California Budget & Policy Center

What California Budget & Policy Center does

The California Budget & Policy Center (formerly the California Budget Project) is a Sacramento-based 501(c)(3) nonpartisan research nonprofit founded in 1995 (EIN 68-0346784) that produces timely, credible analysis of California state budget and policy issues. It maintains a staff of approximately 22 policy analysts, communications staff, and operations personnel led by Budget Director Scott Graves (with the organization since 2002) and operates from 1107 9th Street, Suite 310, Sacramento. Its work is organized around issue verticals including California Budget, Child Care & Preschool, Education, Federal Policy, Health, Housing & Homelessness, Justice System, Poverty & Inequality, Safety Net, and Taxes & Revenue.

The Center's core product is the Budget Academy, an integrated educational hub complemented by a library of more than 160 resources spanning written reports, fact sheets, guides (including a Spanish-language state budget process guide), training slide decks, video explainers, glossary references, and interactive tools such as the California Women's Well-Being Index. The organization delivers these outputs alongside recurring analytical products timed to California's budget calendar (e.g., First Look analyses of the Governor's January proposal and May Revision) and an annual Policy Insights Conference (2026 edition scheduled April 22 in Sacramento).

The Center is funded primarily through grants and donations from a base of approximately 22 major foundations and individual donors, including the Annenberg Foundation, California Endowment, California Health Care Foundation, Blue Shield, California Wellness Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, James Irvine Foundation, David & Lucile Packard Foundation, and Hilton Foundation. All resources are distributed free of charge; the go-to-market is community-led, relying on direct engagement with policy advocates, community organizations, elected officials and their staff, journalists, and the general public through events, email, social media, speaker requests, and media relations. The organization operates as a member of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) national state budget network.

Name

California Budget & Policy Center

Legal name

California Budget & Policy Center

Website

https://calbudgetcenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The California Budget & Policy Center is a Sacramento-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization founded in 1995 that produces nonpartisan analysis of California state budget and policy issues, serving policy advocates, community organizations, elected officials, journalists, and the general public through its Budget Academy, resource library, and Policy Insights Conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Research and Analysis

NAICS

Public Finance Activities (921130), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Budgeting & Fiscal Planning (BPAIAEAA), State/Provincial Treasury, Budget & Fiscal Management (BPAIABAC)

Keywords

• Public policy research
• Budget analysis
• State fiscal policy
• Nonprofit research
• Advocacy education

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Donations: The organization is funded primarily through grants and donations from foundations and individual supporters. The Support Us page lists approximately 22 major funders including Annenberg Foundation, California Endowment, California Health Care Foundation, and others. EIN: 68-0346784.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The California Budget & Policy Center is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) research nonprofit that produces analyses, guides, interactive tools, video explainers, and educational resources on the California state budget and related fiscal policy issues. Its core offering is the Budget Academy educational hub, supported by topic-specific guides (English and Spanish), research reports on Governor's budget proposals, and training materials designed to help advocates, community members, and policymakers understand and engage with state budget processes.

Product overview

The California Budget & Policy Center is a nonpartisan research nonprofit offering a unified portfolio of educational tools and analytical resources focused on California state budget and policy understanding. The core offering is the Budget Academy, an educational hub that consolidates tools, videos, and expert insights. Supporting products include comprehensive guides (English and Spanish), the California Women's Well-Being Index interactive tool, video series, training slide decks (Dollars & Democracy), and glossary resources. The organization also produces research reports analyzing the Governor's budget proposals and hosts an annual Policy Insights Conference. These resources work together to demystify budget processes and enable informed public participation in California's policy decisions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Budget Academy An online educational hub providing tools, videos, glossaries, and expert insights designed to strengthen advocacy and guide informed decision-making about the California state budget. Targeted at advocates, community organizations, and policy staff.
• Guide to the California State Budget Process (English and Spanish) A comprehensive guide providing an overview of the year-round California state budget cycle, detailing roles of key players, the timeline, and opportunities for public input, available in English and Spanish.
• California Women's Well-Being Index An interactive data tool allowing users to explore data on women's well-being across California, enabling analysis of policy impacts across counties and demographics.
• First Look: Governor's Budget Analysis Timely analysis reports examining the Governor's proposed and revised California state budgets, projecting revenue outlook, reserve funds, and policy implications.
• Dollars & Democracy Training Deck An introductory training slide deck breaking down how California's state budget works, designed to be clear, engaging, and accessible for advocates and policy staff.
• Policy Insights Conference Annual conference bringing together policy experts, advocates, elected officials and their staff, organizers, and community leaders to address California's most pressing challenges, held in Sacramento.

Quantifiable outcome

• Budget Center analysis and training has validated the importance of public engagement in budget processes, with feedback from advocates confirming the value of resources in enabling effective engagement

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• PolicyLink: Oakland-based national research and action institute advancing racial and economic equity through policy. PolicyLink shares the Budget Center's equity-centered framing and operates on overlapping issue areas (poverty, housing, health equity) with comparable California-focused analysis.
• California Forward: California-focused governance and budget reform coalition advocating for fiscal accountability and equitable policy outcomes. California Forward works on many of the same budget and policy reform issues (e.g., rainy day fund design, ballot propositions) that anchor the Budget Center's research portfolio.
• Economic Policy Institute (EPI): Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit think tank producing research on the economic well-being of American workers, with state-level partners across the country. EPI's mission, methodology, and network-style state-center structure closely mirror the Budget Center's, and it is part of the same CBPP-adjacent ecosystem.
• Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC): San Francisco-based nonpartisan California policy research organization that produces surveys, reports, and data on the state budget, economy, education, health, and demographics. PPIC is the closest direct competitor to the California Budget & Policy Center in California-specific, nonpartisan budget and policy analysis.
• California Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO): Nonpartisan California state government office that provides fiscal and policy analysis to the Legislature, including analyses of the Governor's budget proposals and ballot propositions. LAO operates as the official counterpart to the Budget Center's advocacy-oriented analysis and serves many of the same legislative and media audiences.
• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP): National nonpartisan research and policy institute based in Washington, D.C., focused on federal and state budget and tax policy affecting low- and moderate-income Americans. CBPP is the Budget Center's network parent/partner organization, making it the most structurally comparable peer in mission and methodology.

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: Large nonprofit research institution conducting policy analysis on health, education, justice, and public finance with California-specific workstreams. RAND competes for the same foundation funding pool and policymaker attention on California policy issues, though at a vastly larger scale and broader remit.
• Urban Institute: Major Washington, D.C.-based economic and social policy research organization producing evidence-based insights on poverty, health, housing, taxes, and state budgets. The Urban Institute overlaps substantively with the Budget Center on state fiscal analysis and social safety net research but operates at much larger scale and broader scope.
• New America Foundation: Washington, D.C.-based nonpartisan think tank producing research on economic mobility, education, and government reform. New America shares the Budget Center's evidence-based advocacy posture and policy domain overlap (poverty, taxes, family economic security) but operates nationally rather than California-specifically.
• Brookings Institution: Premier Washington, D.C.-based public policy think tank conducting research across economics, governance, and state/federal policy. Brookings' state and metropolitan policy program covers overlapping terrain (state budgets, fiscal federalism, social safety net) but with significantly broader scope and a more academic posture.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CalBudgetCenter
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQApeArgUBqAfzVNJGDt2Hw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/calbudgetcenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/calbudgetcenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/CalBudgetCenter

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about California Budget & Policy Center