By Lauren Slagter
ANN ARBOR – Poverty Solutions Associate Faculty Director Natasha Pilkauskas and Faculty Affiliate Helen Levy will track food insufficiency in U.S. households, publish quarterly briefs, and provide free public data on hardship among vulnerable families nationwide, with support from the University of Michigan's inaugural Strategic Initiative Fund grants.
This work follows the cancellation of the federal Household Food Security Survey that had run annually for 30 years, leaving a gap in the ability to track food-related hardship in the U.S. against a backdrop of rising prices, cuts to welfare programs, and pervasive economic uncertainty.
The project aims to give researchers and the public a continued, up-to-date picture of how vulnerable families are faring. Levy, who is a research professor at the Institute for Social Research, is leading the "Monitoring Food Hardship in the U.S." project in partnership with Pilkauskas, who is a professor of public policy who studies the social safety net.
President Domenico Grasso announced the $1 billion, 10-year Strategic Initiative Fund (SIF) in November, and U-M faculty and staff submitted nearly 500 proposals for projects to improve human health, strengthen communities, and build a more sustainable world. On Aug. 26, the university announced 37 projects that will receive $40 million in initial funding to pursue those bold ideas.
"The university is making a deliberate and sustained financial commitment to invest in the ideas, people and partnerships that will shape our future and achieve our vision," Grasso said in an article in the University Record. "And these initiatives will ensure that Michigan continues to distinguish itself as a place where bold ideas deliver lasting impact."
To be considered for funding, each proposal had to align with one or more of the five impact areas identified in the Look to Michigan vision and encourage collaboration from scholars and staff across academic departments, university campuses and multiple colleges, schools and units.
"These initiatives reflect the University of Michigan's academic mission at its best — advancing discovery, enriching education, and bringing people together across disciplines to pursue questions that matter," said Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Laurie McCauley. "We are supporting work that strengthens our core commitments to knowledge, learning, and service."