What Policy Matters Ohio does

Policy Matters Ohio is a nonpartisan, nonprofit policy research institute founded in 2000 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, with a second office in Columbus. The organization produces data-driven policy analysis and advocacy support across six thematic areas: Tax and Budget, Work and Wages, Education and Opportunity, Health and Health Equity, Justice and Safety, and Sustainability and Climate. Its research outputs include long-form reports, recurring publications such as JobWatch (monthly Ohio jobs analysis) and Saturday Stats (bi-weekly data digest), expert legislative testimony to Ohio Senate and House committees, press releases, and an interactive School Funding Dashboard. The organization does not sell commercial software, does not operate a technology product platform, and provides all of its research at no charge.

The business model is a foundation- and donor-funded 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Policy Matters Ohio receives grant funding from a diversified set of major foundations and intermediary funders, including the George Gund Foundation, Cleveland Foundation, Saint Luke's Foundation, Raymond John Wean Foundation, Joyce Foundation, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Economic Policy Institute, and the Ohio Transformation Fund, alongside individual donors. Distribution is free via the policymattersohio.org website, email newsletters, social media (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, X), earned media, virtual town halls, and direct legislative engagement. The organization operates under a Board of Directors comprising business, labor, nonprofit, academic, and community leaders.

Over its 25-plus-year history, Policy Matters Ohio has contributed to a documented track record of Ohio policy outcomes, including minimum wage increases indexed to inflation benefiting 330,000 working Ohioans (2006); reinstatement of collective bargaining rights for 350,000 public sector workers (2011); establishment of a state Earned Income Tax Credit benefiting 440,000 working families (2013); Medicaid expansion research supporting $2.5B in federal dollars and coverage for 366,000 low-income Ohioans (2014); Fair School Funding expansions of $1.7B in the 2022-23 budget and a 12.1% per-pupil increase in the 2024-25 budget; elimination of driver's license suspensions for failure to pay court fines, drug offenses, and truancy (2024); and the establishment of Cleveland's Bureau of Crisis Response through Tanisha's Law (2026).

Name

Policy Matters Ohio

Legal name

Policy Matters Ohio

Website

https://policymattersohio.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Policy Matters Ohio is a nonpartisan, nonprofit policy research institute founded in 2000 in Cleveland that produces data-driven research and advocacy on Ohio state policy — taxation, wages, education, healthcare, justice, and sustainability — for state policymakers, coalitions, and Ohio residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Policy Matters Ohio is a nonpartisan nonprofit research institute that produces data-driven policy research and analysis on Ohio state issues across six thematic areas: Tax & Budget, Work & Wages, Education & Opportunity, Justice & Safety, Health & Health Equity, and Sustainability & Climate. The organization combines rigorous quantitative research with strategic communications, coalition building, and direct policy advocacy, including expert testimony before Ohio legislative committees, to inform state and local policymaking.

Product overview

Policy Matters Ohio is a non-profit policy research institute that creates a more vibrant, equitable, sustainable and inclusive Ohio through research, strategic communications, coalition building, and policy advocacy. The organization operates as a single unified offering centered on policy research rather than a technology product platform. Its portfolio consists of published research reports covering six thematic areas (Tax & Budget, Work & Wages, Education & Opportunity, Safety & Justice, Health & Health Equity, and Sustainability & Climate), complemented by recurring publications including JobWatch (monthly Ohio jobs analysis) and Saturday Stats (bi-weekly statistics digest). Additional offerings include press releases, policy advocacy campaigns like Drive to Justice, and data tools such as the School Funding Dashboard. The organization does not offer commercial software products or technology services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• JobWatch Monthly analysis of Ohio jobs data and what it means for Ohio workers and families, providing insights into employment trends and labor market conditions across the state.
• Saturday Stats Bi-weekly run-down of key economic statistics and data points relevant to Ohio policy discussions, highlighting important numbers stakeholders need to know.
• School Funding Dashboard Interactive data tool providing information on school funding across Ohio districts, allowing users to access and analyze funding information for their local schools.
• Drive to Justice Initiative helping Ohioans get their driver's licenses reinstated and making it harder for the state to criminalize poverty through debt-related license suspensions.
• CHIPS Ahoy! Newsletter Newsletter focused on data center and semiconductor policy issues in Ohio, including analysis of the Intel project and broader impacts of large-scale tech manufacturing on Ohio communities.
• Policy Research Reports In-depth research reports across six thematic areas (Tax & Budget, Work & Wages, Education & Opportunity, Safety & Justice, Health & Health Equity, and Sustainability & Climate) backed by quantitative analysis, freely available for download.
• Legislative Testimony Expert policy analysis and testimony submitted to Ohio Senate and House committees on pending legislation affecting Ohioans, providing data-driven input on tax, budget, education, and healthcare policy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Raised minimum wage and indexed it to inflation, giving 330,000 poor working Ohioans a raise each year (2006)
• +5 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Urban League of Greater ClevelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner on the Drive to Justice initiative, working to help Ohioans get their licenses reinstated. The Urban League has publicly endorsed Policy Matters Ohio's mission and research.
• CHIPS Communities UnitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner on data center and semiconductor policy. Hosted 'Reimagining the Silicon Heartland' conference in May 2026 analyzing impacts of data centers and Intel's projects in Ohio.
• Drive to Justice CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition initiative that helps Ohioans get their driver's licenses reinstated. Policy Matters Ohio is a founding partner working to end debt-related license suspensions.
• Georgetown University Center for Children and FamiliescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in virtual town hall on Medicaid protection, providing expertise on children's healthcare coverage.
• Center on Budget and Policy PrioritiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Medicaid protection town hall, providing federal budget and healthcare policy expertise.
• Northern Ohioans for Budget Legislation EqualitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner working on budget and tax policy equity, participated in Medicaid protection town hall.
• Ohio Association of FoodbankscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization focused on food security and safety net programs, collaborated on Medicaid and SNAP protection efforts.
• Universal Health Care Action Network of OhiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare advocacy coalition partner in Medicaid protection efforts.
• Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonpartisan tax policy think tank that conducted sophisticated microsimulation tax model analysis for Policy Matters Ohio's Great Ohio Tax Shift 2026 report, analyzing impacts of tax legislation since 2005.
• Parents United for Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner advocating for public school funding reform in Ohio.
• Care Economy Organizing ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner focused on childcare and care economy policy in Ohio.
• Juvenile Law CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational nonprofit collaborating with Policy Matters Ohio on youth justice fees research. Sent public records requests to all Ohio counties to analyze pay-to-stay practices.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Center for American Progress: Large national public policy research and advocacy organization addressing economic, education, health, and justice issues; overlaps with Policy Matters Ohio's six policy verticals at a national scale.
• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: National policy research organization that funds and supports state-level budget and policy partners including Policy Matters Ohio; broader scope but overlapping research areas in budget, tax, and health policy.
• Economic Policy Institute: National nonprofit focused on economic policy, wages, and labor markets; provides data and research frameworks that Policy Matters Ohio uses, making it both a partner and a methodological peer.
• Urban Institute: Major national research organization producing data and evidence on economic and social policy; comparable in research depth and policy-relevance orientation though broader in scope.

Direct peers

• Maryland Center on Economic Policy: State-level nonpartisan policy research organization in Maryland focused on economic and racial equity, budget, and labor issues; directly comparable in mission, size, and operating model to Policy Matters Ohio.
• Keystone Research Center: Pennsylvania-based state-level research and policy nonprofit producing analysis on jobs, wages, education, and state budget issues, with a similar small-team foundation-funded operating model.
• Colorado Fiscal Institute: State-level independent policy nonprofit providing research and analysis on Colorado's tax, budget, and economic issues; comparable size, scope, and advocacy-research hybrid model.
• California Budget & Policy Center: California-focused independent policy research organization analyzing state budget, tax, and economic policy issues for low- and middle-income residents; structurally analogous nonprofit research model.
• Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center: Nonpartisan state-level research organization analyzing Massachusetts budget, tax, and economic policy, with a comparable mission to advance equity through rigorous research and advocacy.
• Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy: National nonpartisan tax policy think tank that conducted microsimulation modeling for Policy Matters Ohio's Great Ohio Tax Shift 2026; highly comparable research methods and tax-equity mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PolicyMattersOH
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC2e-s5MqBujxbAYuFDFa5NA
• Facebookfacebook.com/policymattersohio
• Instagraminstagram.com/policymattersohio
• TikToktiktok.com/@policymattersohio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Policy Matters Ohio