PolicyLink is a national research and action institute dedicated to advancing

economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

and

social equity Social equity is concerned with justice and Social justice, fairness of social policy based on the principle of substantive equality. Since the 1960s, the concept of social equity has been used in a variety of institutional contexts, including ed ...

. It focuses on policies affecting low-income communities and communities of

color Color (or colour in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though co ...

. It is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

based in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

, with branch offices in New York City; Washington, DC; and Los Angeles.

Background

Founded in 1999 by Angela Glover Blackwell, PolicyLink aims to create sustainable communities by improving communities' access to quality jobs,

affordable housing Affordable housing is housing which is deemed affordable to those with a household income at or below the median, as rated by the national government or a local government by a recognized housing affordability index. Most of the literature on ...

, good schools, transportation, and other prerequisites for healthy neighborhoods.Begun, James W.; Malcolm, Jan K. (2014).
Leading Public Health: A Competency Framework
'. New York: Springer. . pp. 60-61. Taking an approach that emphasizes localism, it pursues its mission by facilitating local organizations and

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or continent movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from volunteers at the local level to imp ...

organizers. The group shares its findings and analyses through its website, publications and blog; it also convenes national summits, and holds briefings with national and local policymakers. PolicyLink is staffed by attorneys and public policy experts in California, Washington, D.C., and New York. As of 2021, PolicyLink holds a 4-star rating from

Charity Navigator Charity Navigator is a charity assessment organization that evaluates more than 230,000 charitable organizations based in the United States, operating as a 501(c)(3) organization. It provides insights into a nonprofit's financial stability, adh ...

, based on an overall score of 95.45 out of 100.

Focus areas

Center for Health and Place

Angela Glover Blackwell, PolicyLink CEO, wrote in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' that "

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

must start thinking of health beyond health care .... We can no longer afford to have a 'sickness-driven' view of our health. We must create healthier communities—places with easy access to fresh food, parks, safe streets, and clean air—to help all Americans live healthier, longer lives and reduce health-care costs while we're at it."Blackwell, Angela Glover (June 6, 2009).
Building Healthy Communities
. ''The Washington Post''. washingtopost.com. Retrieved 2017-06-10. This focus on health policy has led to the group’s collaborations with the

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is an American philanthropic organization. It is the largest one focused solely on health. Based in Princeton, New Jersey, the foundation focuses on access to health care, public health, health equity, ...

's Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity and The Healthy Eating Active Living Convergence Partnership.

Bay Area Equity Atlas

PolicyLink manages the Bay Area Equity Atlas with the USC Equity Research Institute and the San Francisco Foundation. Research conducted by the Bay Area Equity Atlas is used to lobby the state legislature.

Board of directors

As of 2021, PolicyLink's board of directors includes: * Dolores Acevedo-Garcia,

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

* Richard Baron, McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc. * Sheri Dunn Berry, Community Partners * Geoffrey Canada, author and CEO of Harlem Children's Zone * Radhika Fox, US Water Alliance * Stewart Kwoh, Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles *

Joan Walsh Joan Maureen Walsh (born September 18, 1958) is a liberal American political pundit and journalist. Walsh is national affairs correspondent for ''The Nation,'' and was previously an on-air political analyst at CNN and MSNBC. She produced the 2 ...

, ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...

References

External links

PolicyLink
{{DEFAULTSORT:Policylink Organizations based in Oakland, California Research institutes in California