Social Security Administration continues Center’s funding

J. Michael Collins

The Center for Financial Security at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, as part of the Retirement and Disability Research Consortium (RDRC), has been awarded a third year of funding from the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

One of just four RDRC centers in the country supported by SSA, UW–Madison’s is the only one to focus specifically on the financial well-being of economically vulnerable families, older people, people with disabilities, low-wealth households, and children.

“I’m proud of what our center has accomplished in its first two years of operation and how we have supported our understanding of economic security, especially among the most vulnerable people in our country,” said Professor J. Michael Collins. “This next slate of projects promises to continue to deliver on that goal, and with the pandemic exacerbating hardship for millions of families across the U.S., the need could not be more urgent.”

Collins, a La Follette School faculty member, is director of the Center for Financial Security and the Fetzer Family Chair in Consumer and Personal Science at the School of Human Ecology.

This year’s award funds 11 major research studies, including several led by University of Wisconsin faculty. In addition, the funding renews support for four research fellowships and for the Junior Scholars in Training (JSIT) program, which instructs and mentors early-career researchers and junior faculty in the retirement and disability fields.

It will also support translational research and dissemination for the next year, including collaborations with policymakers and practitioners nationally, as well as seminars and conferences to share research results.

The RDRC is an extramural research collaboration. Researchers and projects receiving funding within the CFS RDRC for 2020-2021, including abstracts, are online.