Possibility Lab

What Possibility Lab does

Possibility Lab is UC Berkeley's policy research laboratory that designs, pilots, and scales evidence-based models of community participation for public-sector problem solving. The lab operates from the UC Berkeley campus in Berkeley, California, and serves California state and local government agencies, community-based organizations, and philanthropy. Its primary functional offering is the I.M.P.A.C.T. Model — a six-step systematic methodology (Initiate, Mobilize, Plan, Act, Catalyze, Test) for clarifying the purpose of civic engagement, identifying partners and participants, selecting engagement methods, and arriving at community-informed policy solutions. A complementary proprietary methodology, the Firsthand Framework for Policy Innovation, gathers qualitative community expertise and translates it into concrete policy indicators for use in identifying, piloting, and evaluating reforms. The lab also runs the State of Engagement Fellowship for California government leaders, the Abundance Accelerator for housing and renewable energy engagement pilots, and convenes the annual Engaging with Possibility Summit and the State of Engagement Summit.

The lab's underlying technology is methodological rather than software-based: structured engagement frameworks, qualitative and survey research, and indicator-development processes. There is no commercial software product, API, or mobile application; the I.M.P.A.C.T. Model and Firsthand Framework are delivered as consulting, research, and technical-assistance services. The organization does not operate on a commercial pricing model; services are delivered through research partnerships, fellowship programs, and policy engagement contracts.

Possibility Lab's business model is grant-funded nonprofit research. Revenue streams consist of research grants and contracts from foundations — including Tipping Point Community Foundation, California Community Foundation, and Carnegie Corporation of New York — together with contracts from California state agencies such as the Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, Strategic Growth Council, California Department of Justice, and the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, centered on direct government partnerships, annual convenings, and fellowship cohorts rather than commercial distribution channels. The organization is led by Executive Director and Principal Investigator Amy E. Lerman and operates with a team of approximately 30 staff, faculty affiliates, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate student researchers.

Name

Possibility Lab

Legal name

UC Berkeley Possibility Lab

Website

https://possibilitylab.berkeley.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Possibility Lab is UC Berkeley's policy research laboratory that develops and applies evidence-based civic engagement frameworks, including the I.M.P.A.C.T. Model, to help California state and local governments design community-informed policy solutions through research partnerships, fellowships, and convenings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Research and Civic Engagement Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ), Government & Public Sector Conferences (MPAGAGAH)

Keywords

• Civic engagement research
• Participatory policymaking
• Public policy frameworks
• Government-community partnerships
• Policy research laboratory

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

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. Research Grants and Contracts: Funded through grants from foundations including Tipping Point Community Foundation, California Community Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and government contracts with California state agencies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Possibility Lab is UC Berkeley's policy research laboratory that designs, pilots, and scales evidence-based models of community participation for public-sector problem solving. Its core offering is the I.M.P.A.C.T. Model, a six-step systematic process for civic engagement that connects informed public deliberation to decision-making at the highest levels of state and local government, complemented by fellowship programs, research services, and convenings for government and community partners.

Product overview

Possibility Lab is UC Berkeley's policy research laboratory that offers a portfolio of civic engagement frameworks, programs, and research services rather than a software product. The core offering is the I.M.P.A.C.T. Model, a six-step systematic process for civic engagement. This is supported by specialized programs including the State of Engagement Fellowship for training government leaders, the Firsthand Framework for Policy Innovation for community-centered indicator development, and the Abundance Accelerator for piloting engagement innovations in housing and energy sectors. The organization also conducts policy research and hosts convenings including the Engaging with Possibility Summit to advance evidence-based, community-driven public policy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• State of Engagement Fellowship: A fellowship program bringing together mid-to-senior-level leaders from California state departments and agencies who oversee civic engagement, participatory policymaking, and community outreach.
• I.M.P.A.C.T. Model
• Firsthand Framework for Policy Innovation
• Abundance Accelerator

Products and services

• I.M.P.A.C.T. Model

Quantifiable outcome

• Generated 1,259 unique client-defined wellbeing indicators from 79 focus group participants
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Strategic Growth CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner for regional Catalyst Convenings on climate and land use policy. Possibility Lab supports meaningful engagement and facilitation strategies at nine convenings across California.
• Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government partner for regional Catalyst Convenings to inform state actions supporting local and regional organizations working on climate and land use issues.
• LifeMovescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading community-based organization providing housing and supportive services in the Bay Area, partnered on wellbeing indicators research with 79 focus group participants across four sites.
• Bay Area Community Services (BACS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-based organization providing housing and supportive services, partnered on wellbeing indicators research hosting five focus groups with various client populations.
• California Department of JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner for research assessing equity in criminal record relief eligibility in California, analyzing automatic record relief legislation impacts.
• Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState commission partner for comprehensive analysis of evidence-based practices in leadership and management training for law enforcement supervisors.
• California Youth Empowerment CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState commission partnered for technical assistance, policy trainings, and research support to advance youth empowerment policy agenda.
• LA DocumenterssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit civic journalism organization partnered to design and disseminate survey exploring motivations and outcomes of local journalism engagement program participants.
• PolicyLinksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational research and action institute focused on economic and social equity, funder for California Youth Empowerment Commission partnership.
• Governor's Senior Advisor for Civic Engagement & Social InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government partner co-hosting and co-designing the State of Engagement Summit with nearly 100 state practitioners in Sacramento.
• City BureausupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit civic journalism lab that created the Documenters Network, now expanded to Los Angeles County as LA Documenters.
• CalMatterssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCalifornia-focused nonprofit journalism organization partnered for Knowledge Hub content and research dissemination.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• More in Common: A nonprofit that works to bridge social and political divides and rebuild trust in institutions through research, narrative, and community engagement. Comparable in its evidence-based approach to civic engagement and similar government and foundation partner ecosystem.
• PolicyLink: A national research and action institute advancing economic and social equity, which is already a Possibility Lab funder (and partner on the Youth Empowerment Commission). Both serve as intermediaries connecting community voices to state policy, with overlapping funder and government partner networks.
• Healthy Democracy: A nonprofit that designs and implements deliberative democracy processes to give the public a direct voice in policy. Direct peer given the shared focus on structured civic engagement and participatory policymaking at the state and local government level.
• National Civic League: A nonprofit focused on strengthening democratic participation and civic engagement across U.S. communities. Possibility Lab is comparable in scope (civic engagement methodology, public-sector partnership) though the National Civic League operates more nationally and across more local government settings.
• California Policy Lab: A UC Berkeley/UCLA-affiliated policy research lab generating evidence-based research on California's pressing social and economic issues. Direct peer given the shared UC Berkeley anchor, equity-focused government research, and California state agency clients.

Regional players

• California Forward: A California-based civic reform organization focused on improving state governance and economic opportunity. Comparable in the California public-policy ecosystem and in producing research that informs state policy and civic engagement practice.

Broad incumbents

• Brookings Institution: A premier public policy research institution producing research and recommendations across domestic policy domains. Broad incumbent peer given the overlap in research-driven policy advisory work, though focused more on national-level policy discourse than California's civic engagement practice.
• New America: A nonpartisan think tank producing research and policy analysis on a wide range of domestic issues, including equity, democracy, and civic participation. Broad incumbent peer given the overlapping interest in civic engagement, equity, and policy reform, though with a much broader portfolio.
• RAND Corporation: A large nonprofit research institution producing rigorous policy research for government and foundations. Broad incumbent peer given the overlap in research methodology, government clients, and publicly funded programs, though RAND operates at a much larger scale and broader policy scope.
• Urban Institute: A large, well-established policy research organization producing evidence on social and economic issues for government and foundations. A broad incumbent peer given the overlap in research-driven advisory work for government agencies and foundations, though with a much larger footprint and budget.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/possibility-lab
• Instagraminstagram.com/ucpossibility

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Possibility Lab