Race Equity for Fatherhood, Relationship, and Marriage Programs to Empower Black Families (REFRAME)

This project aims to deepen understanding of the needs and experiences of Black fathers, families, couples, and youth served by Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) programs and identify research priorities and program strategies to ensure program services can effectively support their needs.  

The project will explore how HMRF grantees can work to address the barriers and circumstances created by racial inequity through HMRF programs, including making HMRF programming more equitable for Black fathers, families, couples, and youth, and providing a compassionate, solutions-based space that appropriately reflects on the strengths and resilience of Black families. The contract will engage with HMRF experts, including program practitioners and participants with lived expertise, and Black communities; synthesize evidence on pertinent topics on how racism (to include systemic, inter-personal, and culturally pervasive forms, such as devaluation of Black identity in public media) and historic disparities affect Black fathers, families, couples, and youth in HMRF programs; identify future research priorities to support ongoing work in this area; develop resources on how HMRF programs can ensure their services are equitable and reflective of the needs of Black families; and synthesize current evidence on the strengths of Black men, families, and youth and positive contributions to their families and communities. 

Specific objectives include: 

  • Identify and document the unique assets, needs, and experiences of Black fathers, families, couples, and youth who are served by HMRF programs. 
  • Explore how HMRF grantees can work to address these needs through HMRF programs, including making access to HMRF programs more equitable and services more relevant and supportive for Black fathers, families, couples and youth while providing an authentic, informed, and compassionate space that appropriately considers the experiences of Black Americans. 
  • Develop programmatic resources for HMRF grantees to directly address race inequity and the effects of historic and systemic inequity, reflect the needs and circumstances of Black families, and make programming and service delivery more equitable and more relevant in addressing the barriers created by institutionalized racism. 

To achieve these objectives, the project will: 

  • Authentically and intensively engage HMRF experts HMRF grantees and program participants, and Black communities to garner a deeper understanding of experiences and perspectives by hearing from programs, lifting the voices of those the programs intend to serve, and learning from those with expertise related to racism (systemic, interpersonal, and culturally pervasive), Black family context and processes, and historical trauma.  
  • Review and synthesize evidence from the literature and other resources on how race inequities affect Black families, their relationships, and their ability to achieve the intended outcomes of HMRF programs, with the explicit goal of identifying ways programs can reflect this information in their provision of programming services, as well as documenting priorities for future research.  
  • Develop practice resources that provide insights, tools, and guidance for program practitioners and leaders to incorporate an equity-informed, strengths-based focus into their services. 

Addressing these questions will allow ACF to better serve Black families in HMRF programs and support the Administration’s priority to promote race equity. Promoting strong, compassionate connections and family relationships among Black families, particularly by honoring and leveraging their unique strengths and resiliencies, provides a critical opportunity for ACF to enhance the well-being of Black families and promote progress toward racial equity and social justice in ACF populations. 

This contract was awarded to MEF Associates in 2021 with a subcontract to Insight Policy Research.  

The OPRE points of contact are Katie Pahigiannis and Pooja Curtin. 

Related Resources

Explore strengths-based approaches used in the REFRAME project which aims to center and support Black families in Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood programs.