Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) awarded $114,040 to The Regents Of The University Of Colorado (University of Colorado-Denver) on June 23, 2026, under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865). This Career Development Award (K01) funds a five-year research initiative through May 31, 2031, evaluating the causal relationship between state paid family leave (PFL) implementation and reductions in family violence, including child maltreatment and intimate partner violence (IPV). The research employs rigorous causal inference methodologies, including person-level data linkage analysis and county-level difference-in-differences study design, informed by the Family Stress Model.

The award supports three primary research objectives: (1) assessing the completeness and validity of a novel multi-year data linkage and estimating associations between PFL policy and family violence indicators; (2) identifying predictive factors for state PFL utilization using linked person-level data; and (3) quantifying causal effects of state PFL implementation on morbidity and mortality attributable to family violence. Additionally, the award funds career development activities for the principal investigator, including formal training in causal identification methodologies, study design execution, and the application of causal inference models to public policy analysis. Findings are intended to inform state and federal policy discussions regarding paid family leave and support upstream violence prevention efforts across federal and state agencies.