Cash Assistance for Gender-Based Violence Survivors

Last registered on June 23, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Cash Assistance for Gender-Based Violence Survivors
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018933
Initial registration date
June 15, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
June 23, 2026, 8:17 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Elisa Jacome
Affiliation
Northwestern University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Abigail Adams
PI Affiliation
Northwestern University
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2026-03-01
End date
2027-12-31
Keywords
Crime, Violence, & Conflict, Gender
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Victims of gender-based violence (GBV) face acute financial strain precisely when support is most critical. This study evaluates the Survivor Fund, a program operated by The Network and funded by the City of Chicago's Department of Family & Support Services, which provides one-time $1,000 unconditional cash transfers to survivors of GBV.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Adams, Abigail and Elisa Jacome. 2026. "Cash Assistance for Gender-Based Violence Survivors." AEA RCT Registry. June 23. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18933-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2026-03-01
Intervention End Date
2026-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Safety (gender-based violence victimization), housing stability (eviction), economic security (credit score)
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Self-assessed safety and victimization, Self-assessed housing stability, Self-assessed economic security
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Because program demand exceeds available funding, transfers are allocated via a monthly lottery, generating variation in receipt that we leverage to estimate causal effects.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization carried out by The Network, a Chicago-based advocacy organization. Each month during the program period (March through November 2026), The Network opens a one-week application window. In each monthly round, all eligible individuals (which includes both new applicants and those automatically rolled over from prior rounds) are assigned a random number within The Network's case management system. Applicants are ranked by this random number, and the top-ranked individuals are selected to receive the cash transfer. All remaining eligible applicants are carried forward automatically into the next round.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
The number of clusters will be equal to the number of individuals who apply for the Survivor Fund and consent to share their information with researchers.
Sample size: planned number of observations
The number of observations will be equal to the number of individuals who apply for the Survivor Fund and consent to share their information with researchers.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
We estimate roughly 5,500 individuals in the treatment arm (given 3,825 funded transfers at an expected take-up rate of 70%). Remaining individuals will be in the control arm.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Northwestern University
IRB Approval Date
2026-03-10
IRB Approval Number
STU00225724
Analysis Plan

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