PolicyLink
PolicyLink is a national research and action institute advancing racial and economic equity by Lifting Up What Works.®
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
With 100 million people living in or near poverty, including nearly half of people of color, PolicyLink is committed to unlocking the promise of the nation by unleashing the promise in us all. To achieve this future, in partnership with a wide range of equity movement leaders, PolicyLink is advancing Winning on Equity—a cross-sector, nation-building campaign, linking civil society leaders, government agencies, and corporate power to advance the equity movement and redesign the nation so that it works for all, starting with people of color. Our work is guided by a focus on one unifying result: Ensuring all people in America—particularly those who face the burdens of structural racism—participate in flourishing multiracial democracy, prosper in an equitable economy, and thrive in thriving communities of opportunity. We focus on advancing liberating policies for the 100 million people living in or near poverty, the majority of whom are people of color.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Multiracial Democracy
Our vision of a flourishing multiracial democracy includes one where all people are able to engage fully in an equitable political and democratic process. One where leaders and governing bodies are explicitly anti-racist, represent and are accountable to the will of all people, capable of governing for all people, and where policies and laws are made in consideration and consultation with those most affected and deliver equitable outcomes. It includes government leaders and agencies at all levels using their power of setting policies, making rules, and implementing regulations to serve equity, where equity is ensured within constitutional protections.
Equitable Economy
We seek a future in which all people are fully included in a liberating economy such that poverty has been eliminated, inequality has been reduced, all work is honored and compensated, ownership is broadly shared, and social mobility is realized. This type of future will only be possible if there are fundamental shifts in core beliefs about the role of government in the economic system and the value of people over profits. These shifts will enable core reforms to economic, fiscal, and monetary policies, and help ensure that corporations serve not just shareholders but also workers, consumers, local supply chains, and the communities within which they are situated.
Towards Thriving Communities
Opportunity-rich, healthy communities will honor the dignity of every person and promote physical and economic mobility, and protection from legal and environmental harm. By centering those most harmed by inequitable systems, policies, and practices, we can build an America where everyone — especially the nearly 100 million people living in or near poverty — can thrive. Alongside all the grief and trauma we have collectively experienced as a result of the pandemic, we have also experienced proof that the demands of equity movement leaders have always been reasonable and achievable in cities and states across the country. We seek a future where all people can live in communities with access to infrastructure that meets their basic needs, including: housing that is affordable, economic security, accessible transportation, and healthy food and safe water. Realizing this vision will also require that we invest in the kinds of integrated civic engagement and coalition building strategies.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of policies formally introduced
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, People of African descent, Incarcerated people, Activists
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Total number of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The numbers reflect that PolicyLink has been able to focus our energies on larger grant amounts from fewer institutions.
Average grant amount
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The numbers reflect that PolicyLink has been able to focus our energies on larger grant amounts from fewer institutions.
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?
We will have “Won on Equity” when we have:
A flourishing multiracial democracy in which antiracist governments and equitable governing structures protect human, social, environmental, spatial, and political rights—and advance the power and well-being of all people in all places.
An equitable economy where the market serves all people, where the government produces and regulates the flow of money as a commodity that is available to all, where work is honored with compensation that affords self-determination and mobility, and where wealth produced by the many is enjoyed by the many.
A new model of thriving communities, where families of color can prosper through equitable infrastructure investments, a sustainable and resilient built-environment, diverse and inclusive social organizations, and conditions of safety, security, and justice.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
PolicyLink leads by being of service to the equity movement. Our work is rooted in the vision and voice of movement leaders, and it is rooted in three big ideas.
Movement leaders must be aligned and focused on structural reforms by setting a compelling policy agenda supported by equity centered data, capital, visibility, results frameworks, and networks to orchestrate sustained, structural wins.
Government must become antiracist institutions capable of stewarding an equitable nation through implementation of a racial equity governing agenda comprising standards, scoring criteria, equity audits, and ambitious policy packages, developed jointly with equity advocates.
Corporate leaders must become real champions of racial equity whose engagement with equity evolves beyond philanthropy and into active practice, supported by customized roadmaps, rigorous performance standards, accountability mechanisms, and narratives.
PolicyLink has been on a 20 year journey to arrive at this point of readiness to scale its model as a catalytic leader and backbone support for the equity movement. Winning on Equity is not new work for PolicyLink; rather it is applying our core capabilities at a new level in terms of boldness and ambition. And we are already moving quickly to build our capacity to do this work.
To support the Winning on Equity Campaign, PolicyLink is now operating in two dimensions—as a national research and action institute that lifts up the voice, wisdom and experience of local leaders to craft and advance policy and as backbone infrastructure for the equity movement and the Winning on Equity Campaign. By Lifting Up What Works, our policy initiatives uniquely bridge innovations and ideas from social movements, government agencies, and corporations. And as backbone infrastructure to the racial equity movement, and in partnership with movement leaders and institutional allies, PolicyLink will:
- Set the terms of what it means to win on equity
- Align movement leaders to each other and to the resources they need to maximize impact
- Assess progress of our collective effort
- Build power to compel elected and corporate leaders to action
- Secure policy wins
- Leverage artists and culture bearers to elevate local voices and share stories of success
- Secure sustainable funding to institutionalize the equity movement
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
PolicyLink is highly disciplined in selecting the projects it undertakes and in the approach it brings to executing them. While building and managing a portfolio of initiatives that touch on a range of issues, PolicyLink aims to meaningfully advance the equity agenda—measured by real results on the ground— and each project is pursued via a well-developed set of principles and capacities that have evolved based on experience. The core elements of the approach, which have enabled PolicyLink to help deliver billions of dollars in policy victories at the local, state, and national levels for local communities, are as follows.
1. Driven by a strategic equity framework: employs a dynamic, nuanced, and multifaceted communications and research agenda that continuously defines the national equity narrative.
2. Grounded in place: develops strategies to improve people’s lives in the context of the places where they live.
3. Deals honestly and straightforwardly with issues of race: achieves equity results through an uncompromised command of the nuances of structural and overt racism.
4. Comprehensive and integrated: aggregates strategies and policies; works across sectors; and simultaneously engages community, government, and business leaders.
5. Solutions oriented: crafts policy based on a positive, inclusive framing that harnesses the creativity and will of diverse sectors.
6. Results based: grounds policy advocacy in a results framework focused on the 100 million Americans living in or near poverty.
7. Informed by disaggregated data: all policy strategies and campaigns are supported by data disaggregated by race, ethnicity, nativity, class, and gender.
8. Expands agency and power: leads with the voice, wisdom, and experience of local residents and organizations in policy development and advocacy.
9. Builds capacity: maintains a track record of building strong leaders at strong organizations by working in partnership, conducting trainings, and providing coaching and mentorship opportunities.
10. Backed by partnerships and networks: solves complex problems through strong and diverse partnerships.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
PolicyLink has meaningfully contributed to advancing the national equity agenda— anchored in place, informed by disaggregated data, measured by real results on the ground, and based on a deep understanding of the nuances of structural and overt racism. Below are some examples of the PolicyLink portfolio.
• Promise Neighborhoods: Twelve communities are implementing over $800 million in programming to improve educational outcomes for 300,000 children.
• Healthy Food Financing: Delivered over $1 billion in resources to create access to healthy food in low-income communities.
Sustainable Communities: With $250 million in support, piloted the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule to ensure fair housing and create communities of opportunity.
• My Brother's Keeper: Supported the federal government and philanthropy to design and launch the nation's premier boys and men of color initiative and supported over 50 cities to advance boys and men of color programs.
• All-In Cities: Cities are resurgent, and they are the crucibles where ambitious strategies can and must be forged to grow an economy and a society that work for all. PolicyLink is facilitating efforts in twelve cities, from Pittsburgh to New Orleans to Oakland, to advance creative solutions that foster equitable growth, community revitalization, and democratic engagement.
National Equity Atlas. This online Atllas, with easily searchable economic data analyzed by race, ethnicity, nativity, and gender, has become an indispensable tool for 30,000 users as they campaign for equity-focused policy change. Released in 2014 and continually updated, the Atlas contains unique data on demographic shifts and the economic benefits of equity for the nation's 150 largest regions, all 50 states, the 100 largest cities, and the United States as a whole.
California Alliance for Boys and Men of Color. The Alliance has secured more than 100 state and local policy victories to improve the health, education, and economic prospects of the Alliance's constituents.
National Equity Summits. Every three years, PolicyLink convenes a one-of-kind national summit with over 3,000 attendees, focused explicitly on equity, creating a deep reservoir of intellectual, strategic, and innovative thought for feeding and sustaining the equity movement.
PolicyLink serves as a backbone organization for the equity movement and will mobilize its network of 100,000+ equity leaders and facilitate the process of aligning individuals and organizations in service of crafting a national “winning-on-equity” agenda. PolicyLink will lead the way in advancing a people-centered movement capable of moving equity ideas into the policy mainstream. PolicyLink and its partners will play a long game, over decades, with an eye on capturing the highest ground of American politics: law, fiscal policy, regulation, and the narrative frames of public discussion.
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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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
The 100 million people in our nation that live at or below 200% of the poverty line.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, 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
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to 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.
PolicyLink
Board of directorsas of 05/23/2023
Sheri Dunn Berry
Geoffrey Canada
Harlem Children's Zone
Stewart Kwoh
Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles
Dolores Acevedo-Garcia
Brandeis University
Michael A. McAfee
PolicyLink
Sandra Gasca-Gonzalez
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Darrick Hamilton
The New School
Kay Fernandez Smith
Apple
Jeffery Bradach
Bridgespan
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 ? Yes -
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? No
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:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 05/05/2023GuideStar 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 analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- 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 disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- 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 have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- 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.