The Burnes Center for Social Change

What The Burnes Center for Social Change does

The Burnes Center for Social Change is a university-wide research center at Northeastern University, founded in April 2022 through an endowment from the Burnes family and directed by Beth Simone Noveck. The center designs and deploys technology-based solutions to public problems across three thematic areas: democracy and governance, education equity, and economic justice. It serves state, local, and federal government employees; low-income Americans; K-12 educators and parents of students with disabilities; and labor movement participants. Core programs include the AI for Impact Co-op (Northeastern student engineers build AI tools for public-sector clients), InnovateUS (free training on responsible AI, data, and digital skills for government workers), and a portfolio of domain initiatives: Vot-ER (healthcare-based voter registration across 700+ sites), Link Health (AI-assisted federal benefits enrollment), AI-EP (generative AI translation/summarization of IEPs), Unlocking Literacy, Reboot Democracy, and Power At Work. Deployed tools include HEKA (MassDOT engineering assistant that cut search time by 78%) and GrantWell (Massachusetts AI grants assistant).

The technology stack is generative-AI-centric and applied rather than foundational: large language models process long-form documents (50-75 page IEPs), power chatbots (CivicConnect via OpenAI GPT-4), and drive knowledge retrieval (HEKA). The AI for Impact Co-op acts as the internal engineering engine, drawing on Northeastern's Khoury College computer science talent to build bespoke tools for government agencies.

The center operates on a philanthropic, non-transactional revenue model. All educational programs (InnovateUS workshops, the Solving Public Problems course) are free to participants, funded by grants — most notably $2 million from Google.org in October 2023 and $5 million from Google.org in October 2024 — alongside the Burnes family endowment and university support. The GTM is event- and partnership-driven: lectures, workshops, co-op projects, and direct-to-government training agreements rather than traditional sales. Direct government training partnerships now span at least nine states (NJ, MA, CA, PA, NY, AZ, OR, DE) plus San Francisco and Montgomery County MD. As a university research center, the Burnes Center does not publish standalone revenue or pursue conventional equity funding.

Name

The Burnes Center for Social Change

Legal name

The Burnes Center for Social Change

Website

https://burnes.northeastern.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Burnes Center for Social Change is a Northeastern University research center that builds applied AI tools and free training programs for government employees. It advances democracy, education equity, and economic justice through partnerships with state and local governments across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Sector Innovation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Democratic Governance & Public Administration Reform (BPADAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Change Management & Transformation Leadership (EDABAAAD), Education Systems Strengthening (Policy, Planning, EMIS, Governance) (BPADAKAK)

Keywords

• Public sector innovation
• AI training for government
• Civic technology services
• Social impact consulting
• Democracy and governance research

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Primary funding from philanthropic foundations and government grants. Notable funders include Google.org ($2M in 2023, $5M in 2024 for InnovateUS), and partnerships with state governments for AI training programs.
2. Educational Programs: Free educational courses and training programs for public servants, including the Solving Public Problems course and InnovateUS curriculum. Programs are offered at no cost to participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Burnes Center for Social Change is a university-wide research center at Northeastern University that designs and implements practical solutions to society's hardest problems in democracy, education, and economic justice using technology and AI. Its core offerings include InnovateUS (free online training for public servants on AI and innovation skills) and the AI for Impact Co-op Program (where Northeastern students build AI tools for government agencies). It operates complementary domain initiatives such as Vot-ER, Link Health, AI-EP, and Reboot Democracy.

Product overview

The Burnes Center for Social Change is a university-wide research center at Northeastern University that operates as a portfolio of interconnected programs rather than a single unified product. The core offerings include the AI for Impact Co-op Program (students building AI solutions for public sector problems) and InnovateUS (free training for public servants on AI and innovation skills). These are complemented by domain-specific initiatives: A Healthier Democracy (with Vot-ER and Link Health for civic/healthcare integration), Reboot Democracy (AI for democratic engagement), Power At Work (labor/economic justice), and Unlocking Literacy (AI for educational equity). The center also produces publications, podcasts (Pi-Squared), workshops, and implements AI tools like HEKA and GrantWell for government agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• InnovateUS: Free online learning for public servants on data, digital, and innovation skills with emphasis on evidence-based and equitable approaches.
• AI for Impact Co-op Program
• Power at Work
• Pi-Squared (Pi²)
• Reboot Democracy
• A Healthier Democracy
• The GovLab

Products and services

• AI for Impact Co-op Program A cooperative education program where Northeastern University students build AI solutions for social impact by solving public sector problems, tapping into artificial intelligence capabilities and student talent to deliver tools for government agencies.
• InnovateUS Free online learning platform for public servants on data, digital, and innovation skills with an emphasis on evidence-based and equitable approaches. Delivers workshops and courses on responsible AI use in government for state and local government employees.
• Vot-ER

Quantifiable outcome

• Vot-ER has registered 110,000 voters in healthcare settings
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• State of OregonminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 July 2025Oregon partnered with InnovateUS to begin training state government employees on how to use generative artificial intelligence.
• State of New YorkmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 March 2025New York partnered with InnovateUS to offer AI training to its state workforce, with Beth Noveck joining Power and Politics to discuss the partnership.
• Commonwealth of Massachusetts (GrantWell)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2025Healey-Driscoll Administration launched GrantWell, a first-of-its-kind AI-powered tool to assist communities with applying for grants, building on MA's AI initiatives.
• State of DelawareminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2025Delaware began offering AI training curriculum for state employees through InnovateUS for responsible, effective, and ethical AI use in government work.
• POPVOX FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 February 2025POPVOX Foundation collaborated with Burnes Center students to create CivicConnect, the first Congressional office chatbot prototype using OpenAI's GPT-4.
• State of ArizonaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2025Arizona launched a comprehensive Generative AI training program for state employees through partnership with InnovateUS.
• Commonwealth of PennsylvaniamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2024Governor Shapiro announced partnership with InnovateUS to train Pennsylvania government employees on responsible AI use. Early pilots showed generative AI saving employees 105+ hours.
• Montgomery County, MarylandminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 November 2024Montgomery County partnered with InnovateUS to provide free, self-paced generative AI training for employees, aiming to improve government operations and resident services.
• State of CaliforniamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 July 2024California partnered with InnovateUS to provide responsible AI training to state employees through the Burnes Center's curriculum.
• City and County of San FranciscomajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 July 2024Mayor Lurie announced partnership with InnovateUS to deliver government-focused courses on responsible AI use for San Francisco city and county employees.
• Commonwealth of MassachusettscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 February 2024Governor Healey announced InnovateMA partnership, leveraging the Burnes Center's AI for Impact co-op program to develop AI tools for state government agencies including MassDOT and MassHealth.
• State of New JerseycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 January 2024Governor Phil Murphy appointed Beth Noveck as New Jersey's first Chief AI Strategist and launched AI training initiatives through InnovateUS for state employees.
• The Governance Lab (The GovLab)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe GovLab is a partner project of the Burnes Center, both directed by Beth Simone Noveck. The GovLab focuses on using technology and collective intelligence to improve governance. Projects like Smarter Crowdsourcing and various democracy initiatives are shared between the organizations.
• A Healthier DemocracycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA transformative collaboration between A Healthier Democracy (with Vot-ER and Link Health programs) and the Burnes Center's AI for Impact initiative. The partnership aims to leverage AI for civic engagement and federal benefits access, targeting 1 million low-income Americans by 2028.
• Vot-ERcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVot-ER is a pioneering initiative making voter registration accessible in healthcare settings, coordinating with over 700 hospitals and clinical sites. Led by Burnes Center Senior Fellow Dr. Alister Martin, it has registered 110,000+ voters.
• Link HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLink Health enrolls patients in federal benefits during healthcare visits. Partnership with the Burnes Center's AI for Impact program aims to enable $100 million in federal assistance enrollment and expand to 700+ sites nationwide.
• Innovate Public SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit organization using the AI-EP tool (developed through AI for Impact) to help parents translate, simplify and summarize IEPs, improving family engagement in special education.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• 18F: Federal civic-tech office within GSA that builds and procures digital public services, highly comparable in operating model (in-house technologists serving government agencies) and mission.
• Brookings Institution: Established public policy research organization whose Center for Technology Innovation produces work on AI, democracy, and government effectiveness, comparable in research depth and policy-influence ambitions.
• The Aspen Institute: Nonpartisan policy and ideas organization with major programs on democracy, education, and economic opportunity, comparable in convening civic leaders and producing research-driven recommendations.
• New America: Large think tank with major programs on technology, democracy, and education policy, providing comparable research, convening, and policy advocacy infrastructure that overlaps with Burnes Center initiatives like Reboot Democracy.
• USDS / U.S. Digital Service: Federal government technology delivery organization that recruits technologists to improve public services, sharing the Burnes Center's mission of applying modern technical talent to government challenges.

Direct peers

• Nava: Public benefit corporation that builds digital services for government agencies (e.g., healthcare.gov), directly comparable in applying modern engineering practices to public-sector service delivery challenges.
• Data & Society: Research-focused organization studying the social implications of data-centric technologies, with overlapping concerns around AI governance, civic engagement, and the public-interest framing of emerging technology.
• Code for America: Nonprofit civic-tech organization that builds digital services and advocates for government modernization, sharing the Burnes Center's focus on technology-driven public sector innovation and equity.
• The GovEx: Johns Hopkins University center focused on using data and technology to improve government operations, comparable as a university-embedded center applying innovation to public-sector problems.
• The Governance Lab (The GovLab): Partner project of the Burnes Center, also directed by Beth Simone Noveck, focused on using technology and collective intelligence to improve governance. Closely aligned mission and leadership, and effectively the closest direct peer to the Burnes Center.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Northeastern
• Facebookfacebook.com/northeastern
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-burnes-center-for-social-change

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Burnes Center for Social Change