Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute

What Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute does

The Kyl Center for Water Policy is a specialized nonpartisan research center within Morrison Institute for Public Policy, itself a statewide policy research resource of Arizona State University. Founded under the Morrison Institute banner (which dates to 1982), the Kyl Center focuses on Arizona's water challenges including Colorado River management, groundwater sustainability, tribal water rights, and water affordability, producing research reports, explainers, and analyses for government agencies, nonprofits, foundations, community leaders, and the public. Core products and tools include the Arizona Water Blueprint web portal, the AZ Curve water analysis tool, the Water Research Publications Library, and the Policy Academy training program; a parallel center, ARCHES (Arizona Research Center for Housing and Economic Solutions), extends the organization's mandate into housing security, climate, and health across the arid Southwest.

The organization conducts its work through traditional policy-research methodologies — interviews, dataset analysis, public-opinion polling, and focus groups — and distributes findings through freely accessible publications, public events, lectures, email newsletters, and social media channels. Its revenue model is non-commercial: as a nonpartisan public service embedded within a public university, the center operates without disclosed pricing and depends on university allocations and grant support rather than customer fees. It maintains strategic partnerships across Arizona's three regents universities (ASU, UA, NAU), the University of New Mexico, ASU's CAPLA and Drachman Institute, ULI Arizona, and the Just Energy Transition Center, giving it multi-institutional reach across Arizona and the broader Southwest.

The center is small (1 to 10 employees) and headquartered at ASU's Downtown Phoenix campus, with operations extending across Arizona and into the Southwest. It functions as part of ASU's academic research infrastructure rather than as an independent commercial entity, with no external venture capital or private equity backing. Strategic priorities evident from recent activity include expanding the housing-and-climate research agenda through ARCHES, building digital research tools, and deepening cross-institutional collaborations across the Southwest.

Name

Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute

Legal name

Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute for Public Policy

Website

https://morrisoninstitute.asu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Kyl Center for Water Policy is a nonpartisan research center within Morrison Institute at Arizona State University that produces policy research, reports, and digital tools on Arizona's water, housing, and climate challenges for government agencies, nonprofits, community leaders, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Research

NAICS

Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411), Regulation and Administration of Communications, Electric, Gas, and Other Utilities (926130)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

Keywords

• Water policy research
• Public policy analysis
• Housing policy research
• Nonpartisan research
• Policy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix, AZ

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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute is a nonpartisan public policy research organization within Arizona State University that produces in-depth research reports, explainers, analyses, polls, focus groups, and public events focused on Arizona's water challenges (Colorado River management, groundwater sustainability, tribal water rights, water affordability) and, through the parallel ARCHES center, housing security, climate, and health issues in the arid Southwest.

Product overview

The Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute operates as Arizona's premier water policy research organization, offering a portfolio of research products and web-based tools. The core offering is the Kyl Center's water policy research, complemented by the Arizona Water Blueprint web portal and AZ Curve tool. Additionally, Morrison Institute houses ARCHES (Arizona Research Center for Housing and Economic Solutions) as a parallel research center focused on housing security, climate, and health. The Policy Academy provides educational programming, and both centers publish extensive research libraries covering their respective domains of water policy and housing research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Arizona Water Blueprint: A water policy research tool and resource platform
• Arizona Research Center for Housing and Economic Solutions (ARCHES)

Products and services

• Kyl Center for Water Policy The water policy research division of Morrison Institute at Arizona State University. It produces in-depth research reports, explainers, and analyses on Arizona's water challenges including Colorado River management, groundwater sustainability, tribal water rights, water affordability, and emerging water-use trends in key industries, intended for policymakers, community leaders, and the public.
• Arizona Water Blueprint A web-based tool and resource portal providing information and data about Arizona water resources, enabling policymakers, community leaders, and the public to navigate Arizona's water challenges.
• AZ Curve A tool offered by the Kyl Center for Water Policy for water policy analysis and tracking.
• ARCHES (Arizona Research Center for Housing and Economic Solutions) A research center focused on housing security, climate, and health in the arid Southwest, conducting studies on Housing Growth and Production, Healthy Homes and Aging Communities, and Housing Innovations for Resilience. ARCHES bridges academic research and communities to develop evidence-based solutions.
• Policy Academy An educational and training program offered by Morrison Institute that helps build policy analysis capacity among practitioners and stakeholders.
• Water Research Publications Library An extensive library of publications including in-depth research reports, concise explainers, and timely analyses on water policy issues such as Colorado River management, groundwater sustainability, tribal water rights, affordability, and emerging water-use trends.

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

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ULI Arizona (Urban Land Institute)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 March 2025Collaboration on housing research events including documentary screenings and panel discussions on housing policy issues.
• Arizona State University (ASU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMorrison Institute and the Kyl Center for Water Policy are integral parts of Arizona State University, utilizing the resources of the nation's most innovative research university.
• University of Arizona (UA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through ARCHES initiative connecting Arizona's three regents universities (ASU, UA, NAU) to build capacity for community-engaged knowledge and evidence-based solutions.
• Northern Arizona University (NAU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through ARCHES initiative connecting Arizona's three regents universities (ASU, UA, NAU) to build capacity for community-engaged knowledge and evidence-based solutions.
• University of New Mexico (UNM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSI (Hispanic Serving Institution) partnership through ARCHES extending collaboration to institutions across the Southwest.
• CAPLA (College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint lectures, events, and research collaborations with ASU's College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, particularly on housing and urban planning topics.
• Drachman InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArizona-based research institute focused on the built environment, mentioned in ARCHES partnership ecosystem.
• Just Energy Transition Center at ASUminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-authored report on Water Rights and Water Use of Coal Facilities in the Colorado River Basin.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Water in the West at Stanford:

Direct peers

• Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment: University-based policy and research center at Colorado Law focused on water resources, energy, and natural resources policy. Highly comparable as an academic-affiliated research hub tackling Western U.S. water and environmental policy issues with similar research and convening model.
• Water Research Foundation: U.S.-based non-profit research foundation funding and disseminating applied water research for utilities and the water sector. Comparable as a water-focused research organization that produces publications and tools used by practitioners and policymakers.
• Resources for the Future: Independent non-partisan research institution focused on natural resources, energy, and environmental economics — including water — producing peer-reviewed studies, policy briefs, and convenings used by federal and state policymakers.
• Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment: Stanford University institute coordinating interdisciplinary environmental research, including freshwater and water security. Comparable as a university-affiliated research hub combining academic rigor with policy engagement on water and climate.
• Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University: University-based policy research institute producing independent research on energy, environment, and sustainability — including water — with strong convening and policymaker engagement functions comparable to the Kyl Center's mission.
• Pacific Institute: Independent non-profit water policy research organization producing reports and tools on freshwater challenges, climate, and equity. Comparable as a water-focused research organization publishing policy briefs and operating flagship tools for stakeholders.
• Georgetown Climate Center: University-based policy center producing analysis on climate and water resource issues for state and federal policymakers. Comparable as an academic-affiliated policy research center convening stakeholders on water and climate.

Broad incumbents

• Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) of ASCE: Established professional institute within ASCE focused on environmental and water resources engineering and policy. Comparable as an established water-focused convening and knowledge-producing organization, though oriented more toward engineering practice than policy research.

Emerging players

• Strata Policy: Bipartisan policy firm focused on water and energy issues in the Colorado River Basin and broader Western U.S. Comparable as an emerging policy-focused organization tackling the same Colorado River and groundwater themes central to the Kyl Center's research.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/morrisonasu
• Facebookfacebook.com/morrisoninstituteatasu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kyl-center-for-water-policy-at-morrison-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

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 Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute