UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy

What UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy does

The UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy (LCHP) is a nonprofit academic research center within UCLA's Department of History, established in February 2017 through a $5 million gift from Meyer Luskin. Its mission is to bring historical perspective to contemporary policy issues, and it serves three primary constituencies: policymakers and government officials seeking evidence-based historical grounding for current decisions on housing, healthcare, immigration, and social justice; academic researchers and students engaged in policy-relevant historical scholarship; and the general public accessing accessible historical context through media and events.

LCHP's core products are LCHP Reports (research publications such as the 2018 rent-control study, the 2020 'Pandemics Past and Present' report, the 2024 Medi-Cal history report, and the 2025 university-autonomy report), the bi-weekly History-Politics Podcast 'Then & Now,' the Luskin Innovation Fellows Program, internally administered Research Grants of $15,000-$30,000 for collaborative teams, and a Public Events and Lecture Series featuring scholars and policymakers. Outputs are produced through standard scholarly historical research methodology combined with policy analysis, with no proprietary technology platform and no AI/ML component.

The center operates a donation- and grant-funded nonprofit model: no products or services are sold; reports, podcasts, and events are free to the public. Funding derives from the initial $5 million establishment gift, ongoing donations routed through UCLA's giving platform, and any external research grants awarded. Distribution occurs through the center's website, podcast platforms, email listserv, an active social media presence (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube), in-person UCLA-hosted events, and earned media coverage in outlets such as LAist, ABC 7, KCET, KPCC, and the New York Times. Strategic partnerships with USC's Casden Institute, UCLA's Nazarian Center, the Autry Museum of the American West, and the Wende Museum extend programming reach beyond UCLA's campus.

Name

UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy

Legal name

UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy

Website

https://luskincenter.history.ucla.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy is a nonprofit academic research center within UCLA, founded in 2017, that produces historically-informed policy reports, a bi-weekly podcast, fellowships, and events for policymakers, scholars, students, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Policy Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Sciences Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE), Social Sciences & Public Policy Research Universities (EDAHABAD)

Keywords

• Historical policy research
• Public history research
• Policy white papers
• Academic fellowship programs
• Historical analysis consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Others, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Donations and Gifts: Primary funding from Meyer Luskin's $5 million gift established the center in 2017. Ongoing support through donations.
2. Research Grants: The center awards grants ranging from $15,000-$30,000 to research teams for projects that bring historical analysis to contemporary policy issues.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy is a university-affiliated academic research center that produces historically-informed policy research, publishes white papers, awards research grants, hosts public events, runs a fellowship program, and produces a bi-weekly podcast that connects historical analysis to contemporary policy issues such as housing, healthcare, immigration, voting rights, and racial justice.

Product overview

The UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy is an academic research center founded in 2017 with a $5 million gift from Meyer Luskin. It operates as a unified research and public programming organization offering LCHP Reports (research publications), The History-Politics Podcast (a bi-weekly podcast), Luskin Innovation Fellows Program (annual fellowships), Research Grants ($15,000-$30,000 for collaborative projects), and Public Events/Lecture Series. The center's mission is to bring historical perspective to contemporary policy issues through research, education, and public engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Then & Now (History-Politics Podcast): A bi-weekly podcast connecting past to present, using historical analysis and context to help guide modern issues and policy decisions.

Products and services

• LCHP Reports Research reports that bring historical analysis to contemporary policy issues, including topics such as rent control, homelessness, pandemics, voting rights, and racial justice. Targeted at policymakers, journalists, and the general public.
• The History-Politics Podcast (Then & Now) A bi-weekly podcast connecting past to present, using historical analysis and context to help guide modern issues and policy decisions. Aimed at general audiences interested in historical context for current affairs.
• Luskin Innovation Fellows Program Annual fellowship program supporting graduate and undergraduate students conducting innovative research that connects historical analysis to contemporary policy issues. Includes mentorship and research opportunities.
• Research Grants Grants ranging from $15,000-$30,000 awarded to collaborative research teams producing historically-informed white papers with policy recommendations. Intended for UCLA-affiliated research teams.
• Public Events and Lecture Series Hosted events featuring scholars and policymakers discussing historical perspectives on contemporary policy issues including Israel-Palestine peace efforts, voter access, and homelessness. Open to the public.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research presented to City of LA Affordable Housing and Rent Adjustment Commissions on rent control policy
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• USC Casden Institute for the Study of the Jewish Role in American LifemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2021Partnership for the 'Deadlock in Israel-Palestine: How to Imagine a Better Future?' three-part speaker series exploring contemporary resolutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
• UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel StudiesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2021Co-presenter of Israel-Palestine dialogue series bringing together scholars, thinkers, and policymakers to discuss the conflict
• Autry Museum of the American WestmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on The Collecting Community History Initiative (TCCHI), collecting and preserving items of historical and cultural significance related to COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter protests across the Western United States
• Wende MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presented 'The Future of History: Have We Reached the End of History Again?' multi-part series on the future of the field of history
• LAistminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership for coverage of homelessness research and report featuring LCHP researchers discussing historical roots of Black homelessness in Los Angeles

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Urban Institute: A nonprofit research organization focused on social and economic policy affecting low- and moderate-income Americans. Urban Institute shares LCHP's commitment to evidence-based research on social issues such as housing, healthcare, and racial justice, but operates nationally and at significantly larger scale.
• New America: A nonpartisan think tank producing research across a wide range of policy areas including education, technology, and economic mobility. New America shares LCHP's commitment to policy-relevant research and public engagement, but operates as a broader portfolio rather than a history-focused specialty center.
• Wilson Center: A nonpartisan policy research institution addressing global issues through independent research and convening. The Wilson Center shares LCHP's approach of bridging scholarship with policy dialogue, but focuses on international affairs and operates at much larger scale from Washington, DC.
• RAND Corporation: A major nonprofit policy research institution producing rigorous analyses on social, economic, and security policy. RAND shares LCHP's nonprofit research model and emphasis on evidence-based policy, but operates nationally with a much larger budget and broader portfolio than LCHP's history-focused niche.
• Brookings Institution: One of the largest and most established public policy research organizations in the US. Brookings is a broad incumbent that publishes policy reports and convenes scholars and policymakers, but operates at national scale and across many disciplines rather than focusing specifically on the history-to-policy bridge that defines LCHP.
• Hoover Institution: Stanford University-affiliated public policy research center promoting the principles of individual, economic, and political freedom. Hoover shares LCHP's university affiliation and policy research model, but is a much larger, established think tank with a national ideological focus rather than a history-policy methodology.
• Center for American Progress: A public policy research and advocacy organization producing policy analyses on domestic issues. CAP shares LCHP's focus on social policy topics including housing, immigration, voting rights, and racial justice, but is a much larger Washington, DC-based operation with explicit advocacy orientation.

Direct peers

• Stanford Humanities Center: A Stanford University research center supporting interdisciplinary humanities scholarship and public engagement. Stanford Humanities Center shares LCHP's university affiliation, humanities focus, and fellowship/residential scholar model, but lacks LCHP's explicit policy-recommendation orientation.
• National History Center: A nonprofit affiliate of the American Historical Association dedicated to fostering public engagement with history. NHC shares LCHP's specific mission of connecting historical scholarship with public policy and civic life, but operates primarily through convening and programming rather than research grant-making.

Emerging players

• Russell Sage Foundation: A foundation supporting social science research focused on social inequality. Russell Sage shares LCHP's social science orientation and grant-making model, but operates primarily as a funder of external research rather than an in-house research center producing its own reports.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/luskinhistory
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLA
• Facebookfacebook.com/luskinhistory
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/luskin-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/ucla.lchp

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 UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy