UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation

What UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation does

The UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation is a policy-oriented research center housed within the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, founded in 2008 and based in Los Angeles. It conducts applied, interdisciplinary environmental policy research across seven domains — climate, energy, fire, heat, transportation, urban greening, and water — and translates that research into actionable outputs for California government agencies, disadvantaged communities, and policymakers. Its most visible productized offerings include the National Shade Map (an interactive geospatial tool covering 360+ U.S. cities, built with American Forests), the LA Residential Energy Transition (RESET) Tool (a household electrification modeling platform developed with the California Center for Sustainable Communities for LADWP), the Southern California Community Water Systems Atlas, the Heat Resilience Toolkit, and the TCC Evaluation Program, which provides third-party evaluation of California's Transformative Climate Communities grants across at least seven communities representing roughly $69 million in program funding.

The center is staffed by 11–50 personnel under Faculty Director Megan Mullin and Senior Director Gregory Pierce, with associate directors, cooperative extension specialists, postdoctoral researchers, and project managers organized around issue-area teams. Its research is funded primarily through competitive grants from California state agencies (notably the Strategic Growth Council and LADWP), federal agencies (NSF, UC ANR), and philanthropic foundations (Resources Legacy Fund, The Water Foundation), supplemented by charitable giving through UCLA. It operates no commercial pricing model — all publications, policy briefs, and interactive tools are freely distributed — and generates no disclosed revenue, consistent with its status as a university research center rather than a commercial entity. Reach is national via the Shade Map and California-centric for direct policy engagement, with documented partnerships extending from Los Angeles neighborhoods (Watts, South LA, Northeast San Fernando Valley) to Stockton, Pomona, Fresno, and Ontario.

Strategic positioning is anchored in three reinforcing roles: independent evaluator of major state climate programs (TCC, LA100 Equity Strategies), trusted advisor to municipal and state agencies on equity-centered environmental policy (LA Office of Forest Management, Blue Ribbon Commission on Fire-Safe Recovery), and convener of cross-sector coalitions (ShadeLA with USC, the LA Urban Forest Equity Collective, TCC community partnerships). Recent milestones include the 2024 Strategic Roadmap, the 2025 ShadeLA coalition launch, the 2025 Blue Ribbon Commission contribution, and the 2026 recognition of the National Shade Map as a top UCLA invention of the 21st century.

Name

UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation

Legal name

UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation

Website

https://innovation.luskin.ucla.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation is a university research center that conducts applied, interdisciplinary environmental policy research on climate, energy, water, fire, heat, transportation, and urban greening, serving California government agencies, disadvantaged communities, and policymakers through data tools, third-party program evaluation, and policy analysis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Policy Research

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Mitigation Programs (Energy, Industry, Transport) (BPADALAC), Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPAIAMAD), Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD), Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH)

Keywords

• Environmental policy research
• Climate policy analysis
• Urban sustainability research
• Water systems research
• Environmental equity research

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

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Contracts: Funded by government agencies (e.g., California Strategic Growth Council TCC grants, LA Department of Water and Power, National Science Foundation, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources), foundations (Resources Legacy Fund, The Water Foundation), and other institutional funders. Grants support specific research projects, evaluation, and policy analysis.
2. Donations and Giving: The center accepts charitable contributions through UCLA's giving portal to support students and general operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation conducts applied, community-engaged environmental policy research across climate, energy, water, fire, heat, transportation, and urban greening. It produces peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs, interactive public data tools (such as the National Shade Map and LA RESET Tool), and serves as a third-party evaluator for California's Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) grant program in multiple communities.

Product overview

UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation is a research center that produces policy-focused research rather than a commercial product company. Its portfolio consists of research tools, data platforms, and initiative programs including: the National Shade Map (an interactive mapping tool with American Forests covering 360+ U.S. cities), the LA RESET Tool (Los Angeles Residential Energy Transition Tool for household energy projections), ShadeLA coalition initiative, Transformative Climate Communities evaluation program, Urban Forest Equity initiative, the Southern California Community Water Systems Atlas, and Heat Resilience Toolkit. These offerings are primarily public-facing research tools and programs rather than commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Shade Map An interactive mapping tool created in partnership with American Forests that visualizes shade availability across more than 360 U.S. cities and towns, helping decision-makers identify shade deserts and prioritize heat mitigation investments.
• LA RESET Tool

Quantifiable outcome

• 65,751 linear feet of pedestrian pathways added in South Stockton
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• California Strategic Growth CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency that funds the Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) program. The center serves as the third-party evaluator for TCC grants in Stockton ($35 million) and Pomona ($22 million), among other communities. This partnership is the center's flagship mechanism for documenting community-led climate action.
• Stockton Rising CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of community-based organizations and government agencies advancing climate action in South Stockton. The center documents their progress through evaluation, storytelling, and data collection. Stockton Rising receives a $35 million TCC grant with $34 million in leveraged funds.
• Pomona ACTS (Pomona Activated for Community Transformation and Sustainability)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of community groups, nonprofit organizations, and local government agencies in Pomona. The center serves as third-party evaluator for their $22 million TCC grant with over $10 million in leveraged funds, focusing on transportation, renewable energy, green infrastructure, and community health.
• UCLA Sustainable LA Grand ChallengecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCLA-wide initiative that co-organizes workshops and research with the center. Co-organized the Water Supply + Fire working group and provided coordination and support for the LA RESET Tool project.
• UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership hosting the center's Water Equity and Adaptation Policy Cooperative Extension Specialist — the first position of its kind at UCLA. UCANR co-organized the Water Supply + Fire working group and funded the Built Shade policy brief.
• American ForestscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organization partnering to create the National Shade Map, which visualizes shade from trees and buildings in 360+ U.S. cities. Julia Twichell from American Forests (Senior Director, Data Design & UX) co-developed the tool.
• City of Los Angeles Office of Forest ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular advisory partnership in which the center provides best practices on urban forest equity planning. The decision-making framework pioneered with the LA Urban Forest Equity Collective has been adopted by the city in its urban forest management planning process.
• Los Angeles Urban Forest Equity CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium co-led by the center, including forestry experts, LA city staff, community-based organizations, researchers, and consultants. The collective creates holistic strategies to advance urban forest equity in lowest-canopied LA neighborhoods, producing neighborhood strategy documents and design guidebooks.
• TreePeoplemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing nonprofit partner in urban forestry and heat mitigation. TreePeople co-leads the Los Angeles Urban Cooling Collaborative and led community engagement for the Sylmar neighborhood strategy under the Urban Forest Equity Collective.
• USC Dornsife Public ExchangemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the ShadeLA coalition, which leverages attention and investment around the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games to expand urban tree canopy and shade infrastructure across Los Angeles.
• California Center for Sustainable Communities at UCLAcoreTechnology or IntegrationResearch partner that co-developed the LA RESET Tool with the center. Julia Skrovan from the Center developed the interactive online mapping platform. The two centers also collaborated on equitable building electrification research.
• Redeemer Community PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-based organization partnering in the Justice First project to develop a community-led residential gas decommissioning plan for the Exposition Park neighborhood of South Los Angeles.
• GRID AlternativesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit implementing solar PV installations on low-income properties in Stockton, part of the Stockton Rising TCC portfolio. The center documents their work as part of the TCC evaluation.
• Latino and Latina RoundtablemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in Pomona ACTS that conducted resident interviews for the Cultivando Pomona (Cultivating Pomona) podcast documenting TCC-funded community work.
• Little Manila RisingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStockton-based nonprofit implementing youth leadership development and environmental justice workshop series funded by TCC, training young Stocktonians ages 17-24 as EJ advocates.
• The Energy CoalitionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in Pomona ACTS, credited for mapping the Pomona ACTS project area and contributing to the coalition's clean energy and transportation projects.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Urban Institute: A larger, established applied policy research organization producing evidence-based research on equity, economic, and environmental issues for government and foundations. Comparable as an applied policy research shop with strong government/foundation funder mix, though broader in topic scope.
• RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute): A larger, established applied research organization working on climate, energy transition, and built-environment issues. Provides overlapping capabilities (data tools, policy analysis, deep engagement with utilities and cities) but at a much broader scope, including international work and commercialization arms.

Direct peers

• Climate Central: A nonprofit climate science and communications organization producing data tools, visualizations, and policy-relevant research widely used by media and local governments. Comparable through national public-good data products, policy translation role, and high-volume media footprint.
• Resources for the Future: A long-standing Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit research institution focused on energy, environmental, and natural resource economics and policy. Highly comparable as an independent applied policy research organization producing peer-reviewed evidence used by government agencies, with similar grant/foundation funding mechanics.
• USC Dornsife Public Exchange: USC-affiliated applied research initiative producing community-engaged research on housing, equity, and environmental issues in Los Angeles, including being a co-lead partner with UCLA Luskin on the ShadeLA coalition. Closely comparable urban research mission, LA focus, and community-engaged methodology.
• UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability: UCLA's interdisciplinary academic unit for environmental and sustainability research and education, with overlapping faculty and water/climate research themes. Directly comparable as a UCLA sibling center working on water, climate, and sustainability with similar academic-research operating model.
• Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment: A peer university-based applied environmental research center convening faculty, students, and policy partners on climate, water, energy, and sustainability. Highly comparable in operating model (university-affiliated applied research), California policy footprint, and interdisciplinary environmental focus.
• UC Berkeley Center for Law, Energy & the Environment: A UC system peer applied research center that conducts interdisciplinary environmental and energy policy research and convenes stakeholders to inform California and federal regulation. Directly comparable in mission, university affiliation, policy-brief output, and California state-agency engagement.
• UC Center Sacramento: A UC system initiative that places academic experts with the California Legislature and state agencies on policy issues including climate, water, and energy. Comparable in bridging UC research with Sacramento policymakers and operating within the broader UC public-policy infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Energy + Environmental Economics (E3): A consulting firm specializing in deep energy system modeling and decarbonization planning for utilities and regulators (including LA100 work paralleling UCLA Luskin's LA100 Equity Strategies). Comparable through energy modeling, utility client work, and California decarbonization advisory, though more commercially structured.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LuskinCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ucla-luskin-center-for-innovation
• Instagraminstagram.com/uclaluskincenterforinnovation
• Facebookfacebook.com/UCLALuskinCenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Innovation