Phoenix Zones Initiative has two main aims: to foster grassroots Phoenix Zone projects that empower the most vulnerable communities, and to fuel systemic changes that advance rights, health, and wellbeing, in order to make it easier for those working locally to build stronger, more resilient communities. Our programs focus on five areas: food, fiber, community, knowledge, and service, in which the lives of people and animals acutely intersect. We prioritize efforts that expand the common ground of movements working on behalf of people and animals, and we work to scale, enhance, and accelerate solutions that advance the intricately connected welfare of people, animals, and the planet. In an increasingly interconnected world, our efforts prioritize building bridges between organizations and movements that have traditionally worked in silos.

We focus on public education and outreach, policy research and analysis, the creation of diverse coalitions, advocacy for grassroots and systems-level action, and sustainable, evidence-based models of social change. In order to advance meaningful impact, we also advocate for high-yield reforms within governmental, nongovernmental, and corporate entities, while curating and disseminating best practices that advance the rights, health, and wellbeing of people and animals.

Phoenix Zones Initiative is led by physicians and a diverse cross-sectoral team. Within its first year of operation, the organization assembled a team of dozens of individuals with critical expertise. The organization’s co-founder, president, and volunteer CEO, Dr. Hope Ferdowsian, is a double-board certified internal medicine and preventive medicine physician with expertise in ethics and public health. Over the past two decades, Hope has worked across six continents to advance human and animal wellbeing, health, and rights. In the US, she has provided healthcare and advocacy for homeless, veteran, immigrant, and other vulnerable populations, while also working to end the exploitation of animals in laboratories and food production. She has led key educational, research, and policy initiatives, collaborated with the Office of the Surgeon General of the United States on global public health issues, and developed resources for nongovernmental organizations, national governments, and the World Health Organization. She has authored highly cited publications and spoken at academic institutions and through media outlets across the globe about connections between human, animal, and planetary wellbeing. Additionally, Phoenix Zones Initiative’s senior leadership team consists of professionals with degrees in domestic and international law, cultural anthropology, sociology, and women’s studies, as well as concrete experience in nonprofit management, community relations, research, education, and advocacy. Together, members of the senior leadership team have a depth and breadth of expertise caring and advocating for children and adults with atypical psychiatric and cognitive abilities, Indigenous persons, sexual violence survivors, vulnerable animals, and many other marginalized individuals and communities. The team's expertise includes decades of programmatic and executive leadership experience, monitoring and evaluation for the United Nations and US State Department, and strategic winning international campaigns to advance social and environmental policy. Members of the team have ties to the US Fulbright Scholars Program, the European Environmental Bureau, the Animal Law and Policy Program at Harvard University, and other influential governmental, academic, and nonprofit organizations. They have written critically acclaimed books and manuscripts on the impact of US migration policy, the US torture doctrine, and anti-civil rights policies, as well as the adverse treatment of animals in various sectors of society. Phoenix Zones Initiative's strategic plan includes multi-year financial projections, and we have received major financial commitments to: 1) Research and analyze complex, interconnected problems. 2) Identify and evaluate holistic solutions. 3) Advocate for grassroots and systems-level reform and scalable, sustainable, evidence-based models of change.

Phoenix Zones Initiative is committed to transparent monitoring and evaluation. All initiatives are subject to rigorous social impact measurement, using qualitative and quantitative social impact metrics that draw upon a Theory of Change, a logical framework, key performance indicators, and data collection and analysis. We track indicators that measure public education and outreach, stakeholder participation, and information sharing through online hubs, publications, presentations, and media outreach. We also track indicators directly related to shifts in norms, legal and economic frameworks, and policy and funding priorities. Our strategic plan includes regular re-evaluation of our initiatives, and external and internal analyses of factors that may influence our ability to accomplish our mission.

Phoenix Zones Initiative has already built a growing team, key alliances, and an expanding network. We are proud to be a member of the Harvard FXB Health and Human Rights Consortium, and to have formed partnerships and alliances with numerous organizations that advance human rights, animal protection, and environmental protection. Phoenix Zones Initiative's interdisciplinary team and network consists of professionals and advocates from fields including medicine, public health, law, the sciences, economics, journalism, arts and media, government affairs, finance, education, ethics, and international development. At our inaugural summit, we invited diverse leaders and stakeholders to identify how we can better work together to advance the rights, health, and wellbeing of people and animals with the urgency and sustainability required. Discourse among experts in medicine, public health, media, finance, and law led to a deeper understanding and analysis of problems in need of legal, political, and societal restructuring. As a result, we have identified a number of pathways to forward holistic solutions through education, advocacy, and structural change. Our efforts focus on influencing multiple levels of power, from grassroots action to systemic change, toward lasting and meaningful impact for vulnerable people and animals. Learn more about our programs and progress at https://phoenixzonesinitiative.org.