Phoenix Zones Initiative
Advancing the rights, health, and wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet through research, education, and advocacy
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Disease patterns, the climate crisis, and countless patterns of exploitation have shown that the rights, health, and wellbeing of people and animals are intimately connected. Emerging pandemics and social and environmental injustices illustrate these interconnections in real time. The novel coronavirus pandemic has shed a light on these important connections and gross inequities in society, and it has also created opportunities to re-envision our relationships with each other, animals, and our life-sustaining planet.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Phoenix Zones Initiative Programs
Phoenix Zones Initiative (PZI) advances the interdependent rights, health, and wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet through education, research, and advocacy. Led by physicians and an interdisciplinary team, our work draws on our expertise in medicine, global public health, research, and ethics. PZI promotes social, economic, and environmental policy to uplift the most vulnerable, and we provide resources to empower others to advocate for similar changes.
We work with partners to ensure that intergovernmental and government policies and funding mechanisms that are socially and ecologically just. Our vision is grounded in meeting the needs of the most vulnerable populations, communities, and individuals. We also work toward the widespread adoption of economic metrics and policies that emphasize the right to health and the right to a healthy and safe home and environment for people and animals.
Learn more about our work and programs: https://www.phoenixzonesinitiative.org
Where we work
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of reports written/published
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Phoenix Zones Initiative Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
To learn more about Phoenix Zones Initiative's publications, please visit the Resource Center: https://www.phoenixzonesinitiative.org/resources/.
Number of organizational partners
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Phoenix Zones Initiative Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of partners brought together in coalition, partnership, or alliance.
Number of rallies/events/conferences/lectures held to further mission
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Phoenix Zones Initiative Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Includes virtual gatherings and trainings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Number of pro bono hours contributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Phoenix Zones Initiative Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
A conservative estimate based on data from Results and Reporting Form.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Phoenix Zones Initiative focuses on widespread ethical and structural change. We push forward social, economic, and environmental policy to advocate for the most vulnerable and marginalized people and animals. Our programs center on the intersections between people, animals, and the planet’s wellbeing.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Phoenix Zones Initiative focuses on education and outreach, research and analysis, and advocacy and policy changes.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Phoenix Zones Initiative is led by physicians and a diverse cross-sectoral team.
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, she has worked across six continents. 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 people and animals in industry and other areas of society. 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 intergovernmental forums and organizations such as the United Nations High-Level Political Forum 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.
Phoenix Zones Initiative’s team consists of professionals with expertise in medicine, public health, the law, education, public relations, nonprofit management, research, and advocacy. The team's expertise includes decades of programmatic and executive leadership experience, as well as experience with strategic campaigns to advance social and environmental policy. Members of the team have also written critically acclaimed books and articles on the connections between people, animals, and the planet.
Phoenix Zones Initiative's strategic plan includes multi-year financial projections.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Between 2019 and 2022, Phoenix Zones Initiative:
1) Published or was featured in more than 40 prominent international articles, editorials, and multi-media platforms.
2) Built bridges between hundreds of organizations in human and veterinary medicine, public health, the sciences, law and policy, and other fields.
3) Hosted more than 40 events that educated and engaged professionals and advocates across 6 continents.
4) Conducted a series of research projects to identify scalable, sustainable, and evidence-based interventions to advance changes in public policy, economic policy, and community-based reforms.
5) Partnered with Project ECHO to fill the need for inter-professional and open access educational resources and technical expertise to advance holistic, inclusive, and evidence-based social and ecological justice interventions that serve the public health needs of the most vulnerable and marginalized communities.
6) Helped draft the NGO Major Group’s 2021 and 2022 Position Papers, which address how governments should implement the SDGs and related targets, and the role civil society can play in achieving the SDGs, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
7) Provided expertise on preparations for the UNHLPF on Sustainable Development. The HLPF is the UN’s core platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Goals.
8) Addressed United Nations Member States on the nexus between sustainable development and the treatment of people and animals.
9) Partnered with the Harvard FXB Health and Human Rights Consortium for a Health and Human Rights Journal issue section on ecological justice and the right to health.
10) Advanced key legislation to transform medical research.
Learn more about Phoenix Zones Initiative's programs and progress at https://phoenixzonesinitiative.org.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Phoenix Zones Initiative
Board of directorsas of 12/25/2022
Hope Ferdowsian, MD, MPH
Nik Kulkarni, MD
Kavita Rajasekhar, MD
Sonia Silva, MPA
John Gluck, PhD
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 12/25/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.