Arizona Center for Economic Progress

What Arizona Center for Economic Progress does

The Arizona Center for Economic Progress (AZCenter) is a Phoenix-based nonprofit policy research and advocacy organization focused on advancing fairer tax codes and economic justice in Arizona. Its work centers on connecting inequities in the state economy to actionable policy solutions across priority areas including state budget and tax policy, K-12 education funding, economic well-being, immigration, and paid family and medical leave. The organization operates through a community-led go-to-market motion, combining grassroots coalition building, direct advocacy with Arizona state legislators, and dissemination of data-driven research to advocates, lawmakers, media, and Arizona voters.

Its core outputs are research publications, an annual Legislative Scorecard evaluating legislator performance on economic policy, a State Budget 101 educational resource, a blog and news platform, and specific advocacy campaigns (notably on paid leave and corporate tax credits). The organization reports concrete policy wins including advancing legislation to slow corporate tax credit growth, helping pass a ballot initiative establishing an income tax surcharge on high earners that generated millions in new annual revenue for public schools, and capping STO corporate contributions at $135 million. It does not develop technology products or platforms and has no disclosed AI capabilities.

Its business model is nonprofit donation-driven, with revenue coming from contributions from individuals, foundations, and other funders. The organization maintains a strategic partnership with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (which places a State Policy Fellow at AZCenter). Leadership comprises a Director (Joseph Palomino, JD/LLM Taxation, former Arizona DOR analyst and KPMG tax consultant), an Assistant Director of Fiscal Policy (Geraldine Miranda, Georgetown-trained, former Community Legal Services senior paralegal), and a State Policy Fellow (Gauri Agarwal, ASU Barrett Honors College graduate). The organization shares a mailing address with Children's Action Alliance in Phoenix.

Name

Arizona Center for Economic Progress

Legal name

The Arizona Center for Economic Progress

Website

https://azeconcenter.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Arizona Center for Economic Progress is a Phoenix-based nonprofit policy research and advocacy organization that conducts data-driven research and grassroots advocacy to advance fairer tax codes, K-12 education funding, economic well-being, immigration, and paid leave policy for Arizona communities and state legislators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA), Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit) (BPAGADAN), Education Policy Advocacy & Lobbying Organizations (EDADADAB)

Keywords

• Policy advocacy research
• State budget analysis
• Fiscal policy research
• Economic justice advocacy
• Tax policy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: As a non-profit organization, the Arizona Center for Economic Progress relies on donations and contributions from individuals, foundations, and other funders to support its policy advocacy work.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Arizona Center for Economic Progress is a nonpartisan nonprofit policy advocacy organization that conducts data-driven research on Arizona state budget and tax policy, tracks legislative performance via a published scorecard, educates the public on state revenue systems through a State Budget 101 resource, and campaigns on policy priorities including education funding, paid family leave, and economic equity. Its outputs — research reports, scorecards, blog/news content, and advocacy campaigns — are delivered to Arizona lawmakers, communities, grassroots organizations, media, and voters rather than sold as commercial products.

Product overview

The Arizona Center for Economic Progress is a nonpartisan policy advocacy organization that does not offer a commercial technology product. Rather, it provides public policy research, legislative advocacy services, and educational resources focused on advancing fair tax codes, adequate education funding, economic well-being, immigration policy, and paid leave in Arizona. Its core offerings include policy research and analysis, a legislative scorecard tool, an educational State Budget 101 resource, blog/news content, and advocacy campaigns on paid leave.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Legislative Scorecard An annual advocacy tool that tracks and scores Arizona legislative actions related to the organization's policy priorities, enabling the public to evaluate legislator performance on economic, budget, tax, and education issues.
• State Budget 101 An educational resource explaining how Arizona funds state government, current revenue systems, and the challenges to adequate, sustainable, and progressive revenue collection, targeted at the general public and advocates.
• Paid Leave Advocacy Campaign An advocacy campaign supporting paid family and medical leave policies for Arizona workers, including research on benefits, policy proposals, and outreach to lawmakers and the public.
• Speaker Requests / Policy Expert Engagements A service providing Arizona policy experts to speak at panels, workshops, conferences, classes, and other events across the state on budget, tax, and economic policy topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved millions in new annual revenue for Arizona's public schools through passage of income tax surcharge ballot initiative
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Center on Budget and Policy PrioritiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGauri Agarwal serves as a State Policy Fellow with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, working in partnership with the Arizona Center for Economic Progress. This partnership enables the organization to leverage federal-level budget and policy research resources while maintaining local Arizona focus.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Economic Policy Institute: A national nonprofit think tank focused on economic policy, wages, and inequality. While operating at a much larger national scale, it covers overlapping ground with AZCEP on tax fairness, education funding adequacy, and economic justice from a progressive policy-research lens.
• Center for American Progress: A national progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. While significantly larger and broader in scope, it shares AZCEP's orientation toward data-driven progressive economic policy, tax reform, paid leave, and immigration advocacy.

Direct peers

• Children's Action Alliance: A Phoenix-based nonprofit children's advocacy organization that shares the Arizona Center for Economic Progress's mailing address (PO Box 10481) and likely shared office. Both organizations focus on Arizona state policy advocacy for low-income families and children, with overlapping issue areas in education funding, healthcare, and economic security.
• State Priorities Partnership: A network of state-level partner organizations coordinated through the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. AZCEP participates through its CBPP fellowship relationship, making it a peer within a federation of state fiscal-policy think tanks using a similar research-and-advocacy model.
• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: A national nonprofit policy research organization focused on fiscal policy and programs for low-income families. It is both a strategic partner (State Policy Fellow) and operational peer, producing data-driven research that AZCEP localizes for Arizona, with overlapping issue areas in tax credits, SNAP, and education funding.
• Arizona PIRG: An Arizona state affiliate of the Public Interest Research Group network focused on consumer protection, government accountability, and civic engagement. It shares AZCEP's model of data-driven state-level advocacy and grassroots organizing on economic and public-interest issues.
• Grand Canyon Institute: An Arizona-based nonprofit public policy research organization focused on state budget, tax policy, and economic analysis. It is the closest direct competitor in Arizona fiscal policy research and is frequently cited alongside AZCEP on state revenue and education funding issues.

Regional players

• Arizona Community Action Association: An Arizona statewide association representing community action agencies serving low-income households. While focused more on direct service coordination than research, it overlaps with AZCEP on antipoverty policy advocacy in Arizona and serves a similar community-organizing audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AZEconCenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/azcenterecon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arizona-center-for-economic-progress

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Arizona Center for Economic Progress