CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance

What CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance does

The CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance (ISLG) is a non-profit research and policy organization operating within the City University of New York system. Headquartered in New York City, the institute was established to help government and public institutions work more effectively, efficiently, and equitably, with practice areas spanning criminal-legal reform, immigration impact analysis, education budgeting, and government operations. ISLG operates as a think-and-do tank that couples rigorous academic research with direct implementation support, producing publications, policy briefs, evaluations, and on-the-ground technical assistance rather than commercial software products.

ISLG's core technology consists of proprietary research methodologies, data analytics frameworks, and performance-measurement instruments developed over a decade of embedded government partnerships. Its flagship programs include the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII), a $250 million portfolio managed on behalf of the Manhattan District Attorney's Office that oversees technical assistance, contracting, and evaluation across 50+ community-based organizations; the Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC) Research Consortium, which functions as the central analytic infrastructure for a 57-jurisdiction MacArthur Foundation decarceration initiative; the Reducing Revocations Challenge (RRC), an Arnold Ventures-funded action-research network pairing probation departments with academic partners; and the Prosecutorial Data Collaborative, supporting state and local prosecutors in building data infrastructure. Underlying all of these are framework-level evaluation methodologies and an open-access publications library distributed through the ISLG website.

ISLG's business model is grant- and contract-funded rather than commercially priced. Revenue streams comprise foundation grants (MacArthur, Arnold Ventures), direct government contracts (Manhattan DA, Brooklyn DA, NYS DOCCS), and commissioned research/evaluation services from foundations and public-sector partners. Pricing is non-transactional and embedded in grant agreements and procurement contracts. Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven: ISLG pursues engagements through direct outreach to government agencies, response to RFPs, and cultivation of relationships with criminal justice agencies and foundations, while disseminating credibility-building research via publications, conferences, webinars, and a newsletter/LinkedIn/Bluesky/X/Facebook presence. The organization does not have equity investors, does not issue securities, and operates under CUNY's public-institution governance.

Name

CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance

Legal name

The City University of New York Institute for State & Local Governance

Website

https://islg.cuny.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance (ISLG) is a non-profit research and policy institute embedded within the City University of New York that provides research, evaluation, and technical-assistance services to government agencies, district attorneys' offices, and community-based organizations pursuing criminal-legal reform and government optimization.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Research and Criminal Justice Reform Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

ESG Governance, Sustainability Reporting & Assurance Advisory (BPAHAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK)

Keywords

• Criminal justice research
• Public policy analysis
• Government technical assistance
• Program evaluation services
• Jail reduction strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Initiative Funding: ISLG receives substantial grant funding from major foundations including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation (Safety and Justice Challenge) and Arnold Ventures (Reducing Revocations Challenge). These grants fund research consortia, reform initiatives, and evaluation work across multiple jurisdictions.
2. Government Contracts and Mandate Funding: ISLG is contracted by government entities including the Manhattan District Attorney's Office (Criminal Justice Investment Initiative, $250 million), Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, and New York State agencies to provide technical assistance, oversight, performance measurement, and research services.
3. Policy and Research Consulting: ISLG generates revenue through commissioned research, policy analysis, and evaluation services for government and philanthropic partners, including grant-funded program management and capacity-building for community-based organizations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CUNY ISLG is a non-profit research and policy institute that provides research synthesis, policy development, program evaluation, and technical assistance to government agencies, district attorneys' offices, and community-based organizations. It manages large-scale criminal justice reform initiatives (CJII, SJC Research Consortium, Reducing Revocations Challenge) through grant and contract funding from foundations and government partners.

Product overview

CUNY ISLG is a good governance think-and-do tank that operates as a unified portfolio of interconnected research, policy, and technical assistance programs rather than a traditional software product. The core offerings include the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII) — a $250 million initiative managing community-based public safety investments — and the Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC) — a national decarceration initiative with a research consortium. These are supported by research publications and policy briefs, data and analytic services, and technical assistance programs. The organization also maintains a Blog and Knowledge Center as information dissemination channels. All offerings are research and policy-focused services rather than commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Safety and Justice Challenge: A multi-year initiative to reduce jail populations and racial disparities in American jails, funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, for which ISLG serves as the research consortium manager.
• Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII)
• Reducing Revocations Challenge

Products and services

• Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII) Management and Oversight A $250 million initiative management and oversight engagement with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, providing technical assistance, performance measurement, and program evaluation across 50+ community programs spanning crime prevention, diversion/reentry, and survivor support services in New York City.
• Safety and Justice Challenge Research Consortium Management Consortium management and research analytic services for the MacArthur Foundation's Safety and Justice Challenge, coordinating nationally renowned research, policy, and academic organizations to build evidence across 57+ cities, counties, and states implementing jail decarceration strategies.
• Reducing Revocations Challenge A national action-research engagement pairing probation departments in 10 jurisdictions with research organizations to explore drivers of probation violations and develop innovative policy solutions, supported by Arnold Ventures funding.
• College-in-Prison Reentry Initiative Evaluation Program evaluation and management for a $7.3 million partnership between Governor Andrew Cuomo, the Manhattan DA, NYS DOCCS, and ISLG funding seven colleges across 17 state prisons to deliver college-in-prison programming.
• Racial and Ethnic Disparities Assessment Services Systematic baseline assessments of racial and ethnic disparities across prosecutorial decision-making from initial case acceptance through sentencing, delivered to district attorneys' offices such as the Brooklyn DA Justice 2020 Initiative.
• Prosecutorial Data Collaborative A team of data scientists, researchers, and practitioners supporting state and local prosecutors in building data infrastructure and culture for evidence-based decision-making and statutory compliance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Jail population reduction of nearly 18,000 people across 57+ SJC jurisdictions without compromising community safety
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017ISLG partners with DOCCS as part of the $7.3 million College-in-Prison Reentry Initiative, which funds seven colleges and universities to deliver college programming across 17 state prisons, serving 748 students.
• Manhattan District Attorney's Office (DANY)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Under former Manhattan DA Cy R. Vance Jr., DANY created the $250 million Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII) funded by seized international crime proceeds. ISLG manages CJII, provides technical assistance to contractors, and conducts oversight and performance measurement throughout the initiative. CJII focuses on crime prevention, diversion/reentry, and supports for survivors.
• Justice System Partners (JSP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJSP is a research partner conducting mixed-methods studies on racial and ethnic disparities and criminal legal system decision points across SJC sites. JSP examined disparities in Pima County AZ, New Orleans, and San Francisco at five major decision points: arrest, pretrial, diversion, disposition, and sentencing.
• Urban InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUrban Institute is an SJC partner that produces case studies complementing ISLG's data trends, digging deeper into SJC strategies in cities and counties including Charleston County SC, Lucas County OH, St. Louis County MO, and East Baton Rouge LA.
• Center for Justice Innovation (formerly Center for Court Innovation)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCCI is a CJII grantee and SJC Research Consortium member that conducts program evaluations (Project Reset, Men's Empowerment Program, Population Review Teams) and provides direct implementation support for justice reform programs in New York City.
• RAND CorporationmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRAND conducted process and outcome evaluations of CJII-funded programs including Project Reset diversion program, assessing implementation, facilitators, barriers, participant experiences, and cost-effectiveness.
• NYU-CUNY Prevention Research CentermajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPRC conducted an outcome evaluation of the NYC Health Justice Network program through CJII funding, examining the program's ability to reduce future criminal legal system involvement among participants.
• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaimajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMount Sinai's Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery created THRIV (Trauma Healing and Resilience Initiative for Transgender Survivors of Violence) with CJII funding and CUNY ISLG guidance. Icahn evaluated the program, which provided gender-affirming mental health care to TGNB survivors of violence.
• Sanctuary for FamiliesmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSanctuary for Families received CJII funding to expand its Career Readiness Training Program (CRTP) for domestic violence survivors to the Manhattan Family Justice Center, serving 86 clients across two program cycles.
• Brooklyn District Attorney Eric GonzalezmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerISLG partnered with Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez's Justice 2020 Initiative to conduct a systematic baseline assessment of racial and ethnic disparities across prosecutorial decision-making from initial case acceptance through sentencing.
• Osborne AssociationmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Osborne Association launched Harlem FamilyWorks (HFW) with CJII funding, an intergenerational program serving youth and families impacted by the criminal legal system. Urban Institute conducted a process evaluation of HFW in partnership with Osborne.
• Youth Opportunity Hubs Partners (The Door, Henry Street Settlement, Living Redemption, New York-Presbyterian, Union Settlement)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFive lead organizations in Manhattan were selected to open Youth Opportunity Hubs in East Harlem, Central/West Harlem, Washington Heights, and Lower East Side, serving young people ages 13-24 through trauma-informed, comprehensive services aimed at reducing criminal legal system involvement.
• Center for Child Trauma and Resilience (CCTR) at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaimajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCCTR conducted a formal process evaluation of the Men's Empowerment Program (MEP), a trauma-informed, community-based program for young men of color who are survivors of crime, funded through CJII.
• Westat and Metis AssociatesmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWestat and Metis Associates conducted the ongoing process evaluation of the Youth Opportunity Hubs initiative, providing mid-evaluation findings on implementation and outcomes.
• Reducing Revocations Challenge Research Consortium MembersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Reducing Revocations Challenge pairs probation departments in 10 jurisdictions with nationally renowned research organizations to conduct in-depth research on drivers of probation violations and develop actionable policy solutions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: A large, established research institution with criminal justice policy and program evaluation practices. A current CJII evaluator; broadly comparable as a research partner but much larger and more diversified.
• National Institute of Justice: The federal research, evaluation, and development agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Comparable as a criminal justice research funder/partner, though government-funded and broader in scope than ISLG.

Direct peers

• Vera Institute of Justice: A leading criminal justice research and technical assistance non-profit working directly on decarceration, pretrial reform, and racial equity. Highly comparable to ISLG in mission, methodology, and government/funder base.
• Brennan Center for Justice: NYU-affiliated law and policy institute conducting research on criminal justice reform, election integrity, and democracy. Comparable as a New York-based, university-affiliated policy research organization with criminal justice focus.
• Urban Institute: Major social policy research organization conducting criminal justice, housing, and economic research. A current SJC research partner to ISLG; directly comparable in producing multi-jurisdictional policy evaluations.
• Council on Criminal Justice: Nonpartisan criminal justice policy and research organization producing national-level analysis on incarceration, recidivism, and racial disparities. Directly comparable to ISLG's research consortium and policy brief output.
• Justice System Partners: Criminal justice research and consulting firm conducting racial and ethnic disparities studies for jurisdictions. A current SJC research partner; comparable in focus on mixed-methods criminal justice evaluation.
• Center for Justice Innovation (formerly Center for Court Innovation): Operates research, program evaluation, and direct court-based reform interventions in NYC; a current CJII partner. Closely comparable to ISLG in combining criminal justice research with on-the-ground implementation.

Others

• Arnold Ventures: A major criminal justice philanthropy that funds the Reducing Revocations Challenge with ISLG. Related as a funder/ecosystem participant rather than a research peer, but deeply connected to ISLG's initiative portfolio.

Emerging players

• Harvard Kennedy School - Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation: University-affiliated research center producing governance, public sector innovation, and criminal justice policy research. Comparable as an academic policy research institute with adjacent state/local governance focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CUNYISLG
• Facebookfacebook.com/cunyislg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cunyislg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance