Wisconsin Policy Forum

What Wisconsin Policy Forum does

Wisconsin Policy Forum is a nonpartisan, independent statewide nonprofit policy research organization headquartered in Milwaukee with a second office in Madison. Founded in 2018, the organization employs 11-50 staff and produces data-driven analysis on public policy issues affecting Wisconsin's local governments, K-12 school districts, and state government. Its core products include three research publication series — Focus (policy analysis), Budget Brief (school district budget analysis), and Taxpayer (fiscal analysis) — alongside interactive DataTools that allow users to examine and compare municipal and school district financial data across Wisconsin jurisdictions. The organization also runs events programming, most notably the annual Salute to Local Government, and offers sponsorship opportunities for organizations seeking visibility with policymakers.

The Forum's core technology stack centers on its DataTools platform, which standardizes and presents fragmented Wisconsin local government and school district financial data in a comparable, queryable format — a meaningful technical asset given the hundreds of distinct Wisconsin jurisdictions. No AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or SDKs are disclosed in the source material; the DataTools are described as data examination and comparison utilities rather than AI-driven analytics. Distribution is primarily direct-to-member and via the organizational website, with supplemental earned media coverage in regional outlets (Fox 6, Up North News, WBAY) and an organic social presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter/X.

The business model is a membership-driven nonprofit revenue structure with three streams: (1) recurring annual membership fees from corporations, nonprofits, local governments, school districts, and individuals, with a dedicated join/renewal portal; (2) charitable donations through a 'Ways to Give' program; and (3) sponsorships for events and research programming. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is determined through the join/renewal process. The organization reports more than 1,000 individual members plus hundreds of organizational members across government, education, nonprofit, and corporate segments, providing a diffuse revenue base with no single-customer concentration risk. Leadership is anchored by President Leigh Riley, who publicly attests to the Forum's record credibility as a nonpartisan policy source.

Name

Wisconsin Policy Forum

Legal name

Wisconsin Policy Forum

Website

https://wispolicyforum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wisconsin Policy Forum is a nonpartisan, independent nonprofit policy research organization in Milwaukee and Madison that produces data-driven analysis, interactive DataTools, and publications on Wisconsin government finance, education, and economic issues for local governments, school districts, and policymakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Research

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education Policy Evaluation & Impact Assessment Organizations (EDADADAD)

Keywords

• Nonpartisan policy research
• Government finance analysis
• School district budgeting
• Municipal data comparison
• Public policy think tank

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from corporations, nonprofits, local governments, school districts, and individuals. Join page with membership tiers and renewal options.
2. Donations/Ways to Give: Charitable donations from individuals and organizations supporting independent policy research
3. Sponsorship: Sponsorship opportunities for organizations seeking visibility with policy makers and community leaders

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wisconsin Policy Forum is a nonpartisan, independent statewide policy research organization that produces analytical research publications (Focus series, Budget Brief series, Taxpayer series), interactive DataTools for school district and municipal data, and membership-based events for Wisconsin local governments, school districts, nonprofits, corporations, and individuals. Its core deliverable is data-driven, nonpartisan analysis of public policy issues affecting Wisconsin.

Product overview

Wisconsin Policy Forum is a nonpartisan policy research organization offering research publications (Focus series, Budget Brief series, Taxpayer series), DataTools (School DataTool, Municipal DataTool), events programming, and membership services. The organization provides informed, nonpartisan analysis of critical policy issues affecting local governments, school districts, and the state of Wisconsin.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Publications Nonpartisan policy research reports (Focus series, Budget Brief series, Taxpayer series) covering education, government finance, economic development, and state/local government topics in Wisconsin, targeted at local governments, school districts, state agencies, nonprofits, and corporate members.
• DataTools Interactive online data tools comprising the School DataTool (school district finance data) and Municipal DataTool (Wisconsin cities and villages data) that allow users to explore and compare local government and education finance data.
• Policy Events and Forums Policy events and forums including the annual Salute to Local Government that bring together community leaders, public officials, and members around Wisconsin policy issues.
• Membership Program Annual membership program providing access to Forum research, events, and engagement opportunities for corporations, nonprofits, local governments, school districts, and individuals.

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Community Development AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Wisconsin Policy Forum produced the 'A Shifting Foundation' report commissioned by the Community Development Alliance, examining federal housing policy and implications for services in Milwaukee County. This represents a strategic commissioning relationship for housing policy research.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Manhattan Institute: A national policy research organization focusing on state and local policy, education reform, and fiscal issues. Broad incumbent: comparable nonpartisan-style policy research on the same state/local government finance and education funding topics, but operating at a national level with broader agenda and resources.
• Brookings Institution: A major national think tank producing public policy research across economics, education, and governance. Broad incumbent: operates in the same nonpartisan research/policy space with overlapping topic coverage (state and local finance, education), but at a national scale with broader agenda.
• Pew Charitable Trusts: A national nonpartisan research and policy organization with deep programs in state fiscal policy, education funding, and urban policy. Broad incumbent: produces state and local fiscal research that overlaps with the Forum's government-finance and education topics and competes for the same philanthropic dollars.
• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: A national nonpartisan policy institute analyzing federal and state budget, tax, and anti-poverty policy. Broad incumbent: much larger national counterpart whose state-budget and education-funding research directly overlaps with the Forum's core domains but at a national scale.

Direct peers

• Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center: A statewide nonpartisan think tank producing research on state budget, tax, and education funding issues for Massachusetts policymakers and advocates. Direct peer: same member-supported, state-level policy research model targeting state and local government finance.
• Public Policy Forum: A nonpartisan Chicago-area policy and fiscal research organization producing analysis on government finance, education, and regional economic issues. Direct peer: same nonpartisan state/regional think-tank model serving local governments and stakeholders with comparable research and convening role (and notably the predecessor entity that merged into Wisconsin Policy Forum in 2018).
• California Budget & Policy Center: A statewide nonpartisan policy organization analyzing state budget, tax, and economic policy issues affecting low- and middle-income Californians. Direct peer: same nonpartisan state-level research and budget-analysis model with government and education policy focus.
• Citizens Research Council of Michigan: A Michigan-based nonpartisan policy research organization providing analysis of state and local government finance, taxation, and public policy. Direct peer: comparable nonpartisan state-level fiscal and policy research organization serving government and civic stakeholders.

Regional players

• Illinois Policy Institute: A Midwest state-level policy organization producing research on state budget, taxes, and government performance. Regional peer: comparable nonpartisan-format state policy research operation in a neighboring state, with overlapping government-finance and education-policy subject matter.
• Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty: A Wisconsin-based public-interest law and policy organization producing research and litigation on state and local government, education, and economic issues. Regional player: same Wisconsin-specific policy research domain, but with a legal-advocacy orientation that competes for the same donor and audience attention in Wisconsin.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WisPolicyForum
• Facebookfacebook.com/WisPolicyForum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wisconsin-policy-forum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Wisconsin Policy Forum