Director’s Message

More than at any time in history, we face a series of complex problems that defy easy solutions. From climate change, to racial justice, to the future of American democracy, these challenges require new and out-of-the-box thinking. The rapid pace of technological change and global disruption of COVID-19, along with hyperpolarization and decreasing trust in government, only exacerbate these challenges.  Our team launched the Possibility Lab to tackle these pressing issues through data-driven innovation and collaboration. We support our partners so they can vision boldly, iterate quickly, evaluate objectively, and become a powerful engine for change. 

Now is the moment to get creative, and to think and act in new ways. We know that the path of least resistance is to keep doing the same thing and to maintain the status quo, regardless of the outcome. But we believe there’s a world in which we can do things differently, and every project we take on provides an opportunity to test new possibilities. 

– Professor Amy E. Lerman, Possibility Lab

We are Data-Driven Idealists

We Believe:

• Data can and should guide decision-making, and supersede political divides. The political moment is rife with impassioned ideological arguments about whether new public policies can produce a brighter future. But history shows us countless examples of seemingly good ideas, proposed from both sides of the aisle, that did not achieve their goals—or worse, had unintended consequences that inadvertently caused harm. We need decisions that are evidence based, and data that are accurate, timely, and accessible to all. 

• Policies are smarter and work better when stakeholders are actively involved in their design, implementation, and evaluation. For too long, communities that are most directly harmed by broken systems, as well as young people who will most directly inherit the future we are creating, have been left out of the conversation about how to make change. Our work has shown that the quality of problem-solving improves when those who are personally affected by social problems are given a seat at the table. 

• The public sector has an important role to play in problem solving, given the scale of resources it can mobilize and its mandate to serve the public good. On the front lines of tackling public-sector problems, government workers have an optimal vantage point to both identify pain points and source potential solutions for the communities they serve. They’ve got the lightbulb, and we believe we can support them to illuminate the path ahead. 

We Are Building New Methods and Models for Advancing the Public Good

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