What Common Good Labs does

Common Good Labs is a private, for-profit research and policy organization that uses advanced data analytics, machine learning, and natural language processing to investigate social and economic challenges across U.S. cities. The firm applies ML to one of the largest neighborhood-level datasets it has assembled on U.S. cities, satellite imagery for place-based analysis, and NLP for unstructured text such as mental-health counseling conversations. Its deliverables include co-published national research with the Brookings Institution, customized analytical and policy solutions for foundations (notably the Baton Rouge Area Foundation), targeted studies such as youth mental health research with Crisis Text Line, and findings that have been cited in federal legislation including the EARLY Minds Act.

The company's core offerings fall into two commercial lines: National Research Services (Brookings-credentialled publications and policy recommendations aimed at systemic social issues) and Local Partnership Services (customized research-and-implementation support for foundations and nonprofits across six focus areas: Economic Prosperity, Excellent Education, Healthy Families, Quality of Life, Strong & Safe Neighborhoods, and Regional Resiliency). An invitation-only Executive Briefing and Roundtable series, a quarterly newsletter, and a Partner Portal for authenticated collaboration sit alongside these as engagement channels.

The go-to-market model is high-touch, relationship-driven, and consultative. Common Good Labs sells bespoke research engagements through direct partnership outreach rather than standardized product pricing, generating professional-services revenue from foundations and nonprofits (with licensing/royalty-style economics on Brookings co-publications). Customer segmentation is horizontal, targeting Local Foundations, National Nonprofits, and Government/Policymakers. The firm is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, operates only in the United States, and is led by two Managing Partners and a Director of Policy and Advocacy, with founder-level credibility in part supplied by Nonresident Fellowships at the Brookings Institution.

Name

Common Good Labs

Legal name

Common Good Labs

Website

https://commongoodlabs.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Common Good Labs is a Brooklyn-based private research and policy firm that applies machine learning, natural language processing, and geospatial analytics to social challenges for U.S. foundations, national nonprofits, and policymakers, including Brookings-co-published studies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Policy Research and Analytics Consulting

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education Equity, Access & Inclusion Policy Research (EDADADAF)

Keywords

• Social policy research
• Data analytics consulting
• Community development research
• Machine learning research
• Nonprofit consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Partnerships with Foundations: Common Good Labs generates revenue through collaborative research partnerships with local foundations and national nonprofit organizations. These engagements involve customized research, policy analysis, and solution development tailored to specific community challenges.
2. National Research Publications: Publishes research with prestigious institutions like the Brookings Institution, which may involve grant funding or sponsored research arrangements.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Common Good Labs is a research and policy organization that provides customized data analytics and policy research to foundations, national nonprofits, and government bodies. Its work combines machine learning, natural language processing, satellite imagery, and place-based analysis to produce evidence-based recommendations on social issues such as poverty, youth mental health, violence prevention, education, and neighborhood revitalization. Engagements follow a three-step process of collaborative investigation, partnership building, and solution development, delivered both through national research publications (e.g., with the Brookings Institution) and local partnerships with community foundations.

Product overview

Common Good Labs is a research and policy organization that operates as a unified service offering centered on collaborative research and local action. Their portfolio consists of national research services (published with the Brookings Institution and national non-profits), local partnership services (customized solutions for foundations), and specialized research offerings including Youth Mental Health Crisis Research, Economic Mobility Analysis, Neighborhood Displacement Prevention Research, Violence Prevention Analysis, and Early Childhood Programs Research. These offerings are delivered through a collaborative three-step process (investigative analysis, partnership building, and solution development) and supported by a Partner Portal for authenticated access. The organization also offers a Quarterly Newsletter for broader community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Research Services
• Local Partnership Services Customized analytical and policy solutions for local foundations and community-focused organizations, covering six focus areas: Economic Prosperity, Excellent Education, Healthy Families, Quality of Life, Strong and Safe Neighborhoods, and Regional Resiliency, delivered through collaborative investigation, partnership building, and solution development.
• Youth Mental Health Crisis Research National research project conducted with Crisis Text Line that applies natural language processing to thousands of anonymized conversations between adolescents and mental health counselors to identify resources young people use to cope with depression and mental health challenges, with findings presented at a Congressional Briefing and cited in the EARLY Minds Act.
• Economic Mobility Analysis Place-based analyses, satellite imagery analysis, peer comparison analyses, and evidence-based policy development conducted with the Baton Rouge Area Foundation to increase economic mobility and opportunity for city residents across six focus areas.
• Neighborhood Displacement Prevention Research Research using machine learning analysis of one of the largest U.S. neighborhood-level datasets to identify indicators of inclusive prosperity that allow communities to preserve themselves and reduce poverty by 10+ percentage points without displacement.
• Violence Prevention Analysis Research published with the Brookings Institution analyzing community-based public safety patterns, including the relationship between concentrated poverty, education, employment, and homicide rates in U.S. cities, and informing the implementation of interventions such as 400+ new streetlights in Baton Rouge.
• Early Childhood Programs Research Research analyzing early childhood development, pre-K readiness gaps, and community programs to identify solutions for improving kindergarten readiness and long-term educational outcomes, with quantified framing of long-term return on early childhood investment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Neighborhoods with concentrated poverty have average homicide rates 3-4 times worse than other residential areas
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Crisis Text LinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational research partnership with one of the nation's largest text-based mental health providers. Collaborated on analysis of anonymized conversations and co-presented findings at a Congressional Briefing hosted by the Senate's Bipartisan Mental Health Caucus. Findings informed the EARLY Minds Act legislation.
• Baton Rouge Area FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partnership focused on increasing economic mobility and opportunity in Baton Rouge neighborhoods. Work spans six focus areas including economic prosperity, education, healthy families, quality of life, neighborhood safety, and regional resiliency. Implemented evidence-based solutions including 400+ new streetlights.
• Brookings InstitutioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublishes national research with the Brookings Institution, including reports on reducing poverty without displacement and violence prevention formulas for U.S. cities. Research is featured in major national publications and informs policy discussions.
• Accion Opportunity FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization working on economic opportunity and financial inclusion.
• Purpose Built CommunitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of community development organizations focused on holistic neighborhood revitalization.
• Teach For AmericaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational education organization focused on educational equity and opportunity.
• FINRAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial industry regulatory organization, partnership likely relates to financial inclusion research.
• RMIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRocky Mountain Institute, organization focused on energy and environmental solutions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• New America: Public policy think tank with programs on education, economic growth, and family-friendly policies, comparable in cross-disciplinary policy focus and foundation-supported research model.
• Mathematica Policy Research: Policy research firm using rigorous quantitative and qualitative methods to evaluate social programs for foundations and government, comparable in engagement model, evidence-based approach, and education/social policy focus areas.
• Urban Institute: Nonpartisan policy research organization focused on economic mobility, housing, education, and neighborhood-level inequality, directly comparable in subject-matter focus, evidence-based method, and foundation/government funding mix.
• NORC at the University of Chicago: Independent research organization conducting social science studies using large-scale surveys, geospatial analysis, and administrative data, comparable in applied analytics for social issues including education and health access.
• MDRC: Social policy research organization evaluating programs for low-income populations including education, employment, and community development, comparable in mission and in evidence-based evaluation for foundations and government.
• Brookings Institution: Think tank where both Managing Partners hold Nonresident Fellow appointments and with whom Common Good Labs co-publishes national research, making it the closest direct peer in mission, scale of policy research, and topic areas (poverty, urban policy, violence prevention).
• Results for America: Nonprofit focused on using evidence and data to improve social outcomes at the state and local level, comparable in advocating evidence-based policy and working with foundations and governments on place-based outcomes.

Broad incumbents

• Abt Associates: Research and consulting firm applying data analytics and program evaluation to social policy across health, housing, and education for government and foundation clients, comparable in service mix but at much greater scale.
• RAND Corporation: Large, established research institution with broader topic coverage but overlapping emphasis on social policy, urban issues, and rigorous data-driven analysis, representing a much larger but thematically adjacent player.

Emerging players

• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit working on affordable housing and community development with deep foundation ties, comparable in place-based approach to community revitalization but focused primarily on housing/real estate rather than analytic policy research.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Common Good Labs