Project Leads: Lisa Manzer, Annie Kucklick, and Sarah Brolliar, UW Social Work

Data Science Lead: Anshul Tambay

The Self-Sufficiency Standard measures how much income families need to meet their basic needs without public or private support. Used by researchers, policymakers, and advocates nationwide, the Standard draws on detailed local data such as housing, child care, health care, and taxes. The Center for Women’s Welfare is transitioning this tool from a spreadsheet-based system to a modern, flexible codebase using R and GitHub.

Through the eScience Accelerator, the team will strengthen their workflow by improving documentation, testing, and version control. This project supports a broader effort to make the Standard more maintainable, scalable, and responsive to evolving policy needs—especially as it expands to cover all 50 states for the first time in 2026.