Possibility Lab Releases 2023 End of Year Report

The following intro is from the Lab’s Principal Investigator and Executive Director Professor Amy E. Lerman:

This past year has been one of incredible growth and impact at the Possibility Lab. What started just over a year ago with the seed of an idea—to help government work better for more people—has blossomed into a dynamic group of data-driven optimists working to foster new ways of thinking and doing. We are proud of our unique approach to problem-solving and the progress we have helped catalyze with our partners in such a short time.

Through ongoing collaborations, we are exploring creative ways to bring both data and community expertise into public policy decision-making. You will see in this report how we are actualizing these goals every day, through sustained partnerships with state and local governments, community-based organizations, and diverse residents.

So, what have we been up to over the past year?

• • We doubled our staff to ensure we can continue providing our community and government partners with best-in-class research, engagement, and strategic support.

• • We worked with more than 59 partners throughout California and beyond to support 33 innovative projects that aim to tackle complex challenges.

• • We provided 39 undergraduate and graduate student researchers with more than 9,000 hours of direct, hands-on experience to develop their skills, while also helping our partners advance their goals.

And, we did the important work of engaging directly with communities to make sure that those most proximate to our most pressing societal challenges are empowered with the tools and resources they need in order to actualize meaningful change. Together with our partners, we connected with more than 1,000,000 Californians through our research, outreach, and pilot projects.

We are proud of our growth and impact over the past year and, in many ways, we are just getting started. We invite you to review this report to learn more about what we’ve been doing, and the impact we hope to continue making with your ongoing support.

Sincerely,

Amy E. Lerman, PhD

Professor of Public Policy and Political Science @ UC Berkeley
Executive Director & Principal Investigator
Possibility Lab at the University of California