Public Policy Lab

What Public Policy Lab does

Public Policy Lab (PPL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2011 and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, with a Midwest office in Chicago. PPL describes itself as the first nonprofit policy-design lab for the U.S. public sector. The firm delivers human-centered design services—Policy Design, Research & Evaluation, Community Engagement, Service Design, Product Design, and Change Management—under a proprietary 10-Release Project Model that produces open-source deliverables for partners at each stage. PPL's core intellectual property is its "Layer Cake" framework, which maps the policy-delivery stack from public officials through program leaders, service managers, and frontline staff to members of the public, and identifies intervention points for design and co-design.

PPL's product surface consists of professional services engagements plus two named digital products: The People Say, a qualitative research platform launched in July 2024 hosting 200+ hours of interviews with older adults across 15 states; and CLARA (Clear Language AI Review Assistant), an AI-powered web application in co-design with a 2027 launch target, intended to help state policy analysts generate compliant plain-language SNAP notices. The firm also publishes reusable toolkits (Public Service Design Kit, Family Pathways to Care Toolkit, Innovation Compass Toolkit) and zines (Layer Cake, Better Notices, Better Forms). Customer base spans federal agencies (VA, CMS, HUD, CDC, OPM), state agencies (Arizona DES, Michigan SCAO), New York City agencies (NYC DHS, NYCHA, NYC DOE), and major philanthropic funders (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The SCAN Foundation, The Commonwealth Fund, The New York Community Trust, The Families & Workers Fund, Public Benefit Innovation Fund, Center for Civic Futures).

PPL operates a nonprofit business model in which services are delivered free to government and partner organizations and funded through philanthropic grants and, in select cases, direct government contracts. The firm does not charge agencies for services; revenue streams are foundation grants routed through specific projects plus professional services contracts. Distribution is conducted through direct partnerships, open-source publication of deliverables, and platforms such as HUD Exchange and HUD's network of 3,000+ Public Housing Agencies.

Name

Public Policy Lab

Legal name

Public Policy Lab

Website

https://publicpolicylab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Public Policy Lab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2011 that applies human-centered design, behavioral science, and qualitative research to improve U.S. public policy and service delivery. It partners with federal, state, and local government agencies and philanthropic foundations through project-based engagements and open-source product output.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: PPL receives philanthropic support from foundations such as Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The SCAN Foundation, The Families & Workers Fund, and others for specific project work.
2. Government Contracts: PPL conducts design projects with government agency partners funded through direct contracts with federal, state, and local government entities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Public Policy Lab (PPL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit policy-design organization that provides human-centered design services to government agencies, foundations, and service providers. Its service portfolio spans policy design, research and evaluation, community engagement, service design, product design, and change management, delivered through a structured 10-release project methodology. PPL also develops standalone tools and platforms, including the CLARA AI assistant for plain-language SNAP notices and The People Say qualitative research platform.

Product overview

Public Policy Lab (PPL) is a nonprofit policy-design organization that offers a portfolio of human-centered design services to government agencies, foundations, and service providers. Rather than a single software product, PPL provides six core service offerings: Policy Design, Research & Evaluation, Community Engagement, Service Design, Product Design, and Change Management. These services are delivered through a structured 10-release project methodology. Notable products include CLARA (an AI-powered tool for generating plain-language SNAP benefit notices) and The People Say platform (a qualitative research database of 200+ hours of interviews with older adults). PPL also produces practical toolkits including the Public Service Design Kit, Family Pathways to Care Toolkit, and Innovation Compass Toolkit, along with publications like the Layer Cake Zine and Better Notices for the People. The organization serves populations across multiple policy areas including Aging, Benefits Access, Child Welfare, Health & Wellbeing, Housing & Homelessness, Justice & Legal System, Student Success, Technology & Innovation, and Veterans Services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The People Say: A qualitative research platform featuring interviews from older adults speaking on issues important to them, launched in 2024 as part of the PPLUS65 initiative.

Products and services

• Policy Design Strategic ideation and foresight services to develop new policy-enabled futures. Collaborates with think tanks, philanthropies, NGOs, elected executive offices, and senior appointed officials to identify paths to meaningful policy change.
• Research & Evaluation Design research with the public, front-line providers, and government staff using ethnographically informed methods including semi-structured interviews, observational research, workplace shadowing, and diary studies, paired with qualitative and quantitative evaluations of implementation and impact.
• Community Engagement Facilitates stakeholder input across discovery, design, piloting, and evaluation phases. Engages frontline providers and leaders at advocacy and community-based organizations to build support for new initiatives.
• Service Design Explores human experiences across time and modes of service delivery to design better public services. Maps current states of service systems, visualizes people's experiences, and co-designs new and improved ways to deliver public services.
• Product Design Creates polished communications products, internal tools, and digital interfaces considering content strategy, accessibility, and information architecture. Respects users' preferred devices, platforms, languages, and literacy levels.
• Change Management Applies insights from design and behavioral science to develop new approaches to operations and systems. Helps stakeholders embrace change through embedded implementation partnerships and pilot programs.
• CLARA (Clear Language AI Review Assistant) AI-powered web application that helps state policy analysts produce compliant, plain-language SNAP benefit notices. Draws from regulatory and plain-language knowledge bases to enable faster creation of understandable benefit communications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Millions of Americans served through improved policies and programs
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• The SCAN FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Major funder of PPLUS65 initiative to accelerate policy change for older Americans, including development of The People Say research platform with 200+ hours of interviews.
• U.S. Department of Veterans AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with VA on multiple projects including designing the VA Veterans Experience Office, improving veterans' enrollment at medical centers, and veteran mental health services. A senior VA leader noted 'We saw ripple effects in Congress' as a result of this work.
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Medicare-related projects including improving the Medicare Summary Notice, understanding Medicare decision-making, and research on supplemental benefits for older adults.
• NYC Department of Homeless ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration on shelter operations improvement, housing navigation services, and pilot programs like My File NYC document sharing tool at the PATH Center.
• Office of Personnel ManagementmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Lab@OPM on mental health service design patterns, alongside partner organization Snook.
• Robert Wood Johnson FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor philanthropic funder supporting PPL's public interest design work.
• The New York Community TrustmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYC-based philanthropy supporting local government innovation projects.
• NYC Housing AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on multiple projects including assessing alternative work schedules, branding for the PACT program, and exploring resident engagement approaches.
• NYC Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on services for students in temporary housing, coordinated transport between shelters and schools, and reimagining the role of family assistants.
• PHL Participatory Design LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhiladelphia-based partner on participatory design initiatives.
• Center for Court InnovationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYC-based nonprofit working on justice system innovation.
• Public Benefit Innovation FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunder and partner on CLARA AI project to improve SNAP notices through the Clear Language AI Review Assistant tool.
• Center for Civic FuturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on the CLARA AI project for public benefit notice improvement.
• The Commonwealth FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor funder of research on patient perspectives regarding AI integration in primary care, with findings disseminated to healthcare system leaders and policymakers.
• Michigan Justice for All CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level initiative leading modernization of court forms; PPL led human-centered design process for the Michigan Court Form Design System.
• Michigan State Court Administrative OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on developing a reusable design system for paper and PDF court forms across Michigan, with implementation beginning in early 2026.
• Arizona Department of Economic SecuritycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner18-month partnership to modernize notices for SNAP, TANF, Child Care Assistance, and other programs as part of the A to Z Arizona platform initiative.
• The Families & Workers FundmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhilanthropic funder supporting the Arizona public notices modernization project.
• NYC Mayor's Office for Economic OpportunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to expand My File NYC document sharing tool across city government's homeless services, building on successful pilot at DHS PATH Center.
• Digital Benefits NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject of the Beeck Center at Georgetown University; PPL collaborated on human-centered research with beneficiaries on digital identity systems for public benefits access.
• Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic center focused on social impact; partner through the Digital Benefits Network on digital identity research.
• RTI InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner leading year-long CDC-funded effort on vaccine safety communication; PPL conducted observational research in pediatric healthcare settings.
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and PreventioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency funding vaccine safety communication research through RTI International partnership, with goal of improving vaccine communication products.
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create HOTMA-compliant tenant-friendly template forms for public housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs, distributed to 3,000+ PHAs serving 5 million Americans.
• FirstPic Inc.majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on HOTMA-compliant forms project, supporting public housing agencies.
• Vargas Premiere Corporate ConsultantsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner consultant on HUD housing forms project.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The GovLab: NYU-based research and policy lab focused on how technology and innovation can transform governance. Comparable to PPL as a hybrid research/practice organization working at the intersection of social science and public-sector reform.
• IDEO: Global design and innovation firm with a dedicated public-sector practice. Directly comparable to PPL in human-centered design for government, though IDEO operates commercially across multiple sectors and is much larger.
• Nava: Public-benefit corporation that designs, builds, and maintains digital services for federal and state government (e.g., Medicare, Veterans Affairs). Direct peer in mission-aligned civic technology and design services for government.
• 18F (GSA Technology Transformation Services): Federal civic-tech organization within GSA that builds and modernizes digital services for U.S. government agencies. Comparable in mission and customer base, though operating as an in-government unit rather than a nonprofit partner.
• Snook: Service design firm with deep public-sector practice, named as a PPL partner on the OPM mental-health project. Directly comparable in design-research-for-government methodology and cross-agency service design.
• Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation: Georgetown University center focused on social impact, technology, and benefits access. A PPL partner through the Digital Benefits Network; comparable as a hybrid research/practice organization working on human-centered design for public benefits.
• Code for America: Nonprofit that builds digital tools and policy reforms for state and local government benefit systems. Closely comparable to PPL in mission, customer base (government agencies), and focus on human-centered design for safety-net programs.
• US Digital Response: Nonprofit that connects U.S. government teams with pro-bono and paid technology and design talent. Comparable to PPL in serving state and local governments on human-centered digital service delivery, with a more volunteer-driven model.
• Center for Court Innovation: NYC-based nonprofit focused on justice-system reform and innovation, partnered with PPL on court and housing form design. Comparable in operating-model and cross-agency justice/human-services work.

Broad incumbents

• New America: Large nonpartisan think tank with policy programs covering technology, education, and social services. Broader incumbent in the same policy-research space; comparable in policy-research orientation but covers a much wider portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/publicpolicylab
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/publicpolicylab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/public-policy-lab
• Instagraminstagram.com/publicpolicylab/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Public Policy Lab