Jordan's story...

Jordan started his career at the Kauffman Foundation, where he worked closely with academic economists.  During his time there, he started to read about direct giving—"cash transfers," in economist-speak.  

The idea was simple, and the evidence was compelling: across hundreds of studies, in dozens of countries, economists found that giving poor people cash was hugely effective.  Recipients neither worked less, nor misused the money. Instead, they showed a host of positive effects—higher earnings, better health, more education.  

These findings demonstrated the powerful impact of direct giving abroad, but the question remained, could cash transfers work in the U.S.? Looking to answer that question, and leveraging his professional experience working with academics, Jordan started talking about the idea to as many people as he knew at The University of Chicago.  

It wasn't long before he ran into Lori and Danny....