Public Agenda
Public Agenda is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization producing survey-based reports, toolkits, and initiatives that strengthen American democracy, expand economic mobility through education, and amplify community voice in health policy. Founded 1975, based in New York.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1975
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Public Agenda does
Public Agenda is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization founded in 1975 by social scientist Daniel Yankelovich and public official Cyrus Vance to address the disconnect between governing elites and ordinary Americans. Headquartered in New York City with 11-50 employees, the organization produces survey-based research, practical toolkits, and multi-year initiatives organized around three focus areas: democracy, education, and health. Its primary audiences are policymakers, advocacy organizations, journalists, and the philanthropic community, with secondary engagement of higher education institutions and health policy organizations.
The organization's core technology is survey research methodology and longitudinal public opinion data collection. Since 1979, Public Agenda has archived all survey items at the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, creating a 45+ year longitudinal dataset that constitutes its principal analytical asset. It has also developed a "Research Accelerator" model for catalyzing, translating, synthesizing, and communicating rigorous democracy research, deployed through the Democracy Renewal Project. Product offerings include the Listening to Young Men report, Pathways to Economic Mobility initiative with its Economic Mobility Toolkit, Hidden Common Ground, Community Voices for Health, Healthier Democracies, American Perspectives on Democracy, and the Democracy Knowledge Accelerator, alongside case studies of higher education institutions in Illinois, Texas, and California.
Public Agenda does not sell products or services. It is funded through foundation grants and charitable donations, with major funders including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Arnold Ventures, Carnegie Corporation of New York, John S. Knight Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Kettering Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and the Charles Koch Institute. Distribution occurs through the publicagenda.org website, email newsletter, social media, media partnerships (notably USA Today for Hidden Common Ground), and direct consultation services. All research outputs are provided free of charge to the public.
Public Agenda firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Public Agenda
- Legal name
- Public Agenda
- Website
- https://publicagenda.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1975
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Public Agenda is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization producing survey-based reports, toolkits, and initiatives that strengthen American democracy, expand economic mobility through education, and amplify community voice in health policy. Founded 1975, based in New York.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Public Agenda industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Policy Research
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Public Health Strategy, Policy & Legislation (HLAJAMAA), Public Affairs, Government Relations & Lobbying (BPAFADAB)
Keywords
Where Public Agenda is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Public Agenda business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Foundation Grants and Charitable Donations: Public Agenda is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises funds from foundations, individual donors, and corporate giving programs. The organization accepts various forms of donations including checks, donor-advised fund distributions, matching gifts, securities, charitable rollovers, and bequests.
- Partnership and Funder Collaborations: Work is made possible by partners and funders who share values and goals. Major funders include Arnold Ventures, Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, Knight Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and others.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Public Agenda product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Public Agenda is a national nonprofit research organization that conducts public opinion surveys and produces research reports, initiatives, and practical toolkits focused on strengthening American democracy and improving outcomes in education and health. Its core deliverables include flagship initiatives (Democracy Renewal Project, Hidden Common Ground, Pathways to Economic Mobility), survey-based research reports, focus group studies, case study collections, the Economic Mobility Toolkit, and direct consultation services for partners and funders.
Product overview
Public Agenda is a national research-to-action nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of research reports, initiative programs, and practical toolkits. Core offerings include the Listening to Young Men research report, the Pathways to Economic Mobility initiative with its Economic Mobility Toolkit, the Democracy Renewal Project, Hidden Common Ground, and Community Voices for Health. Additional products include various case studies (Illinois and Texas/California higher education institutions), survey research (Beyond Transfer, Who Gets to Learn), and consulting services (Partner on Research, Build Capacity for Impact, Understand Public Opinion). The organization also provides a data search tool powered by the Roper Center. The product architecture is organized around three focus priorities (Democracy, Education, Health) with cross-cutting initiatives supporting research-to-action outcomes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Listening to Young Men Comprehensive national survey research report exploring young men's values, experiences, aspirations, and attitudes across masculinity, economic opportunity, higher education, trust in government, and civic participation. Target audience: policymakers, philanthropies, and education stakeholders.
- Seeking Stability but Seeing Risk: Young Men's Perspectives on Career Pathways Focus group companion piece providing qualitative insights into how young men perceive and manage complexities of career decision-making.
- Pathways to Economic Mobility Multi-year initiative equipping college and university leaders and policymakers with evidence and tools to generate positive economic outcomes for students from low-income backgrounds.
- Economic Mobility Toolkit Institutional planning guide and case studies for colleges and universities to drive economic mobility outcomes.
- Democracy Renewal Project Flagship initiative catalyzing rigorous, actionable research on promising practices and interventions to strengthen American democracy, serving the democracy renewal movement with research and communication infrastructure.
- Hidden Common Ground Multi-year research project challenging the narrative that Americans are hopelessly divided, exploring cross-partisan common ground on topical issues in partnership with USA Today.
- American Perspectives on Democracy Research initiative contributing to the understanding of Americans' perceptions of democracy and how that understanding evolves in the modern era.
- Democracy Knowledge Accelerator Research and tools providing advocates, policymakers, and philanthropies with evidence to meet democracy's pressing challenges.
- Community Voices for Health Multi-year initiative strengthening community-engagement infrastructure by involving marginalized and underserved communities in health policymaking, in partnership with Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Altarum.
- Healthier Democracies Initiative highlighting global case studies of community engagement and providing recommendations to elected public officials on better serving their communities.
- Texas Economic Mobility Case Studies Case studies highlighting how Texas institutions advance economic opportunity for students from low-income backgrounds, supported by the Greater Texas Foundation.
- California Economic Mobility Case Studies Case studies of four high-performing California institutions focused on economic mobility, supported by College Futures Foundation.
- Illinois Higher Education Case Studies Collection of case studies including University of Illinois Springfield, Malcolm X College, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and University of Illinois Chicago examining institutional practices that support economic mobility.
- Beyond Transfer Survey-based research exploring the prevalence of attempts to transfer postsecondary credit among American adults.
- Who Gets to Learn? Illinoisans' Views on Public Higher Education Research on Illinoisans' perspectives regarding public higher education funding and access.
- Regulating Health Care Providers' Prices: Insights from People with Employer-Sponsored Insurance Research on Americans' attitudes toward health care price regulation and transparency requirements.
- Search Our Data Online search tool for accessing Public Agenda survey data archived since 1979, powered by the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
- Understand Public Opinion Qualitative and quantitative research services on the values and views of the general public and specific communities, offered to organizations as a paid engagement.
- Partner on Research Support services for researchers seeking actionable knowledge to guide democracy renewal efforts, offered as a paid engagement.
- Build Capacity for Impact Collaboration with organizations and institutions to develop data-informed approaches for achieving their goals, offered as a paid engagement.
Quantifiable outcome
- 3,559 nationally representative survey respondents providing data on democracy attitudes
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Public Agenda
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Public Agenda technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Public Agenda partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered research partner, key partner, media partner, technical partner, local partner, healthcare partner, community partner, consulting partner and program partner.
- SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins Universityresearch partnerCollaboration on understanding Republican attitudes toward democracy and constitutional issues.
- American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)key partnerPartnership to design Engaged Civic Learning and Economic Mobility Project cohort, guiding 15 faculty members in redesigning community-engaged courses.
- USA Todaymedia partnerMedia partner for Hidden Common Ground initiative, co-publishing research on American perspectives and common ground.
- Altarumtechnical partnerTechnical assistance provider for Community Voices for Health initiative alongside Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
- NYC Small Business Serviceslocal partnerNew York City government partner for civic engagement programs.
- NYC Civic Engagement Commissionlocal partnerNew York City government partner for civic engagement initiatives.
- NYC Servicelocal partnerNew York City service and volunteer programs partner.
- United Hospital Fundhealthcare partnerNew York healthcare foundation partner for health policy work.
- SOVA (Veterans Organization)community partnerVeterans organization partner for community engagement initiatives.
- HCM Strategistsconsulting partnerHealthcare and human services consulting firm partner.
- New Votersprogram partnerNonpartisan, evidence-based youth voice organization partner for Listening to Young Men research.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Public Agenda competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- New America: Think tank with programs spanning education, democracy, and health policy. Comparable portfolio and research-to-action orientation, but operates at larger scale with broader issue breadth.
- RAND Corporation: Major policy research institution covering democracy, education, and health policy. Comparable in survey research and policy translation, with overlapping funder base but vastly larger scale and defense-sector roots.
- Aspen Institute: Nonprofit focused on dialogue and leadership across civic issues. Comparable in civic engagement convening and nonpartisan positioning, with overlapping funder relationships.
- Brookings Institution: Large, established public policy research organization covering democracy, education, and economics. Comparable on the democracy and education verticals but operates at much larger scale with broader issue coverage.
Direct peers
- More in Common: Research and narrative-change nonprofit studying attitudes across divides and identifying common ground. Closely comparable mission to Public Agenda's Hidden Common Ground initiative, with similar funder profile.
- Kettering Foundation: Nonprofit foundation focused on democratic governance and citizen participation research. A direct funder/peer of Public Agenda's Democracy Renewal Project with closely aligned research priorities.
- CIRCLE (Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement): Tufts University-based research center studying youth civic engagement and education. Directly comparable on civic participation research and survey methodology, particularly the youth engagement dimensions of Public Agenda's work.
- Pew Research Center: Nonpartisan research organization producing public opinion surveys and demographic research. Highly comparable in survey methodology, longitudinal data assets, and nonpartisan civic-research positioning; operates at significantly larger scale.
- PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute): Nonpartisan research organization studying the intersection of religion, culture, and public opinion. Directly comparable in survey-driven public opinion research and democracy-focused analysis.
- National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC): Nonprofit focused on civic participation research and the annual Civic Health Index. Directly comparable in democracy and civic engagement research, with overlapping funder ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Public Agenda social profiles
Digital presencePublic Agenda compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Public Agenda financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Public Agenda leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Public Agenda funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Public Agenda M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Public Agenda
What does Public Agenda do?
Public Agenda is a national nonprofit research organization that conducts public opinion surveys and produces research reports, initiatives, and practical toolkits focused on strengthening American democracy and improving outcomes in education and health. Its core deliverables include flagship initiatives (Democracy Renewal Project, Hidden Common Ground, Pathways to Economic Mobility), survey-based research reports, focus group studies, case study collections, the Economic Mobility Toolkit, and direct consultation services for partners and funders.
Is Public Agenda a public or private company?
Public Agenda is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Public Agenda founded?
Public Agenda was founded in 1975. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Public Agenda based?
Public Agenda is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does Public Agenda make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Foundation Grants and Charitable Donations are the primary driver. The others are partnership and Funder Collaborations.
Who are Public Agenda's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are New America, RAND Corporation, Aspen Institute and Brookings Institution. Direct peers are More in Common, Kettering Foundation, CIRCLE (Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement), Pew Research Center, PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute) and National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC).
Does Public Agenda have an API?
No public API is recorded for Public Agenda.
What industry is Public Agenda in?
Public Agenda's product category is Public Policy Research. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAJ, Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy, with a secondary code of HLAJAMAA, Public Health Strategy, Policy & Legislation. Its NAICS code is 8133.