Stanford and Harvard will combine their research efforts for an ambitious study of why there are 37 million Americans living in poverty.

The effort is being funded by the Elfenworks Foundation with $1.5 million being given to Stanford's Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality and $2.4 million being given to Harvard Kennedy's School Multidisciplinary Program in Inequality and Social Policy.

"This initiative will help us fight a new smart war on poverty backed by the very best science," David Grusky, the director of Stanford's Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality, said. "Good intentions alone are not enough, but when good intentions are combined with the best science great things can happen."

"The tentacles of poverty and inequality reach far and deep throughout our society -- from our most crowded cities to our farthest rural corners," Bruce Western, director of Harvard's Program in Inequality and Social Policy, said.

"The challenge for policymakers is to recognize the complexity of the challenge, and to confront it in new ways. The collaboration is intended to help bridge the gap between theory and practice, between ideas and impact. We hope to make a significant difference in this effort."

The collaboration will support four interrelated programs: national task forces to investigate pressing problems pertaining to American poverty and social inequality; a social policy laboratory that will promote science-based evaluations and policy innovations that expand economic opportunity and social mobility; graduate and undergraduate internships to support the task forces and laboratory while training new policymakers; and a series of executive roundtables to create exchanges between researchers, policymakers and opinion leaders.

"America is in the midst of some of the most difficult financial, economic and market conditions we have since the 1930s," Elfenrowks CEO Lauren Speeth said. "In light of the times, I feel a profound sense of gratitude that Harvard Kennedy School and Stanford University would join together to address our country's most urgent needs with this initiative."

-- Don Kazak