and expands opportunity for families facing economic and social barriers.