PolicyLink

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.

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

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.

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.