Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab

What Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab does

The Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab (GPL) is a non-profit research and technical assistance center housed within the Harvard Kennedy School's Taubman Center for State and Local Government, operating since approximately 2015. The GPL supports state and local government leaders in the United States with pro bono applied research and hands-on project work focused on improving the delivery of social services in three policy areas: Children & Families, Homelessness & Housing, and Safety & Justice.

The GPL does not develop proprietary technology products; instead, it disseminates three cross-cutting methodological frameworks — Data-Driven Performance Management (a Measure-Insight-Action cycle), Human-Centered Service Systems design, and Results-Driven Procurement & Contract Management. Service delivery is structured around three formats: intensive hands-on technical assistance projects (270+ completed), cohort-based implementation programs (notably the Alternative 911 Emergency Response Implementation Cohort), and a Community of Practice network with 100+ participating governments.

The GPL's business model is non-commercial: technical assistance is provided at no cost to government clients, and operations are funded through grants and philanthropic support from Bloomberg Philanthropies (What Works Cities initiative), Casey Family Programs, Ford Foundation, and New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. Government clients are acquired through competitive cohort applications and direct outreach by policy-area experts, with the Harvard brand functioning as the primary trust and access mechanism. Documented outcomes include $7B in funds redirected toward outcomes, a 35% increase in kinship placements over four years in Michigan, and a 35%-to-5% reduction in abandoned child welfare hotline calls.

Name

Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab

Legal name

Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab

Website

https://govlab.hks.harvard.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab is a non-profit research center that provides pro bono technical assistance and applied research to U.S. state and local governments across child welfare, homelessness, and public safety policy areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Technical Assistance and Performance Consulting

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Educational Support Services (611710), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Management Research Institutes & Doctoral (PhD/DBA) Programs (EDAHAHAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in Education (EDADALAD), Democracy, Human Rights & Governance Assistance (BPADABAG)

Keywords

• Government performance consulting
• Public sector technical assistance
• Social service systems design
• Procurement and contract management
• Child welfare services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding & Philanthropic Support: The GPL operates as a research center within Harvard Kennedy School, funded through grants and philanthropy including support from Bloomberg Philanthropies (What Works Cities initiative), Casey Family Programs, Ford Foundation, and New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. Technical assistance to governments is provided pro bono.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab (GPL) provides pro bono technical assistance to state and local governments to help them improve the design, delivery, and evaluation of social services. The work is organized around three core strategic capabilities—Data-Driven Performance Management, Human-Centered Service Systems, and Results-Driven Procurement & Contract Management—applied across three policy focus areas: Children & Families, Homelessness & Housing, and Safety & Justice. The GPL also operates cohort-based implementation programs, a Community of Practice network, and produces research publications and tools for government leaders.

Product overview

The Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab (GPL) is a research and advisory organization that provides technical assistance to state and local governments. The GPL does not offer a unified software product or platform, but rather delivers consulting services organized around three core strategic capabilities—Data-Driven Performance Management, Human-Centered Service Systems, and Results-Driven Procurement & Contract Management—applied across multiple policy focus areas (Children & Families, Homelessness & Housing, Safety & Justice). The GPL also operates cohort-based technical assistance programs, community of practice networks, and produces research publications and tools for government leaders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Alternative 911 Emergency Response Implementation Cohort A cohort-based initiative providing pro bono applied research support and technical assistance focused on alternative emergency response expansion and evaluation, including one-on-one coaching, implementation templates, and GPL-facilitated peer calls for state and local government partners.
• Alternative 911 Emergency Response Community of Practice
• Children & Families Technical Assistance
• Homelessness & Housing Technical Assistance
• Safety & Justice Technical Assistance

Quantifiable outcome

• 270+ intensive projects completed
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership supporting Michigan's child welfare transformation. GPL helped develop kin-focused processes that increased kinship placements by 35% over four years.
• City of Madison Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to evaluate and expand the CARES (Community Alternative Response Emergency Services) program, which has responded to 6,000+ calls since 2021.
• Journey Mental Health CentercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal provider contracted to operate Madison's CARES program in partnership with the Fire Department.
• Dane County Public Safety CommunicationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop Behavioral Health Call Diversion Program to complement CARES services with embedded behavioral health professionals.
• City of Detroit Housing & Revitalization DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to design and analyze the Detroit Housing Resource HelpLine, analyzing 101,000 annual calls to centralize access to homelessness prevention resources.
• Colorado Department of CorrectionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since 2023 to develop Housing Stability Assessment and referral pathway for reentry housing, placing 33 people in supportive housing during pilot.
• Durham Community Safety DepartmentflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFour-year partnership supporting Durham's HEART alternative response program that has responded to 28,000+ calls since 2021. Durham is recognized as a leading program nationally.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International City/County Management Association (ICMA): Professional association for local government managers that provides research, training, and technical assistance to city and county governments — directly comparable to GPL's state-and-local government technical-assistance mission.
• MDRC: Non-profit social policy research organization that designs and evaluates programs for low-income populations, often working directly with state and local governments on child welfare, housing, and workforce initiatives — directly comparable to GPL's project portfolio.
• Urban Institute: Major US social policy research organization that partners with federal, state, and local governments to evaluate and improve social programs, operating a similar applied-research-plus-technical-assistance model in adjacent domains.
• Results for America: Non-profit that partners with state and local governments to adopt evidence-based policy and use of data for decision-making — a close peer focused on outcomes-driven government practice, particularly through the What Works Cities initiative alongside GPL.
• Mathematica Policy Research: Large social policy research and evaluation firm that works with government agencies to measure program effectiveness, overlapping significantly with GPL's data-driven performance management and evaluation work.
• National Academy of Public Administration: Independent non-profit that conducts studies and provides consulting to federal, state, and local governments on public management and performance — comparable in its charter and government-technical-assistance focus.
• Casey Family Programs (Engagement & Consulting): National foundation that both funds GPL and directly works with child welfare agencies on system improvement, competing with GPL for government engagements in the child welfare focus area.

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte Government & Public Services: Large consulting practice serving US federal, state, and local governments on operations, performance management, and human services — a commercial incumbent that overlaps with GPL's service system redesign and procurement work.
• IBM Center for The Business of Government: Research center funded by IBM that produces reports and convenes public-sector leaders on government performance and innovation — a broader incumbent publishing in adjacent content areas.
• Brookings Institution: Major DC-based think tank producing research and policy recommendations across governance, economic opportunity, and social policy — a broader incumbent that competes for funder and government attention but is less hands-on in implementation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hks-government-performance-lab
• Xx.com/hksgovlab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab