Discover. Connect. Empower.
CFF initiatives bring research, people and ideas together around important questions about families. From supporting new research and emerging scholars to creating opportunities for collaboration and connecting knowledge with communities, each initiative contributes to a larger purpose: understanding families more deeply and creating possibilities that help all families thrive.
Explore the initiatives that bring the Center for Families’ mission to life.
Faculty Partner Program
Bring your expertise. Connect across disciplines. Discover what’s possible.
The Faculty Partner Program connects Purdue faculty with CFF’s research, initiatives and community. Together, partners create opportunities to collaborate, share expertise and extend family-focused research beyond disciplinary boundaries.
The Family Dinner Project in Indiana
Connect research with families and communities.
The Family Dinner Project in Indiana brings research and practical resources about family meals into communities across the state. Through collaboration with educators, practitioners and community partners, the initiative helps families build meaningful connections around the dinner table.
CFF Funding Program
Give important questions a chance to be explored.
CFF funding supports faculty, students and educators as they explore important questions about families. By encouraging multidisciplinary research and community-engaged work, these opportunities help new ideas take root and create possibilities for future discovery.
Burkhart Award for Excellence in Research about Families
Recognize research that advances our understanding of families.
The Burkhart Award celebrates outstanding research about families and recognizes scholarship that contributes meaningful new knowledge. By highlighting important work, the award helps bring new ideas and perspectives into the broader conversation about families.
Kanter Award for Excellence in Work Family Research
Recognize research that expands what we know about work and family.
The Kanter Award celebrates outstanding work-family research from around the world. By recognizing research that advances the field, the award helps bring important scholarship into greater visibility and connects researchers across disciplines.
CFF Speaker Series
Discover new ideas. Hear new perspectives. Join the conversation.
The CFF Speaker Series brings experts from different fields together to share research and ideas about families throughout the life course. Each conversation creates an opportunity to learn, connect and consider new possibilities.
MFRI at Purdue University
Turn research into possibilities for military families.
The Military Family Research Institute brings research and collaboration together to strengthen the ability of military and civilian organizations to support military families. Its work connects evidence with the people and organizations working to improve family well-being.
Research, Reports, & Data
Explore what we’re learning about families.
CFF research, reports, and data make knowledge about families accessible to researchers, practitioners, communities and others. They provide evidence and insights that deepen understanding, inform conversations and inspire new questions.
Faculty Research
Discover new perspectives on family life.
CFF faculty researchers explore important questions about families from across disciplines and perspectives. Their work expands knowledge about the experiences, strengths, needs and resilience of families and helps open new possibilities for discovery and collaboration.
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Indiana Family Impact Seminars
Bring research into conversations about policy and families.
Indiana Family Impact Seminars connect research with policymakers and community leaders by examining how policies and programs affect families. The seminars help bring a family perspective to important issues and inform decisions that affect individuals and communities.
COFO
Connect family organizations around shared priorities.
The Indiana Consortium of Family Organizations brings organizations together to promote a family perspective in public policy and services. Through shared learning and collaboration, the consortium supports a stronger collective voice for families.